SPRING 2021 COP WEBINAR SERIES (PART 1)

Georgia’s Disability-IN Initiative
March 9, 2021    2 P.M. - 3 P.M.

• James Conolly, Ph.D. is Chairperson of Disability:IN Greater Atlanta. As an affiliate of Disability:IN, this organization is a local non-profit, business-led, business-to-business educational organization. They provide members with opportunities to engage within a trusted network.

Are you curious to know more about what the corporate side of employing people with disabilities is doing?  Please join us to learn more about Disability: IN and their local affiliate Disability: IN Greater Atlanta.  This organization supports businesses who want to advocate for people with disabilities within the marketplace.  Also, we will pull the curtain aside and peer into corporate recruiting departments to learn how to improve your chances on landing a job!  Dr. James Connolly, Chairperson of Disability:IN Greater Atlanta will lead the discussions.

What Employers Need to Know about Workplace Accommodations for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

March 23, 2021    2 P.M. - 3 P.M.​

• Karen Milchus, M.S. and Ben Satterfield, Ed.D. both work at Georgia Institute of Technology. Ms. Milchus works for the Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access (CATEA). Dr. Satterfield works for Tools for Life.

Despite being frequently overlooked in the hiring process, workers with disabilities are often viewed as among the most loyal and motivated employees. Given the right supports these individuals can be successful in a variety of emerging and important industries.  This presentation looks at the process of implementing workplace accommodations for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities from the employer’s perspective. It presents an overview of a research project at Georgia Tech’s Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation that is developing a tool to assist employers in the selection and implementation of workplace accommodations. The speakers will share some findings from the research concerning strategies and solutions for workers with intellectual and developmental disabilities.​

Expanding Opportunities Through Telework: For the Covid Era and Beyond
March 30, 2021   2 P.M. – 3 P.M.

• Tracy Rackensperger, Ph.D. is the Resources and Outreach Manager for our Advancing Employment initiative. Dr. Rackensperger holds a public service faculty position within the College of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Georgia, Institute on Human Development and Disability.

Teleworking provides many opportunities and benefits for people with disabilities. At a time when many of us are teleworking, we have come to learn the many advantages and challenges of working from home. This webinar explores several items related to supporting people with disabilities in teleworking situations. We will discuss the definition and models of telework, the advantages and disadvantages for people with disabilities, addressing literacy and the digital divide, supports needed, problem-solving issues of social isolation, and the impact Covid has had on advancing telework. Dr. Rackensperger will speak to her research about this area as well as her own experiences teleworking as a person with disabilities.​

SPRING 2021 COP WEBINAR SERIES (PART 2)

Tell the Valued Story: Visual Resumes
April 6, 2021    2 P.M. - 3 P.M.

• Amy Price (Price Support Network), Carl King (Carl King Films), and Gillian Grable (IHDD)

Join us as we have a conversation about storytelling, visual resumes, and the importance of capturing socially valued roles such as taxpayer, employee, and purchaser. Amy Price will highlight the use of these visual tools in customized job development, while Carl King will provide tips for ensuring quality video and photos are used. Gillian Grable will share insights regarding socially valued roles, and her persistent and unique approach to enlisting community members as collaborators. Resources regarding storytelling, journalism, and disability will be shared.

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Self-Employment from a Parent’s Perspective
April 14, 2021   2 P.M. – 3:00 P.M.

• Sue Babin, Deb Wood, and Sheila Coyne

The Rhode Island DD Council’s self-employment project was one of our most popular webinars from the Fall 2020 series. Back by popular demand, join us as we hear from parents who are supporting loved ones as they pursue their employment dreams through entrepreneurial ventures. We will discuss the role of self-directing waiver services, family supports, marketing, and collaborative partnerships. Sheila Coyne and her son, Michael, have opened two businesses together – one a coffeehouse and the other a retail shop that sells items made by other business owners with disabilities and local entrepreneurs. Deb Wood and her son, Jason, started their business of making and selling jams before growing into an entire product line. Their latest initiative is organizing outdoor markets for vendors from throughout the state that support people with disabilities.

Thinking and Acting with Fidelity to Best Practices

April 20, 2021   2 P.M. – 3:30 P.M.

• Steve Hall, Ph.D., Director of Employment Policy and Research at Griffin-Hammis Associates and Patty Cassidy, Senior Associate at Griffin-Hammis Associates

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What does it mean to provide employment services to fidelity? Why set a standard for the delivery of discovery, customized job development, and consultative on-the-job supports for learning? Spend 90 minutes hearing from Steve and Patty on all things related to fidelity including key highlights such as: enlisting citizens to support a job seeker’s interests; the differences between traditional job development and customized employer engagement and job creation; and the role of co-workers in training. With research on the three fidelity scales (Discovery Fidelity Scale, Job Development Fidelity Scale, and the Consultative Employment Training and Supports Fidelity Scale) published in the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation and elsewhere, don’t miss this opportunity to learn about how fidelity to best practices will shape employment services now and in the future.

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The Transition to CE Integrated Day Support

April 27, 2021   2 P.M. – 3:0 P.M.

• Katrina Spooner, MHSA, Chief Administrative Officer of The Arc Macon and Dale Verstegen, MBA, Senior Research Associate at TransCen, Inc.

Have you ever wondered how you could create more meaningful day services for the people you support AND get them to work? Here is the solution – develop a plan focused on creating pathways to community employment and building skills! This webinar will walk you through the planning process developed by The Arc Macon and Dale Verstegen with TransCen, Inc. to combine Employment Services and Day Support Departments to create more well-rounded supports with an employment focus. There is a push to support the idea of Employment First across the state. But for some people, they still do not see community integrated employment as a viable option. Giving up the structure and predictability of day programs or facility-based services for a job in the community may seem daunting or impossible to manage. The Arc Macon is modeling this transformation after the work of TransCen, Inc. who established WorkLink, a program that integrates “waiver services” with VR-funded Supported Employment.  Integrating services creates responsive, wrap-around supports and service plans that can be customized for each person supported.

