NCWD/Youth Testifies at the U.S. Department of Labor on WIA Reauthorization

http://www.ncwd-youth.info/whats-new#20091005a

Joan Wills from the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) testified before the Assistant Secretaries of the Office of Disability Employment Policy and the Employment and Training Administration at the Department of Labor’s Listening Session on the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). WIA has been up for reauthorization for several years and the listening session was designed to collect input from experts in the disability employment field. Wills laid out five broad strategy areas that need to be taken into account when improving the WIA.

The areas are:

Collaboration
Strengthen and Align the Infrastructure
Research and Evaluation
Accountability and Performance
Promote Professional Development

NCWD/Youth Releases Helping Youth with Mental Health Needs Avoid Transition Cliffs: Lessons from Pioneering Transition Programs

http://www.ncwd-youth.info/information-brief-24

This InfoBrief discusses challenges faced by youth and young adults with mental health needs during their transition to adulthood and describes strategies used by youth service professionals to avoid age-related transition cliffs and prevent service interruptions during this critical stage of development. This InfoBrief is another in a series of briefs and is based on a rich body of research about transition-age youth with mental health needs published in four separate reports in the last two years, including two produced by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth. A Policy Brief will be coming soon.

NCWD/Youth Adds New Programs to its Innovative Strategies

NCWD/Youth's Innovative Strategies features workforce development programs and practices that serve youth with disabilities, either as a target population or as part of other youth populations. Recently, NCWD/Youth added 5 additional programs. They are:

U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy and Employment and Training Administration Announces Cooperative Agreements on Apprenticeship Training

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) announced the awarding of two cooperative agreements aimed at improving registered apprenticeship training for youth and young adults with disabilities. The agreements were awarded to The Workplace, Inc. in Bridgeport, CT and SkillSource Group, Inc. in Vienna, VA. The groups will be tasked with leading “consortia to develop innovative models of providing inclusive registered apprenticeship training to youth and young adults with disabilities.”

ODEP and the Employment and Training Administration issued a Technical Employment Notice announcing a white paper and toolkit which focuses on expanding apprenticeship opportunities for youth with disabilities. The paper and toolkit examine the current capacity of apprenticeship service providers to effectively service youth with disabilities. It also discusses strategies for other youth service delivery systems showing that apprenticeship can be a viable work-based learning experience and a means to improve transition outcomes for youth with disabilities.

U.S. Department of Labor Awards Cooperative Agreement to Establish National Technical Assistance Center for Employers on People with Disabilities

http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/odep/ODEP20091196.htm

The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has awarded a cooperative agreement to Cornell University's Employment and Disability Institute, School of Industrial and Labor Relations in Ithaca, N.Y., to establish a national technical assistance center for employers on employment of people with disabilities. The purpose of the center will be to conduct innovative research, assist ODEP in developing demand-side policy, and share best practices with employers on the recruitment, hiring, retention and advancement of people with disabilities.

SAMHSA Awards $16.8 Million in State and Community Partnership Grants for Healthy Transitions Initiative for Youth with Serious Mental Health Challenges

http://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/advisories/090924youth1252.aspx

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced today that it is awarding grants totaling almost $16.8 million over five years to states for integrated home- and community-based services and supports for youth and young adults with serious mental health challenges and their families. The Healthy Transitions Initiative will develop or build upon existing systems to provide these youth and their families with educational, employment, mental health and other services designed to enhance their well being and ensure their successful transition to adulthood and independence.

U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse Releases New Practice Guide

http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/

Access to higher education remains a challenge for many students who face academic and informational barriers to college entry. This guide targets high schools and school districts, and focuses on effective practices that prepare students academically for college, assist them in completing the steps to college entry, and improve their likelihood of enrolling in college.

“I Can” Public Service Announcement Now Available

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG_W7wAe1kw

This flagship PSA was produced specifically for the Campaign for Disability Employment’s What Can YOU Do? campaign. It features seven real people – not actors – with hidden and obvious disabilities, demonstrating what they “can do” on the job when given the opportunity.

The National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health Holds Conference Calls

http://gucchdtacenter.georgetown.edu/resources/calls.html

The National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health is again sponsoring this exciting and well-received monthly series of topical calls. The conference calls cover important and emerging trends in the mental health field. Presentations from expert resource persons are followed by open discussion in order for all participants to ask questions and enrich the conversation.

The next round of calls will be part of a Technical Assistance Call Series on the Elimination of Disparities in Mental Health Care. This series of three technical assistance calls will deepen the knowledge and understanding of the root causes of disparities in mental health care and strategies that can be applied to address these disparities at the systemic, organizational and practice levels.

Partner’s Highlight

Afternoon Tea: A Conversation Series on Career and Workforce Development Policies and Practice

http://www.cew.wisc.edu/tea

The second series of the Afternoon Tea Conversation Series has been announced at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. The Afternoon Tea Conversation Series is an open discourse rather than a formal presentation with emphasis placed on the interaction between the interviewer and presenter. Each Conversation includes a relevant reading to give audience members and opportunity to become familiar with some of the presenter’s work and help them being to think about questions that they would like to be addressed by the presenter. This year’s schedule of events can be found on the website.

PACER Releases New Publications Focusing on Youth with Disabilities and the Juvenile Justice System

http://www.ncwd-youth.info/youth-in-juvenile-corrections#ncwdyouth-resources

The two new publications released by PACER are “What Probation Officers Need to Know about Learning Disabilities” and “What Youth Need to Know if They Are Questioned by the Police.” Both of these publications are very useful for youth with disabilities, parents, and youth service professionals.

Intersection: Navigating the Road to Work