Employment

A collection of resources about people with disabilities participating in their communities as volunteers sharing their skills while gaining new skills and making connections. People with disabilities are often thought of as opportunities for others to provide service and support too, but people with disabilities can and do make a difference in their communities through volunteering everyday. The resources in this collection bring to life the opportunities and resources about people with disabilities as volunteers.

Oregon Volunteers

Oregon Volunteers works to provide reasonable accommodations to national service members and supports activities related to increasing the placement of individuals with disabilities in AmeriCorps*State & National, Senior Corps, and Learn & Serve programs. Oregon Volunteers is also home to the Oregon Inclusive Volunteerism Collaborative bringing together representatives of disability organizations, national service programs, volunteer centers, and the business community.

Impact-Feature Issue on Volunteerism by Persons with Developmental Disabilities

In this issue of Impact are articles that seek to encourage steps toward the greater inclusion of persons with developmental disabilities in volunteerism. The strategies and visions presented provide a wealth of ideas for supporting that inclusion, in this celebration year and in future years.

Disability.Gov Volunteering & National Service Programs

Extensive list of Volunteer and National Service Programs open to people with disabilities.

National Service Inclusion Project

The National Service Inclusion Project (NSIP), a Corporation for National Community Service (CNCS) training and technical assistance provider, is here to meet all of your training and technical assistance needs on the inclusion of individuals with disabilities as active participants in your national service program.

National Service to Employment (NextSTEP) Project

National Service to Employment Project (NextSTEP) create tools and materials, conducts research, provides technical assistance, and creates demonstration projects focusing on people with disabilities in volunteer and community-service roles. Funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), NextSTEP strives to identify effective practices and promote service as a step towards improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities. CNCS provides opportunities for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to engage in structured service programs around specific community needs through its three major programs: AmeriCorps (including AmeriCorps VISTA and AmeriCorps NCCC), Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve America.

Inclusive 4-H: Expanding Inclusive Opportunities for Youth & Volunteers

This document provides some key ingredients for success in inclusive programming. It includes the following articles that were originally published in the Michigan 4-H Today newsletter.

• Expanding inclusive opportunities for youth and volunteers
• What a disability is . . . and isn’t
• Adaptations can be simple, common sense
• Constructive evaluation promotes and rewards learning
• Simulations increase appreciation for others’ talents
• Expressive, eloquent language provides another way to communicate
• Get your group off to a colorful start
• Building confidence and positive attitudes through communication

Virtual Volunteering & Disabilities
Not all volunteer opportunities require a volunteer to be there in person. Virtual volunteering (volunteering using your computer and Internet connection) let’s people volunteer with organizations and issues they care about without having to leave home.

• Article Disaboom.com- How to Get Hired from Virtual Volunteering
• Service Leader.org Virtual Volunteers with Disabilities Resources

Article: Smart Hiring: From Volunteer to Career

Self-Employment Resource Network (SERN) is a (501c3) not-for-profit education corporation established for the purpose and promotion of the development and expansion of self-employment for persons with disabilities. Our mission is to locate relevant self-employment resources, translate those resources into user-friendly terms, facilitate networking opportunities, and to identify best practices and most effective procedures for persons with disabilities interested in becoming self-employed or maintaining a productive small business.

APSE is the only national organization with an exclusive focus on integrated employment and career advancement opportunities for individuals with disabilities. APSE is a growing national non-profit membership organization, founded in 1988 as the Association for Persons in Supported Employment, now known as APSE.

Oregon APSE Chapter
Chapter President

Paula Johnson
Paula Johnson, LLC
10 Monticello Drive
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
360-606-2961
Paula@paulajohnson.us

The Employment and Disability Institute (EDI) advances knowledge, policies, and practices to enhance the opportunities of people with disabilities through our projects, training, technical assistance, research, and publications.

Technical Assistance on Transition and the Rehabilitation Act (TATRA) offers information on the transition topics such as transition, ADA Rights, Social Security work programs, self determination, and more to help families of students and young adults with disabilities learn about key transition strategies promoting the career development, self-determination, and postsecondary success of their youth.

http://www.oregon.gov/BOLI/TA/T_FAQ_Disability.shtml

Short FAQ for employers on employing people with disabilities.

