What's New
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February 2010
Coalition for Community Schools to Convene 2010 National Forum in Philadelphia from April 7 - 9
The Institute for Educational Leadership will convene the 2010 National Forum in Philadelphia, PA from April 7 - 9. This year's theme, "Building Innovative Partnerships for Student Success: The Key to America's Future," focuses on partnerships at the heart of the community schools approach, bringing schools, families, community residents, higher education and an array of other community partners together around a common result —student success.
Federal Government Issues Rules Requiring Parity in Treatment of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Conditions
January 2010
ODEP Announces Regional Listening Sessions for Early 2010
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) is hosting a series of listening sessions in early 2010 intended to provide opportunities for the public to provide input to senior federal officials on more effective ways to employ women, veterans, and minorities with disabilities, as well as on what currently works to increase employment for all people with disabilities. ODEP seeks input particularly from individuals and consumers (including youth and adults with disabilities, parents, and caregivers), employers (both public and private), and service providers and advocacy organizations (including independent living centers, One-Stops, and state rehabilitation programs). In addition to taking comments at the in-person regional sessions listed below, ODEP also accepts comments online.
Learn more about the listening sessions at http://www.disabilitylisteningtour.com.
December 2009
Social Security Administration Launches "Choose Work" Website for Ticket to Work Program
The Social Security Administration (SSA) and CESSI, the Program Manager for Recruitment and Outreach for the Ticket to Work (Ticket) program, launched the new Choose Work web site (www.choosework.net) for people with disabilities receiving Social Security disability benefits.
Visit the Chose Work website at www.choosework.net.
Assistant Secretary of Labor Kathy Martinez Delivers Remarks at Green Jobs Roundtable
Assistant U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Kathy Martinez, who heads the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), delivered remarks at an ODEP-sponsored meeting entitled "Strategies for Including People With Disabilities in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline: A Roundtable Discussion."
Read Assistant Secretary Martinez's remarks at http://www.dol.gov/odep/media/speeches/20091216_GREEN.htm.
California Community College Chancellor's Office Releases Publication on Financial Aid for Youth Who Are Unaccompanied or from Foster Care
The Foster Youth Success Initiative at the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office released a publication entitled "Providing Effective Financial Aid Assistance to Students from Foster Care and Unaccompanied Homeless Youth: A Key to Higher Education Access and Success."
Read this guide at http://www.casey.org/Resources/Publications/pdf/ProvidingEffectiveFinancialAid.pdf.
October 2009
NCWD/Youth Testifies at the U.S. Department of Labor on WIA Reauthorization
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 expert in the disability employment field. Wills laid out 5 broad strategy areas that need to be taken into account when improving the WIA.
Those areas are:
- Collaboration
- Strengthen and Align the Infrastructure
- Research and Evaluation
- Accountability and Performance
- Promote Professional Development
Read the testimony in PDF or Word
Read the News Release
NYEC Releases ARRA Summer Program Implementation Survey Summary
The National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC) conducted an online survey of members’ experiences implementing Workforce Investment Act (WIA) youth activities funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) this summer. Their report includes a summary of member responses to their survey and highlights strategies, challenges, innovations, and other information regarding NYEC member experiences with ARRA program implementation.
Read NYEC Recovery Act Summer Program Implementation Report.
ETA Launches Disability and Employment Community of Practice
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration launched its Disability and Employment Community of Practice as part of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. This site has lots of resources around Disability Program Navigators, Access & Accommodations, Promising Practices, Employer Resources, and Front Line Staff Training.
U.S. Labor Department awards cooperative agreement to establish national technical assistance center for employers on people with disabilities
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.
September 2009
SAMHSA Awards $16.8 Million in State and Community Partnership Grants for Healthy Transitions Initiative for Youth with Serious Mental Health Challenges
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.
The grantees include:
Utah Department of Human Services -- $480,000 per year for implementation of its PASSAGE program to improved the mental health and well-being of youth and young adults with serious mental health conditions as they transition into adulthood.
Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene -- $480,000 per year to design and implement a system of care network of services meeting the needs of young adults as they grow into full adulthood.
Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse -- $480,000 per year to provide services and supports designed to help those aged 16 to 25 with serious mental conditions and their families. These services include efforts to help these young people complete their education, find and keep a job, and achieve independent living in the community.
Missouri Department of Mental Health -- $479,506 per year for developing a comprehensive approach to provided services and supports to young people with severe and persistent mental illness in order to help them succeed in living productive, independent lives.
State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services -- $480,000 per year for its Project O-YEAH, which offers three tiers of strength-based, recovery-oriented, age-appropriate, culturally and neighborhood-anchored support for older youth and young adults who have severe emotional and behavioral disorders.
Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities -- $480,000 per year to use a system of care approach to support youth and young adults as they transition into adulthood in areas such as education, employment, housing and accessing behavioral health services.
Maine Department of Health & Human Services -- $479,959 per year for its Moving Forward initiative to address the special educational, housing, employment, and health needs of youth and young adults with serious emotional disturbance or mental health issues.
For additional information about SAMHSA grants go to http://www.samhsa.gov/grants/
Child Trends Releases A Developmental Perspective on Workplace Readiness: Preparing High School Students for Success
This research brief developed by Laura Lippmann and Julie Keith, highlights specific competencies that research has identified as necessary for a person to become a valued and skilled employee in the areas of social, cognitive, and psychological development. It also identifies strategies that high schools can use to help young adults develop these competencies. View the brief.
