Disability Program Navigator Initiative

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Disability Program Navigator Initiative

• The DOL and SSA Vision
• Creating Innovation and Transformation

Presented by Randee Chafkin, ETA
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July 2007
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Disability Program Navigator (DPN) Initiative

• The DPN Initiative is jointly sponsored by the
  U.S. Department of Labors Employment and
  Training Administration (DOL/ETA) and the Social
  Security Administrations (SSA) Office of Program
  Development and Research.
• Training, Technical Assistance and Evaluation is
  provided under contract with the Law, Health
  Policy and Disability Center (LHPDC) of the
  University of Iowa College of Law to help build
  system capacity.

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ETA Program Administration

• Disability Team, Older Worker/Disability Unit,
  Division of Adult Services (DAS), Office of
  Workforce Investment (OWI), ETA.
• Office of Grants Contract Management (OGCM).
• Regional Offices-Federal Project Officers (FPOs)
• Ongoing partnerships with other ETA units and DOL
  programs/activities.
• Ongoing partnerships with SSA, and other federal
  agencies.

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This presentation covers

• Background, History and Need for the Disability
  Program Navigator Initiative
• Public Policy Challenges
• New Freedom Initiative
• Work Incentive Grants
• Disability Program Navigator Initiative
• DPN Projects
• DPN Goals
• Evolution of the DPN Initiative
• The Navigator
• DPN Role
• What a Navigator is and is not
• Examples

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This presentation covers, cont.

• Performance Measures
• GPRA Goals and the DPN Initiative
• Navigator Anticipated Outcomes
• ETA Priorities
• WIRED
• WIRED and the Disability Perspective

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Public Policy Challenges

• 2005 Census Data
• About 33 million people ages 16-64 with
  disabilities, 18.6 of working age population.
• Only 56 of working age people with disabilities
  are employed, and only 30 people with severe
  disabilities are employed.
• More than 70 report they want to work.
• Between 47.6-76.6 of people ages 25-64 with
  disabilities had an income less than 20,000,
  compared to 39.3 of the population without
  disabilities.
• Between 11.2-25.9 of people with disabilities
  were in poverty, compared to 7.7 of people
  without disabilities.

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Public Policy Challenges

• Students with disabilities are at great risk of
  dropping out of school, only 57 graduate with a
  regular diploma.
• Drop out rates for students with
  emotional/behavioral disabilities are
  approximately twice that of other students. Of
  youth with disabilities who drop out, 50 have
  emotional/behavioral disabilities and 38 have
  learning disabilities.
• Youth who drop out are more likely to experience
  negative outcomes-unemployment, underemployment,
  and incarceration.

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Public Policy Challenges

• Approximately 10 million recipients of
  Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and/or Social
  Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
• SSI/SSDI costs approaching 100 billion.
• Related health costs approaching 100 billion.
• The numbers and costs keep increasing.
• Only ½ of 1 enter or return to work.
• People with disabilities continue to be
  disproportionately underemployed, unemployed, and
  living in poverty.

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New Freedom Initiative (NFI)

• Announced by President Bush on February 1, 2001.
• Comprehensive program to promote employment and
  community participation of people with
  disabilities in all areas of society.
• Requires Federal agencies to collaborate to make
  their programs more effective and provide
  integrated services to people with disabilities.
• The DPN effort has been implemented in the spirit
  of the New Freedom Initiative.

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Work Incentive Grants (WIGs)

• Work Incentive Grants (WIGs)-4 rounds of 2-year
  grants, totaling 65 million to 113 grantees from
  October 2000-June 2006.
• WIGs were awarded to states, non-profit
  organizations, and/or local workforce investment
  areas.
• Improved One-Stop Career Centers physical and
  programmatic access for customers with
  disabilities.
• WIG funding has been re-directed to establish a
  new position, Disability Program Navigator
  (Navigator), within One-Stop Career Centers
  throughout the country to focus on creating
  systemic change.

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Disability Program Navigator (DPN) Initiative

• Since PY 2002, the DPN Initiative was funded for
  approximately 80 million from ETA and 12
  million from SSA.
• Currently 45 states, the District of Columbia,
  and Puerto Rico have DPNs.
• By September 2007, there will be approximately
  500 Navigator positions.