A Collection of Resources and organizations supporting people with disabilities in reaching their employment goals.

Oregon Employment First Initiative. We Believe…Everyone can work and there is a job for everyone. Our job is to be creative and tenacious in providing support. Not working should be the exception. All individuals, schools, families and businesses must raise their expectations. People will be hired because of their ability not because they have a disability. Communities embrace people who contribute. Everyone has something to contribute and needs to contribute. People are healthier, safer and happiest with meaningful work. True employment is not a social service. Employment is a win/win for everybody. Employment First Policy.

Oregon Department of Human Services – Employment Services is a state and federally funded program that works in partnership with the community and with business to develop employment opportunities for people who have disabilities. Vocational Rehabilitation programs are custom-designed for each individual. Visit the site for details on all the employment programs and services.

http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/spwpd/employ/empserv.shtml#epd

Learn about programs to assist people with disabilities in becoming employed in Oregon and possibilities for working while receiving Medicaid.

We Connect Now is dedicated to uniting people interested in rights and issues affecting people with disabilities, with particular emphasis on college students and access to higher education and employment issues. This site is in English and Spanish.

http://www.ntac.hawaii.edu/

Has a goal to increase employment opportunities for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with disabilities nationwide, in both rural and urban areas.

An Individual Development Account (IDA) is a savings account for a special purpose. The money you deposit in this account will be matched by private donations. Each dollar you save will be matched by other dollars. Save for your home, to go back to school, starting a business, purchasing equipment to support your job, or starting a small business.

Incight empowers people with disabilities to become contributing members of society. We accomplish this through several dynamic programs focused in the areas of: Education, Employment, Networking and Independence.

Mobility Unlimited is dedicated to helping working adults obtain the mobility equipment required to live independently and maintain employment. Mobility Unlimited Facebook Page

The Oregon Institute on Disability & Development Summer Youth Program provides a unique opportunity for high school and undergraduate students interested in pursuing healthcare-related careers.

Oregon Employment First Initiative. We Believe…Everyone can work and there is a job for everyone. Our job is to be creative and tenacious in providing support. Not working should be the exception. All individuals, schools, families and businesses must raise their expectations. People will be hired because of their ability not because they have a disability. Communities embrace people who contribute. Everyone has something to contribute and needs to contribute. People are healthier, safer and happiest with meaningful work. True employment is not a social service. Employment is a win/win for everybody. Employment First Policy.

Emerging Leaders is a highly competitive program that places college students with disabilities in fulfilling summer internships and provides them with leadership development opportunities. Emerging Leaders partners with businesses to help them find outstanding talent while also considering diversity and inclusion in their hiring practices.

Disabilities At Work Radio highlights businesses that go ‘beyond compliance’ in hiring practices or that support people with disabilities in other ways, and details the benefits companies receive. Disabilities At Work Radio features agencies that successfully prepare people with disabilities for the workforce, and workers who manage a disability and a career, and how they do it.

The show includes compelling discussions of the issues around Disabilities At Work with business executives, entrepreneurs, educators, government officials, authors, and researchers. On occasion, show host Ray Zardetto, will be joined by roving reporters Donna Custard and John Sinzer, from Disabilities At Work.

Disabilities At Work Radio airs Wednesdays at 9 a.m. Pacific / Noon Eastern Time on VoiceAmerica Business

The Disability Employment Initiative (DEI) is a collaborative effort between the United States Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).

DEI cooperative agreements are awarded to state Workforce Investment Act (WIA) administering entities to:

• Improve coordination and collaboration among employment and training and asset development programs carried out at a state and local level, including the Ticket to Work program.
• Build effective community partnerships that leverage public and private resources to better serve individuals with disabilities and improve employment outcomes.

ETA and SSA are jointly funding the Disability Program Navigator Initiative (DPN) Initiative in 42 states including Oregon, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands where SSA implemented employment support initiatives. This Initiative promotes comprehensive services and work incentive information for SSA beneficiaries and other people with disabilities, through the One Stop system. The Initiative focuses on developing new and ongoing partnerships to achieve seamless, comprehensive, and integrated access to services, creating systemic change, and expanding the workforce development system’s capacity to serve customers with disabilities and employers.