ODEP Announces Cooperative Agreements on Apprenticeship Training
The U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) announced this week 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, Conn. 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.”
NCWD/Youth Releases Helping Youth with Mental Health Needs Avoid Transition Cliffs: Lessons from Pioneering Transition Programs
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 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.
Review the reports referenced in this InfoBrief.
IEL Receives $3.5 Million for National Mentoring Program
The Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) announces its selection to receive approximately $3.5 million from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention for a 3-year national mentoring program to serve youth with disabilities at-risk of truancy or court-involvement. Through this infusion of resources, research-based strategies, and cross-system collaboration, the RAMP program will match trained mentors to youth with disabilities to reduce court involvement and/or recidivism; increase career preparation and development work-readiness skills for the youth in the program.
NCWD/Youth Adds New Programs to 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:
- Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services (IVRS)
- Jewish Vocation Services, San Francisco
- LINKS—Helping Teens Make a Successful Transition from Foster Care to Self-Sufficiency
- The Able Trust
- Vermont Department of Labor
Youth Today names IEL's Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) one of The Best Fellowships in Youth Work
Youth Today spotlights IEL's Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP), in their article: The Best Fellowships in Youth Work. EPFP led the list of 10 leadership development opportunities identified across the country. This program helps broaden your professional, peer assistance network, and increases your knowledge base about “what works, where” to support the growth and development of all children and youth. Learn more now!
August 2009
NCWD/Youth Releases Spanish Versions of Four Publications
NCWD/Youth is proud to provide Spanish versions our of Guideposts for Success, Guideposts for Employer Success, Disability Inquiries in the Workforce Development System, and The Workforce Development System & the Professional Development of Youth Service Practitioners: Why Professional Development? NCWD/Youth looks forward to providing more translated versions of our publications in the future..
Disability.gov Launches New Website
The U.S. Department of Labor launched Disability.gov, a redesigned federal Web site that connects the more than 50 million Americans with disabilities to thousands of trusted resources on disability-related issues, programs and services. Formerly known as DisabilityInfo.gov, the site has been completely redesigned and updated with new social media tools, such as a blog and a Twitter feed, to encourage feedback and interaction among visitors. Disability.gov is not just for Americans with disabilities, but also for parents of children with disabilities, employers, workforce and human resource professionals, veterans, educators, caregivers and many others.
Florida High School/High Tech (HS/HT) Post High Marks in 2008-2009 Outcomes
The Florida HS/HT Program served 1,469 students with disabilities through 107 schools and alternative education settings in 35 Florida counties. Students were provided a total of 263,824 transition services based on five nationally recognized, evidence-based Guideposts for Success: School-Based Preparatory Experiences, Career Preparation & Work-Based Learning, Connecting Activities, Youth Leadership & Development and Family Involvement & Supports. Read more about the Florida HS/HT 2008-2009 outcomes.
University of California, Davis Extension Releases Disabilities in the Workplace Case Series
Teaching cases, as they are prepared at business schools across the country, are one of the primary tools of management education. They are used globally in university settings, professional development and executive education training, and provide students and readers with a great wealth of insider knowledge about the "norms" of business practices. The University’s intention with this series is to demonstrate "best practices" in the employment of people with disabilities, a population which has historically had low employment rates. NCWD/Youth staff was proud to be able to provide UC Davis guidance and technical assistance in their creation of these cases.
June 2009
Center for Juvenile Justice Reform Releases Report on Supporting Youth in Transition to Adulthood
Supporting Youth in Transition to Adulthood: Lessons Learned from Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice
This report discuses the success and challenges that juvenile justice and child welfare agencies face in preparing the youth they serve for a successful adulthood. The paper describes assessment, case management, and other practices implemented in either system that have shown promise in improving the outcomes for the transition-age population. It also highlights organizational and legislative changes tht have positioned these agencies to provide effective, individualized, and developmentally appropriate services to older youth and their families.
For additional information on improving the transition outcomes for youth with disabilities check out NCWD/Youth’s publication Making the Right Turn: A Guide About Improving the Transition Outcomes for Youth Involved in the Juvenile Corrections System.
May 2009
NCWD/Youth Releases Successful Transition Models for Youth with Mental Health Needs: A Guide for Workforce Professionals
This InfoBrief describes the systems’ service barriers faced by youth with mental health needs as they reach adulthood, while highlighting new models and strategies designed to break down those barriers and help them to transition successfully into the workplace.
Read Successful Transition Models for Youth with Mental Health Needs
NCWD/Youth Releases Graduation Requirements and Diploma Options for Students with Disabilities: What Families and Advocates Need to Know
This InfoBrief explores the importance of making informed decisions about diploma options, understanding the consequences of graduating with different types of diplomas as well as the need for youth, families, and Individual Education Program (IEP) teams to consider these issues early.
Read Graduation Requirements and Diploma Options for Students with Disabilities
April 2009
NCWD/Youth and Workforce Strategy Center release Career-Focused Services for Students with Disabilities at Community Colleges
Our nation’s changing economy requires workers to attain increasingly higher job skills. Leaders in education, workforce development, and economic development recognize the need to help workers meet this challenge and to help employers find qualified employees. This case study report examines the efforts of community colleges to function as intermediaries in meeting the local workforce development needs of employers and promoting career opportunities and job attainment for students, including those with disabilities.
Read Career-Focused Services for Students with Disabilities at Community Colleges
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