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DOL-SSA DPN Projects

• Kansas (new)
• Louisiana (new)
• Maine (new)
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana (new)
• Nebraska
• New Hampshire (new)
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina (new)

• Alabama (new)
• Alaska
• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut (new)
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Georgia (new)
• Hawaii
• Idaho (new)
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa

• Ohio (new)
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania (new)
• Puerto Rico (new)
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota (new)
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah (new)
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington (new)
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin

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DPN Initiative Goals

• Facilitate integrated, seamless, and
  comprehensive services to persons with
  disabilities in One-Stop Career Centers.
• Improve access to programs and services.
• Facilitate linkages to the employer community and
  develop demand responsive strategies to meet
  their recruitment/retention needs.
• Increase employment and self-sufficiency for
  Social Security beneficiaries and other people
  with disabilities.

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DPN Initiative Goals

• Develop new and ongoing partnerships to leverage
  resources.
• Inform SSA beneficiaries and other people with
  disabilities about work support programs
  available at One-Stop Career Centers.
• Create systemic change.

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Evolution of the DPN Initiative

• DPN Initiative was designed to be flexible so
  that it could fit into the many different
  one-stop environments.
• Constantly evolving as we learn from the
  experiences of the Navigators and the state DPN
  Initiatives.

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Evolution of the DPN Initiative

• DPN implementation and the Maturity Model
• - A new assessment tool that identifies the
  implementation attributes along a continuum and
  describes how this cycle can help the DPN
  projects determine the maturity of any states
  DPN initiative.
• - This tool will help states to plan and
  assess their progress for growing their DPN
  initiative and assist evaluators to assess the
  effectiveness of implementation efforts.
• The four phases of the maturity model
• - Expertise
• - Accessibility
• - Problem-Solving
• - Sphere of Influence

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Evolution of the DPN Initiative

• As the DPN projects move through the four stages
  of the maturity model, the fully mature DPN
  implementation phase culminates in the navigators
  maximizing their spheres of influence by using
  innovation to transform the workforce systems
  capacity to meet the goal of competitive and
  quality employment of people with disabilities.
• The National Program Office has also evolved its
  concept of the DPN Initiative.

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Evolution of the DPN Initiative

• In addition to systems change, Navigators need to
  focus their change activities on the delivery of
  integrated services for customers with
  disabilities through state and local team
  approaches.

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Evolution of the DPN Initiative

• Resource coordination-the blending and braiding
  of services and funding around an individual
  customers needs.
• Navigators will be resource coordinators,
  facilitating team meetings to develop individual
  employment plans for job seekers with
  disabilities.
• The Navigator will not have a case load.

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Evolution of the DPN Initiative

• Navigators deploy and coordinate integrated team
  service approaches across workforce and
  disability systems to address multiple employment
  needs.
• Navigators establish a seamless One-Stop Career
  Center through an individualized team service
  design to assure a full spectrum of program
  options.

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Evolution of the DPN Initiative

• Many Navigators were acting in this role along.
  The National Program Office is moving in that
  direction, without minimizing the importance of
  also facilitating systemic change.
• Navigators are involved in helping to build the
  workforce system through
• Establishing state/local partnership groups and
• Braiding/blending resources around the
  individuals employment-related service needs.

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The Navigator

• As the new states begin their process to hire
  Navigators, remember that Navigators come in all
  different sizes and shapes.
• The Navigators are doing an amazing job at the
  local and state levels and having a real impact
  on the public workforce system and promoting the
  employment of people with disabilities.

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DPN Roles-Seamless and Comprehensive One-Stop
Services

• Address physical, program and/or communication
  access barriers.
• Increase staff knowledge on serving job seekers
  with disabilities.
• Foster collaboration and streamline referral
  process.
• Facilitate blended funding and leveraged
  resources.
• Guide One-Stop Career Center staff to improve
  access to programs that impact the ability to
  gain/retain employment.

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DPN Roles-Improve Access to Programs and Services

• Facilitate solutions to physical, communication,
  and/or program access.
• Ensure adaptive equipment/assistive technology is
  available and staff and are trained in its use.
• Assist the development of an accommodations
  policy and procedures.
• Identify talent development dollars and connect
  job seekers with these resources.
• Coordinate cross-program teams to address
  barriers and increase options for job seekers
  with disabilities.