Workforce3 One Disability and Employment Community of Practice is an e-learning, knowledge sharing webspace that offers workforce professionals, employers, economic development, and education professionals a dynamic network featuring innovative workforce solutions.Navigating the services and resources available for assisting people with disabilities to obtain quality employment is like fitting together the pieces of a puzzle. America cannot successfully compete in a global economy without fully engaging the 33 million working-age people with disabilities in our workforce. As we meet our goal of “Good Jobs for Everyone,” the public workforce investment system needs to expand its capacity to provide integrated, seamless, and accessible services and programs to people with disabilities and/or other challenges to employment. To achieve this goal and building upon lessons learned from the Employment and Training Administration’s Disability Program Navigator (DPN) initiative, the workforce system is collaborating with a wide range of partners to help people with disabilities obtain meaningful and effective employment opportunities. DOL’s Disability Employment Initiative (DEI) will build on the promising practices of the DPNs, as well as other successful strategies and model programs of service delivery in the workforce system to improve employment outcomes of youth and adults with disabilities.

Article: The Influential Role of the Job Developer: Increasing Self-Determination and Family Involvement During the Job Search.

Job developers can influence decision-making during the job search and placement process. For a study exploring the employment decisions of people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD), researchers interviewed 16 individuals with IDD, their family members, and professionals involved in their job search. Participants were asked what factors, circumstances, or people affected their decisions about work. The job developer was consistently named the most influential person in the job-search process.

The job developer affects not only the actual job outcome, but also the individual’s job choices. The influence of the job developer also impacts the involvement of family and other supports in the job-placement process. This brief illustrates ways in which the job developer influences the placement process, and offers strategies for maximizing self-determination and family involvement.

Going To Work: A Guide to Social Security Benefits and Employment for Young People with Disabilities (2011 Edition)

This guide makes Social Security benefits and employment easy to understand. It was developed for Massachusetts, and so some of the content is specific to MA. However, it also includes more general content that is relevant to all SSI and SSDI recipients. Order a printed copy for free.

CAREERS & the disABLED Magazine, established in 1986, is the nation’s first and only career-guidance and recruitment magazine for people with disabilities who are at undergraduate, graduate, or professional levels. Each issue features a special Braille section.CAREERS & the disABLED has won many awards, including several media “Award of Excellence” acknowledgments from the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities.

Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) is an agency within the U. S. Department of Labor. ODEP provides national leadership to increase employment opportunities for adults and youth with disabilities while striving to eliminate barriers to employment.

With the ultimate goal of increasing the number of people with disabilities who work, either as employees or entrepreneurs, ODEP provides policy analysis, technical assistance, development of innovative practices and strategies, and education and outreach to employers, employees, and the disability community. Related to these efforts, ODEP also conducts a variety of employment-related programs and initiatives. ODEP Tips on How Parents Can Put Their Children with Disabilities on the Path to Future Employment.

ODEP has awarded several grants to develop innovative programs and provide technical assistance to improve employment outcomes for adults and youth with disabilities.

Federal Jobs Network: Disabled Hiring explains the various hiring options for people with disabilities. Individuals seeking appointments with the federal government must be proactive and begin networking with local agencies, contacting listed resources, and aggressively seeking out all available federal employment opportunities. Visitors will find information on posting their resume, student employment programs, hiring options available to them as people with disabilities, and more within this website.

http://www.nea.gov/resources/accessibility/NEA-Career-Summit.pdf

The Summit gathered participants to review progress made during the past decade concerning educational and career opportunities in the arts, to assess current needs and barriers to full participation of individuals with disabilities as professionals in the arts, and to strategize about ways to enable such full participation.

At a time when almost two-thirds of people with disabilities are unemployed, VSA arts is proud to present a new publication, Putting Creativity to Work: Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities. Whether you are a visual, literary or performing artist with a disability this publication provides valuable information to help you pursue not just a job, but a career that is creative and challenging. Career development, vocational rehabilitation, and special education professionals will also find this to be an indispensable resource as they assist artists with disabilities in pursuing viable career options in the arts.

