Issue Brief: Does Service Collaboration Enhance Seamless Transition Outcomes? - Publication of the Week →

The hallmark practices associated with effective school to work transition for students with disabilities include:

1. student centered planning;
2. youth empowerment;
3. career/ work experiences;
4. paid employment;
5. family support and participation; and
6. interagency collaboration and service coordination.

While the first five practices have received significant attention in the empirical literature and moderate support in outcome studies, interagency collaboration and service coordination, while widely endorsed, have been neglected in the research literature, even though collaboration is statutorily required in authorizing legislation and is the first step in system reform.

Benefits Planning Query Handbook - Publication of the Week →

The Benefits Planning Query (BPQY) is part of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) efforts to inform Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients about their disability benefits and the use of work incentives. A BPQY statement contains detailed information about the status of a beneficiary’s disability cash benefits, scheduled medical reviews, health insurance, and work history. In essence, the BPQY provides a snapshot of the beneficiary’s benefits and work history as stored in SSA’s electronic records.

The BPQY is a tool used by Area Work Incentive Coordinators (AWIC), the Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) Cadre members, advocates, beneficiaries, and other individuals. The information contained in a BPQY provides customized information on SSA’s employment support programs to beneficiaries with disabilities who want to start or keep working. Analysis of a beneficiary’s disability and work status is the first step when planning a successful return to work.

This handbook, updated in April 2012, give detailed instructions on how to read, interpret and request BPQY statements from SSA.

General Self-Help Resource Guide for Students Who Are Not in Special Education - Publication of the Week →

The Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology recently published this self-help resource guide, designed to assist students with disabilities who are not in special education. The guide provides students and their families, guardians, advocates and professionals with general information on services that are available pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Americans with Disabilities Amendment Act (ADA and ADAAA). This guide provides links to informative websites; frequently asked questions (FAQs); factsheets; federal and state laws, regulations, and rules; and other relevant resources. This information will help students with disabilities obtain reasonable accommodations, auxiliary aids and services, and physical and program accessibility in the public education system. The information will also be beneficial with transition planning that can lead to post-secondary education and/or employment.

Why Assets Matter - Publication of the Week →

CFED’s Policy & Research team created a short fact sheet that provides an overview of research on assets and their effect on financial stability and economic opportunity. Many research studies have shown that:

• Assets create a financial buffer to weather emergencies
• Assets can promote success in the labor market
• Assets can promote long-term thinking, planning and psychological well-being
• Assets can promote economic mobility for single mothers
• Assets can enhance the well-being and life chances of children
• Assets can increase the likelihood of going to and succeeding in college

Read more about “Why Assets Matter”

Students at Greatest Risk for Poor Post-School Employment Outcomes: What Can Schools Do? - Publication of the Week →

Center on Transition Employment for Youth with Disabilities Issue Brief

Decades of research have consistently shown that students with disabilities as a group fare poorly after school exit, particularly in employment. While the transition planning mandates of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990 (IDEA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) have improved the postschool prospects for many students with disabilities, far too many transition from school not to employment or other productive activities, but to waiting lists for adult services, inactivity, and for some, illegal or self-destructive behaviors.

The Work Incentives Planning and Assistance Program: Promoting Employment Among Social Security Disability Beneficiaries - Publication of the Week →

Many Social Security disability beneficiaries want to work, but they often face barriers to doing so. To break down some of these barriers, the Social Security Administration has introduced a host of work incentives and other supports to promote employment among disability beneficiaries. However, use of these supports is low; indeed, less than five percent of beneficiaries use the work incentives for which they are eligible. This issue brief, written by Mathematica Policy Research Center for Studying Disability Policy, describes the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) program.

Download the issue brief (PDF)

Career Exploration in Action - Publication of the Week →

This brief is part of a series of publications called Innovative Strategies Practice Briefs. Each brief highlights strategies for implementing a specific practice gleaned from Innovative Strategies from the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth)-identified promising and exemplary programs.

This latest brief describes strategies and resources that youth programs and school systems use to engage all youth in exploring various career options. All youth need career exploration opportunities to identify how their interests and skills relate to various careers, learn what education and training is needed to pursue careers of interest, and make informed decisions about their future. Some types of career exploration activities include career-related guest speakers, workplace visits and tours, job shadowing, career fairs and career days, and career-focused mentoring.

Evaluating the Implementation and Outcomes of Secondary Supported Employment Programs for Students with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities - Publication of the Week →

The Center on Transition to Employment for Youth with Disabilities Issue Brief

Supported employment increasingly has become understood by professionals, parents, employers, and individuals with disabilities as a valuable way to provide essential support for jobseekers with disabilities who have never worked before or who are considered as not having the potential to succeed (e.g., Luecking, 2009; Wehman, Inge, Revell & Brooke, 2007). This approach focuses on the use of a trained employment specialist working collaboratively with the business to enhance the training and productivity of the worker with a disability. This brief will outline a study involving school-based supported employment programs in Virginia to generate new knowledge regarding the effectiveness of these programs as an employment-focused transition practice for youth with intellectual or other developmental disabilities.

Download the issue brief (PDF)

Fact Sheet: Job Opportunities For Individuals With Disabilities - Publication of the Week →

This fact sheet (available as a webpage or a downloadable PDF) summarizes the process of applying for a federal employment position for  individuals with disabilities. The fact sheet also explains the standing special appointments for persons with severe disabilities and veterans with disabilities and details how individuals apply for federal positions can request reasonable accommodations.

Emerging Employment Issues for People with Disabilities - Publication of the Week →

written by Cornell University Employment and Disability Institute and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
December 2011

[The following is taken from the Abstract.]

People with disabilities are employed at less than half the rate of their non-disabled peers, and the current economic climate is making it even harder for people with disabilities to obtain employment (Kaye, 2010). During the summer and fall of 2011, Cornell University’s Employment and Disability Institute and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) collaborated on the development and implementation of a survey on current critical issues around the employment of people with disabilities.

This survey focused on people with disabilities and their perspectives – only the “supply end” of the employment equation. The results provide a window into the experience of individuals with disabilities in the application and employment process. Interestingly, disclosure was an issue that appeared in all three sections of the survey: disability disclosure, leave as a reasonable accommodation, and the use of job applicant screeners. Respondents discussed the sometimes complex decision of whether to disclose and the barriers and rewards for such disclosure. In the section on workplace leave, several respondents mentioned the need to disclose when requesting and/or returning for leave. This sometimes changed their workplace experience significantly – sometime for the better, but often for the worse. There was also a fear of disclosure associated with job screeners such as credit checks and employment history. Respondents were concerned that a credit check might reveal Supplemental Security Income (SSI)/Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) receipt or medical debt, unintentionally informing an employer of an individual’s disability or health issue. Similarly, respondents were concerned that an employment history with gaps may alert an employer that an applicant has a disability. A wide range of experiences and perspectives were uncovered in this study, both positive and negative. Policy makers, employers (“demand-side”) and others may use this information to guide policy that will lead to more inclusive hiring and retention of individuals with disabilities, ideally, improving the employment situation for people with disabilities.