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DPN Roles-Facilitate Linkages to the Business
Community

• Connect with LWIB and Business Services staff.
• Conduct outreach and networking with the business
  community (Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Clubs, HR
  Councils, BLNs).
• Host job fairs and facilitate linkages with
  disability employment and training service
  providers.
• Provide information about hiring/retaining
  individuals to business.
• Provide employer toolkits with information
  about tax incentives and benefits (business case)
  of hiring individuals with disabilities.

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DPN Role-Increase Employment Outcomes and
Self-Sufficiency

• Increase registrant levels of job seekers with
  disabilities.
• Improve job development services.
• Encourage individual development accounts.
• Foster SSA Ticket to Work Program.
• Increase on-the job training, apprenticeship,
  internship opportunities.

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What a Navigator is

• A systems change agent
• A problem solver
• A relationship builder
• A resource
• A facilitator
• A team coordinator

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What a Navigator is not

• A case manager
• A front-line staff person in a workforce center
• A SSA Community Work Incentives Coordinator
• A Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist

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Systems Change Agent

• Examples include
• Expand blended/braided funding opportunities.
• Improve access to One-Stop Career Center
  services.
• Increase access to training funds.
• Increase co-enrollment.
• Leverage resources for job seekers.
• Improve coordination and integration with
  Vocational Rehabilitation agencies.
• Partner with SSA Community Work Incentives
  Coordinator (CWIC) under the Work Incentives
  Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Program.
• Facilitate co-location in One-Stop Career
  Centers.
• Increase EN status of WIBs/One-Stop Career
  Centers.

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Problem Solver

• Examples include
• Remove barriers to employment (transportation,
  housing, etc.).
• Connect job seekers to community resources.
• Foster use of work incentives to reach employment
  goals in coordination with CWICs.
• Address One-Stop Career Center staff questions on
  the ADA or other disability-related topics.
• Consult with employers to establish reasonable
  accommodations.

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Relationship Builder

• Examples include
• Coordinate One-Stop Career Center orientation
  tours and open house events targeting the
  disability community.
• Participate regularly in community events,
  resource fairs, and business roundtables.
• Consult with mandated and non-mandated partners
  about accessibility, accommodations, and other
  disability- related topics.
• Establish or join inter-agency collaborations to
  improve employment outcomes for job seekers with
  disabilities.

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Resource

• Examples include
• Respond to questions and offer guidance to staff
  on serving a wide range of job seekers with
  disabilities.
• Provide orientations on One-Stop Career Center
  services to a wide range of community service
  providers.
• Coordinate workshops in One-Stop Career Centers
  on disclosure, reasonable accommodations, work
  incentives, the ADA.
• Offer information to the business community on
  hiring and retaining job seekers with
  disabilities.

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Facilitator

• Examples include
• Bring together multiple partners who are working
  with one individual to foster a collaborative
  effort by building Integrated Resource Teams
  (IRTs).
• Coordinate staff training on a variety of
  disability-related topics.
• Improve communication between One-Stop Career
  Centers and partners by educating both about
  their systems.
• Bridge the gaps between the business and human
  services communities by organizing forums for
  discussion.

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Performance Measures

• It is necessary for each state DPN grant to
  ensure that it meets DOLs performance measures
  for
• - number of exiters with
• disabilities
• - number of people with
• disabilities who entered employment
• - number of people with disabilities retaining
  employment and
• - average wage for people
• with disabilities.

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Performance Measures

• It is critical that states know their service
  goals and collect accurate data (related to
  numbers and percentages of exiters, entered
  employment, retention, and wage gains/average
  wage) pertaining to serving people with
  disabilities for both the Wagner-Peyser and
  Workforce Investment Act Standardized Record Data
  (WIASRD).

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Performance Measures/GPRA Goals

• Information on the definition and calculation for
  the categories mentioned in the previous slide is
  available in ETAs TEGL No. 17-05, February 17,
  2006 http//wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cf
  m?DOCN2195
• It is necessary for states receiving DPN grant
  funds to meet performance standards that are
  consistent with DOLs GPRA goals for the DPN
  Initiative. Baselines have been established
  which take into account outcomes for all exiters
  of the WIA, Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Older
  Youth Programs.

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GPRA Goals for the DPN Initiative

• Exiters with disabilities 2006-6.3 2007-6.4
• Entered employment rate for people with
  disabilities 2006-67 2007-68.
• Employment retention rates for people with
  disabilities 2006-82 and 2007-83
• Average wage baseline not yet determined for PYs
  2006-2007.

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Navigator Anticipated Outcomes

• Access to WIA Services
• Core, Intensive, or Training Services
• Individual Training Accounts (ITAs) or Career
  Advancement Accounts (CAAs)
• Increased Employment
• Wages
• Hours Worked Per Week
• Retention

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Navigator Anticipated Outcomes

• Increased customer satisfaction with workforce
  system for persons with disabilities.
• Expanded partner relationships (public/private)

• Mental Health programs
• Mental Retardation/ Developmental Disability
  programs
• Independent Living Centers
• Medicaid
• CWIC
• Housing
• Transportation
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Other Mandated One-Stop Partners

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Navigator Anticipated Outcomes

• Expanded access to
• Internships
• On-the-Job Training
• Customized Job Development
• Employment Opportunities
• Accommodation Assistance
• Increased use of the Ticket by Social Security
  beneficiaries.
• Increase One-Stop Career Centers/LWIBs becoming
  linking with Employment Networks (ENs).

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Navigator Anticipated Outcomes

• Improved service, system and funder
  collaboration.
• Blended funding support Utilization of Work
  Incentives.
• Utilization of Benefits Counselors.
• Utilization of Medicaid Buy-In/Coordination with
  MIGs.
• Asset Development.
• Individual Development Accounts.
• Access to Technology.
• Self-Employment.

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ETA Priorities

• Talent Development.
• Career Advancement Accounts.
• Demand-Driven.
• Focus on Youth.
• Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic
  Development (WIRED) Framework.

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Workforce Innovations in Regional Economic
Development (WIRED)

• WIRED principles present a basic process for
  transforming regional economies and stress the
  critical role of talent development.
• The DOL National Program Office is working
  through the WIRED framework to show how the
  disability perspective is being integrated into
  this
• important and exciting new way of doing
  business at
• ETA.

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Six Steps of Economic and Workforce
Transformation Through WIRED

• Identify the Regional Economy.
• Form Core Leadership Group.
• SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses,
  Opportunities, Threats).
• Create a Shared Regional Identity and Vision for
  the Regional Economy.
• Devise Strategies-Create SMART strategies
  (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and
  with a timeline).
• Leverage Resources and Implement.

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WIRED Framework

• In todays global economy, the workforce system
  has an opportunity to play a critical role in
  fueling competitiveness by developing talent-one
  of the three key requirements for innovation.
• Transform the workforce investment system to a
  talent development system.
• Transform the workforce investment system to an
  economic development system.
• Economic and talent development function in a
  regional context.

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WIRED Framework

• Talent development strategyeducated and prepared
  workforce for the needs of the 21st century
  global labor market commitment to a culture of
  lifelong learning
• High-skill, high wage, high-growth jobs.
• Jobs in todays economy increasingly require
  specialized skills- 90 of the fastest growing
  jobs require education and training past high
  school.
• Leverage and align public and private
  investments.
• Demand-driven workforce investment system within
  a regional economic development context.

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WIRED Framework

• Interaction with regional employers.
• Forward-looking strategic thinking.
• Engagement with existing education institutions
  at all levels.

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WIRED Framework

• Align economic and workforce development
  strategies and facilitate the adoption of
  innovative policies and practices across the
  workforce, education, and economic development
  systems and structures that support talent
  development in a regional economy.

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WIRED Framework

• Transform the workforce system to become agile
  enough to serve an economy drive by innovation,
  recognizing that approximately two-thirds of all
  new jobs are created by small businesses.
• Three components for innovation
• - Infrastructure (transportation,
• technology)
• - Investment (availability of capital)
• - Talent Development

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WIRED Initiative Funding

• Generation I WIRED-In February 2006, DOL
  competitively selected 13 regions that were
  awarded 15 million over three years to transform
  their economies.
• Generation II WIRED-In January 2007, 13
  additional regions (these 13 regions were known
  as Virtual Regions and initially received
  100,000 planning grants) received an additional
  immediate investment of 500,000 this investment
  supported the development of a plan. Upon
  completion and acceptance of this plan each
  region will receive an additional 4.5 million
  investment over three years.
• Generation III WIRED-In June, 2007, 13 additional
  regions were selected to receive 5 million over
  three years.