Career Development for Exceptional Individuals (CDE) specializes in the fields of secondary education, transition, and career development for persons with documented disabilities and special needs. CDE focuses on the life roles of individuals as students, workers, consumers, family members, and citizens. Articles cover qualitative and quantitative research, scholarly reviews, and program descriptions and evaluations.

ABILITYJobs is the Leading Website dedicated to employment of people with disabilities. ABILITYJobs is the largest resume bank with tens of thousands job seekers with disabilities, from entry level candidates to PhD’s – if your company is looking for talent you’ve come to the right place. The goal of ABILITYJobs and JobAccess is to enable people with disabilities to enhance their professional lives by providing a dedicated system for finding employment. By posting job opportunities, or searching resumes, employers can find qualified persons with disabilities as well as demonstrate their affirmative action and open door policies.

AbilityLinks is a web-based community where job seekers with disabilities, inclusive employers and service providers meet and gain access to valuable networking opportunities.

Effective Career Development Strategies for Young Artists with Disabilities – JAN’s Fact Sheet Series: Self-Employment for Artists with Disabilities

Artist Brandon Tipler finds success at Medford studio (http://www.dhs.state.or.us/dd/supp_emp/stories/written_story/brandon.pdf)

With good planning and supports, Everyone can work.

Think “employment first” when planning for the future with people with developmental disabilities. It works!

For a copy of Oregon’s “Employment First” policy, go to http://www.ocdd.org or http://www.arcoregon.org

Download: New 2010 Awareness Poster: Everyone Can Work! (PDF: 197 KB)

Job Accommodation Network (JAN) – Provides resources and guidance on providing workplace accommodations for people with disabilities, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and related laws.

Are you a person with a disability who has a job that you want to keep but need accommodations? Are you having trouble think of possible accommodations that will let you do your job? Are you an employer who has hired a person with a disability who needs accommodation to do their job or would you like to know about accommodation that make a job possible for people with disabilities? Are you a parent discussing career and job options with your child with a disability? Are you a teacher having a career week with your students with disabilities? If you answered yes to any of these questions then the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) Accommodation Ideas By Occupation or Industry is a resource for you!

Español

The Campaign for Disability Employment is a collaborative effort to promote positive employment outcomes for people with disabilities by encouraging employers and others to recognize the value and talent they bring to the workplace.

Español

Think Beyond the Label is committed to making the business case for employing people with disabilities. We are a partnership of health and human service and employment agencies with federal grants, coming together to build a uniform national infrastructure and approach that connects businesses to qualified candidates with disabilities. Our goal is simple: to raise awareness that hiring people with disabilities makes good business sense. Employees with disabilities have unique, competitively relevant knowledge and perspectives about work processes, bringing different perspectives to meeting work requirements and goals successfully. Hiring someone who “thinks outside the box” might be thinking too small when there’s an opportunity to hire someone who lives outside the box.

Full Access Brokerage envisions a world where equal access ensures that all people live, work, and recreate in their community, consistent with their preferences and choices. This is a world where partnerships thrive and support is a natural extension of community membership. In the Full Access vision, dreams are pursued through active community participation, choices, and advocacy. Español

NCWD/Youth is your source for information about employment and youth with disabilities. Our partners — experts in disability, education, employment, and workforce development — strive to ensure you will be provided with the highest quality, most relevant information available. NCWD/Youth Links:

Youth with Disabilities
Parents and Families
Professionals working with Youth with Disabilities

http://www.aucdecp.org/
This is a weekly blog on topics of interest to early career professionals who work with people with disabilities. Blog contributors have diverse perspectives on leadership, professional development, and success in changing systems to better serve people with disabilities and their families. You can also link to the blog from the ECP website: www.aucd.org/ecp

Feature Issue on Employment and Women With Disabilities

This issue of IMPACT includes personal profiles, interviews and additional resources related to women with disabilities in the workforce.

Impact is published by the Institute on Community Integration (UCEDD) and the Research and Training Center on Community Living, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota.