September 2020 Newsletter
Indiana’s “Work to Include” Coalition
Advancing Employment for Individuals with Disabilities
“Impossible is just an opinion, don’t buy it.” – Robin Sharma
IT’S HERE: EVERYONE WINS WHEN EVERYONE’S IN
Everyone Wins When Everyone’s IN is the theme for the Work to Include Employer Awareness Campaign. Coalitions throughout the state are working to roll out our first public relations initiative during National Disability Employment Awareness Month next month. Coalitions will distribute the Work to Include Toolkit, a series of factsheets designed to inform and enlighten, to local employers. The series covers 12 topics including: The Positive Impact of Hiring, Reasonable Accommodations, Talent Pipelines, Accessible Hiring Practices and Establishing a Positive Disability Inclusion Culture. Check out www.worktoinclude.org for the campaign posters, billboard, PSAs, employer toolkit and other resources you can share.
State Update: The Employment First Plan
On 9/11/20, the Indiana Commission on Rehabilitation Services passed the Employment First Plan that was mandated by the 2017 Employment First Legislation. The document includes a number of Vision and Goals that will support a shift in service delivery and increase the number of individuals with disabilities in employment statewide. Work to Include was honored to be able to provide some of your ideas to the Commission, as they developed the plan. The complete document will be available for review at:
Tom Morris: Reflections of a WTI Coalition Member
After a mountain biking accident left him paralyzed in 2012, Tom Morris, was uncertain how he could return to work as a strength trainer for IU. But that did not last long. His employer and co-workers at IU assured him they would do whatever it took to support and accommodate him. After only one year, Tom and IU proved it just takes a little ingenuity and a positive attitude. Tom currently serves as the Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Performance on the IU Bloomington Campus. As reported to the Bloom magazine in 2016, “I remember the very first workout and just seeing the women’s basketball team work their butts off and listen to everything I had to say,” he says. “There was one young lady puking in the trash can. … That I was able to [inspire] that [level of exertion] — I thought, ‘You know what? This is going to all be possible.”
Tom was a featured speaker at the Bloomington area Work to Include Town Hall. Since then he has worked with the local Coalition helping to maintain the focus and importance of disability inclusion at IUB. As he points out, “The ability to work gave me meaning and purpose. Before my disability I took for granted the privilege of working. When that privilege isn’t guaranteed there is a huge sense of loss and involvement in one’s life. It’s just right! We are all people that should have the ability to make this world a better place. The ability to go to work should NEVER be dictated by a disability.”
#INCLUSIONWORKS
Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS)
Isabella Coleman just graduated High School, has a job she loves, and plans on taking a year off before considering further education. Sounds pretty typical, huh? But Bella is one of the thousands of Hoosier youth with disabilities who leave school every year, many without a job or a career path. What made the difference for her was a program funded by Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services. The program, known as Pre-Employment Transition Services or Pre-ETS, gave her training during high school to become a Direct Support Professional (DSP). According to her mom, Adrienne, Bella is very happy and attributes Bella’s success to the work experience and training she had in high school. And Bella states, “…I would most definitely recommend going through Pre-ETS to be trained to become a Direct Support Professional. This is a great job for anyone who is willing and caring to help those in need.”
The goal of Pre-ETS is to have youth employed or on a career path prior to leaving high school.
Pre-ETS consists of five core services listed below and is part of Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services offerings.
Job exploration counseling: Finding out what you may want to do
Work-based learning experiences: Trying out jobs to learn more
Counseling on postsecondary opportunities: Working to develop further education
Workplace readiness: Developing work skills
Instruction in self-advocacy: Being able to get what you need, when you need it
Provision of these services has been challenging during the pandemic. Stone Belt contracts with Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation to deliver work experience and job skill training to 80 youth across several counties. MaryEllen Jones, Stone Belt Youth and Family Supports Manager, is in charge of Pre-ETS for a large area in south-central Indiana. She reports that working with schools has been difficult since each has had a different response to the pandemic. The key has been flexibility. Stone Belt has used both online and in-person approaches. Some students do well with online learning and some are not able to benefit, either because of available support or Zoom fatigue. MaryEllen noted that face to face interactions have worked best. Participation increased when students had more individualized support and families appreciated having, “some certainty in an uncertain time.” She feels they are likely to continue to provide more individualized options during this school year. It is important to know that Federal officials are reminding schools and vocational rehabilitation agencies of their responsibility to work together to help students with disabilities transition to adulthood, even amid the pandemic.
Bella was one of several participants of Stone Belts’ DSP Boost program, open to high school students. It teaches DSP job skills and life skills along with actual work experience. Bella worked as a DSP with her peers in Pre-ETS and was one of three recently hired by Stone Belt. Mary Ellen reported that Bella exited high school in August and works 40 plus hours per week with minimal supports.
Supporting youth with disabilities to get and maintain employment is one way to challenge expectations and break the cycle of unemployment and poverty. As Bella reminds us, “It (work) makes me feel helpful, important, and I feel like I am responsible. I am able to help those who need assistance, and I love to help and see all clients succeed.”
CHECK US OUT…
Please help get the word out! Go to our Facebook and LinkedIN pages and share them widely. We hope you enjoy the access to employment-related content and are sure others will, too. Thanks!
HAVE AN EMPLOYMENT SUCCESS STORY YOU ARE WANTING TO SHARE?EMAIL SRINNE60@GMAIL.COM. SHORT, SWEET AND A PICTURE WOULD BE WONDERFUL!
Thank you!
For more information please contact our Co-Directors,
Pat Rogan, Professor, IUPUI School of Education at progan@iupui.edu
or
Susan Rinne, MPA at srinne60@gmail.com