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39 WIRED Regions
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1st Generation WIRED Regions

• Coastal Maine
• Northeast Pennsylvania
• Upstate New York
• Piedmont Triad North Carolina
• Mid-Michigan
• West Michigan
• North Central Indiana
• Florida's Great Northwest
• Western Alabama Eastern Mississippi
• Greater Kansas City
• Denver Metro Region
• Central Eastern Montana
• California Innovation Corridor

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2nd Generation WIRED Regions

• Central-Eastern Puerto Rico
• Southwestern Connecticut
• Northern New Jersey
• Delaware Valley
• Appalachian Ohio
• Southeast Michigan
• Tennessee Valley
• Southwest Indiana
• Southeastern Wisconsin
• Arkansas Delta
• Rio South Texas Region
• Wasatch Range
• Northern California

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3rd Generation WIRED Regions

• Southern Arizona
• South-Central Idaho
• South-Central Kansas
• Central Kentucky
• Southeastern Mississippi
• Southeast Missouri
• Minnesota Triangle
• Central New Jersey
• Greater Albuquerque (NM)
• North Oregon
• Southeastern Virginia
• Pacific Mountain Washington
• South Central South West Wisconsin

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WIRED and the Disability Perspective

• The 21st century global economy demands a more
  highly educated workforce equipped with skills to
  ensure career opportunities for American workers
  and to make Americas businesses competitive in a
  world market.
• As we seek to develop Americas talent to meet
  the recruitment and retention needs of this 21st
  century workforce, we need to ensure that people
  with disabilities are included in the WIRED
  strategies to create pipeline hires.

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WIRED and the Disability Perspective

• The public workforce system needs to promote the
  employment of people with disabilities which
  provides career lattices in a variety of STEM and
  other high growth-high technology sectors at the
  regional, state, and local levels.
• Regional economies cannot continue to be
  economically viable, grow, and be competitive in
  the global marketplace, if they do not tap into
  their largely untapped, available workforce
  pools-people with disabilities-and if a
  significant portion of their communities are
  unemployed, underemployed, and live in poverty.

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WIRED and the Disability Perspective

• People with disabilities need to have lifelong
  learning opportunities and careers so they can
  financially contribute to the economic vitality
  of their regional economies by paying taxes,
  starting small businesses, and ceasing to rely on
  public benefits.
• Identifying and leveraging regional resources are
  critical components of the WIRED Initiatives
  conceptual frameworks six-step process.
• This process needs to include disability-related
  resources already devoted to assessment,
  education, training, job development/placement,
  and support for people with disabilities
  provided by both the disability services sector
  and other generic resources.

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WIRED and the Disability Perspective

• These regional assets (SSA, DOE-VR, HHS-Medicaid,
  CMHS, HUD, DVA, DOT) have the potential to be
  significant resources for the economies and
  should be part of their regional economic
  development and investment strategies.
• The National Program Office is in the process of
  developing and implementing two WIRED pilot
  projects-one in the Southwest CT/Upstate NY
  Region and one in Denver Metro Region.
• We have developed a template for integrating the
  disability perspective into the WIRED framework
  and activities.
• It includes a lot of data driven analysis to
  identify assets/ investments involving people
  with disabilities to determine where and how to
  target talent development activities, as well as
  career employment potential for the high growth
  or STEM-related sectors meet the demands of the
  21st century workforce. We will share the details
  with you soon.

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DPN Initiative Goal

• We see the DPN Initiative as a Team
  effort-ETA/Regional Federal Offices/DOL, SSA, and
  the LHPDC are all here to work with you and to
  support you to make the DPN Initiative a success
  in your state so that we can reach our ultimate
  goal-competitive, quality employment of people
  with disabilities.
• The rubber really meets the road with the
  Navigators.
• We look forward to working with you.

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Resources

• One-Stop Toolkit Web site (http//www.onestoptoolk
  it.org)- Includes training materials, products,
  and strategies developed by WIG and DPN grants.
• DisAbility Online (http//www.doleta.gov/disabilit
  y/)-ETAs Disabilities Programs home page.
• LHPDCs Web site on DPNs and WIGs
  (http//disability.law.uiowa.edu/dpn)