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INTEGRATED EMPLOYMENT SPRING 2020 WEBINAR SERIES

Webinar 1

Date: 2/24/20 

Topic: Determining and Documenting Informed Choice for Employment

Description:  As the saying goes- “if it isn’t documented, it didn’t happen.” To professionals in the human service field, “informed choice” is not an unfamiliar term; however, until current legislation was in place, our documentation of it being provided was limited to checking a box. Kicking off Advancing Employment’s 2020 series, this webinar will briefly review the definition of informed choice as it relates to competitive integrated employment, its inclusion in federal legislation and regulatory guidance (WIOA, ADA, Olmstead, and CMS HCBS Settings Rule), and ways documentation can reflect it is being practiced.

Presented by: Paige Tidwell-Cason, EdS, CRC, CVE, LPC, PVE, Vocational Specialist & Project Manager, Institute on Human Development & Disability, Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research & Service (UCEDD).

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Webinar 2

Date: 2/27/20 

Topic: Leadership and Lessons Learned

Description: Change is hard. Join us for an enlightening discussion with one of Georgia’s most dynamic leaders as she presents her approach to creating systems change. Whether its sustaining a provider organization to move beyond its walls to facilitate inclusion and employment, or embracing other grassroots approaches to solving community problems, this hour is sure to get attendees thinking about the tools and approaches used to support agencies in doing the work required of us in 2020 and beyond.

Presented by: Marion Curry, M.P.A., Marc Gold & Associate

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Webinar 3

Date: March 4, 2020 

Topic: Seeing and Facilitating the Employment Potential of Those Typically Labeled “Non-Verbal”

Description: We may have difficulty figuring out someone’s abilities, talents and strengths when they don’t communicate in typical ways.  We may need to utilize strategies to better understand how to improve our support of people needing diverse communication methods to facilitate employment.  We will hear from a presenter who has lived experience as a person considered “non-verbal” and has professional experience working with people labelled ”non-verbal.” This webinar will assist in helping attendees work through employment barriers as well as seeing potential, dispelling stereotypes and seeking to understand a job seeker’s ideal conditions for success.

Presented by: Tracy Rackensperger, Ph.D., Public Service Faculty, Institute on Human Development & Disability, Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research & Service (UCEDD)
 

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Webinar 4

Date: April 21, 2020

Topic:  The Economic Approach to Job Development

Description: Most job development is rote and based on the opportunities we believe exist in a local community rather than starting with a sense of abundancy, cooperation and curiosity. New approaches however should focus on both the micro-level (understanding a specific, local business) and the macro-level (using economic tools) to boost outcomes. This presentation will review current research with an eye on easy implementation tips to add to current employer engagement efforts.

Presented by: Doug Crandell, MFA, Director of Advancing Employment Technical Assistance Center, Institute on Human Development & Disability, Center of Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research & Service (UCEDD)

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Webinar 5

Date: May 27, 2020

Topic:  An Introduction to Fidelity in Discovery and Customized Job Development

Description: How do we know that powerful tools such as Discovery and Customized Job Development are truly embedded in services, funding, and outcomes? Join us for an introduction to two separate fidelity instruments being used across the country to measure and evaluate these efforts. The presentation will focus on understanding the basic principles of fidelity, as well as information on implementation efforts at the state and local levels.
 
Presented by: Beth Keeton, Executive Director, Griffin-Hammis Associates

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MORE WEBINARS BELOW

EFSLMP Provider Transformation 2.0 Webinar Series 

brought to you by Office of Disability Employment Policy 

Webinar #1

March 15, 2018

Redesigning Your Organization: Board, CEO, CFO, Middle Management, Front Line Staff, Employers & Stakeholders [Leadership, Strategic Planning, Operations Focus]  

Facilitators: Karen Lee; Thomas "Tom" Wilds
Recording Link: http://econsys.adobeconnect.com/p7tkr58c4852/ 
Meeting materials may be downloaded from the webinar recording link.
To download the unofficial transcript for this webinar click here 
 
Webinar #2

March 29, 2018

Staff Development, Recruitment, and Restructuring: "How To" Examples of Effective Restructuring; Where to Focus Attention on Transformation [Operations Focus, Workforce Focus]
Facilitators: Dale Verstegen; Gail Fanjoy
Recording Link: http://econsys.adobeconnect.com/pgsuopqrw5lr/
Meeting materials may be downloaded from the webinar recording link.
To download the unofficial transcript for this webinar click here

Webinar #3

April 12, 2018

Staff Training Specifics: Developing Internal Trainers, Meaningful Day Integration, Best Practices, Transportation Solutions, Sample Job Descriptions/Work Day Schedules [Workforce Focus]
Facilitators: Genni Sasnett; Gail Fanjoy
Recording Link: http://econsys.adobeconnect.com/pl75jxwpbinc/
Meeting materials may be downloaded from the webinar recording link.
To download the unofficial transcript for this webinar click here

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Webinar #4

April 26, 2018

Stakeholder Engagement: How to Listen; Considering Real Choices; Working Effectively with Families, Self-Advocates, Employers, Policymakers, and Advocacy Organizations [Customer Focus]
Facilitators: Sean Roy; Pat Rogan
Recording Link: http://econsys.adobeconnect.com/pubg7d48k2yx/ 
Meeting materials may be downloaded from the webinar recording link.
To download the unofficial transcript for this webinar click here
 

Mental Health and Vocational Rehabilitation Collaboration: Supported Employment

Meaningful Writing: Capturing Strengths and Ideal Conditions of Employment