Financial Workshop Kits - Website of the Week →

Created by the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE), the Financial Workshop Kits contain information needed to create engaging and meaningful financial education programs. Financial Workshop Kits is designed to help effectively teach money management skills in your community. Through this site, you have access to workshops, tools, and other resources that can be used separately or together to empower people to make the best financial decisions for their values and unique circumstances. Of particular interest is the workshop geared toward family members and caregivers of children with disabilities.

Benefits.gov - Website of the Week →

Benefits.gov was launched in an effort to provide citizens with easy, online access to government benefit and assistance programs. The site’s core function is the eligibility prescreening questionnaire or “Benefit Finder.” Answers to the questionnaire are used to evaluate a visitor’s situation and compare it with the eligibility criteria for more than 1,000 Federally-funded benefit and assistance programs. Each program description provides citizens with the next steps to apply for any benefit program of interest.

WorkWORLD - Website of the Week →

WorkWORLD is a Decision Support Tool for people with disabilities and families who are receiving public benefits. It represents innovative software for personal computers designed to help people with disabilities, advocates, benefit counselors, and others explore and understand how to best use the work incentives associated with the various Federal and State disability and poverty benefit programs.

WorkWORLD automates the computation of benefits, and takes into account the complex interaction of income, benefit programs, and work incentives. Integrated, synchronized, closed-captioned multi-media demonstrations of WorkWORLD are now available on the website. Tutorial modules explain WorkWORLD’s features and show many aspects of its operation, while presentation modules discuss the software’s use in the broader context of benefits planning and service delivery for individuals.

WorkWORLD is currently free to residents of Virginia. State agencies, community-based organizations, and individuals can help build a state funding pool to make WorkWORLD free to residents of their state by making pledges to support WorkWORLD. Read more at the WorkWORLD website. WorkWORLD is also available for purchase for those outside of Virginia.

• $50 - Complete WorkWORLD software (includes the Help/Information System)
• $25 - Stand-alone WorkWORLD Help/Information System software only
• Each paid order includes a free one-year automatic subscription to all available software updates.

Social Security Administration's Ticket to Work Program - Website of the Week →

Social Security’s Ticket to Work program supports career development for people with disabilities who want to work. Social Security disability beneficiaries 18 through 64 qualify. The Ticket program is free and voluntary and exists specifically to help people with disabilities progress toward financial self-sufficiency. The Ticket program is a good fit for people who would like to improve their earning potential and who are committed to preparing for long-term success in the workforce. Ticket to Work offers beneficiaries with disabilities improved access to meaningful employment with the help of specialized providers. If you are ready to go to work, Ticket to Work and Work Incentives professionals are available to help you.

Visit the Ticket to Work Website to get answers to your questions, access information and resources, and receive expert advice on Work Incentives and the Ticket to Work program.

Accessible Space - Website of the Week →

Accessible Space provides independent and assisted living apartments in 26 states across the country for very-low income adults with physical disabilities, as well as seniors. You can browse the Accessible Space databank to locate affordable, accessible housing.

Independent Living Research Utilization Program - Website of the Week →

The ILRU (Independent Living Research Utilization) program is a national center for information, training, research, and technical assistance in independent living. Its goal is to expand the body of knowledge in independent living and to improve utilization of results of research programs and demonstration projects in this field. It is a program of TIRR (The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research), a nationally recognized medical rehabilitation facility for persons with disabilities.

Partners in Employment - Website of the Week →

Partners in Employment is a free self-study online course designed to help people with developmental disabilities find meaningful jobs and jumpstart their careers. The course was created by The Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities as part of Partners in Policy, an innovative, award-winning leadership training program for adults with developmental disabilities and the parents of young children with developmental disabilities throughout the world.

Partners in Employment was created to give users the practical skills needed to find real, competitive employment in the community. The course helps users learn how other people with disabilities have overcome common obstacles to find jobs and succeed in the workplace.

The main goals of the Partners in Employment online course:

• Understand the hiring process and how it might differ for people with developmental disabilities;
• Understand supported and competitive employment;
• Identify a “circle of friends” who can help you achieve your dream;
• Know your strengths, skills and interests and how they might translate into a career;
• Understand how technology skills can help people with disabilities find meaningful employment;
• Understand natural supports and how they might help you succeed;
• Create a resume or portfolio that presents you and your abilities in the best light; Know how to network and identify potential employers;
• Be prepared for a successful job interview;
• Know how to evaluate a job offer to make sure it fits your skills and dreams!

Disability.gov, Newly Redesigned - Website of the Week →

Disability.gov has launched a newly designed, clutter-free website, making it easier for people with disabilities, their families and others to find disability programs and services in their communities. Visitors can now use one of two ways to find resources; they can type a word or phrase into the Search Box or select a subject from the “Information by Topic” menu on the left side of the home page. The site’s intuitive navigation also enables visitors to further narrow their search results by location, subtopics, audiences and disability types.

Disability.gov is the federal government website for comprehensive information on disability programs and services in communities nationwide. Individuals with disabilities, their families, caregivers and others are connected to more than 14,000 resources from federal, state and local government agencies, academic institutions and nonprofit organizations. New information is added daily across 10 main subject areas – Benefits; Civil Rights; Community Life; Education; Emergency Preparedness; Employment; Health; Housing; Technology and Transportation.

For more information on how to find resources on Disability.gov, please visit www.disability.gov/home/how_to_use_this_site.

National Council on Disability - Website of the Week →

The National Council on Disability (NCD) is a small, independent federal agency charged with advising the President, Congress, and other federal agencies regarding policies, programs, practices, and procedures that affect people with disabilities. NCD is comprised of a team of fifteen Senate-confirmed Presidential appointees , an Executive Director appointed by the Chairman, and eleven, full-time professional staff.

NCD policy areas include:

• Civil Rights
• Cultural Diversity
• Education
• Emergency Management
• Employment
• Financial Assistance & Incentives
• Health Care
• Housing
• International
• Long Term Services & Supports
• Technology
• Transportation
• Youth Perspectives

SaveUp - Website of the Week →

SaveUp is a free rewards program that connects to your existing accounts. SaveUp rewards you for increasing your savings and reducing your debt in almost any bank in the US. Using a similar technique to connect to your accounts that great sites like Mint.com use, SaveUp sets itself apart by being purely a game and not ANOTHER monitoring tool. What’s great about this approach is that even those who have very limited incomes or financial accounts can still be rewarded. You can even gain credits by doing things like completing quizzes on the site and inviting friends.

How it Works

SaveUp can securely connect with nearly every financial institution in the US that provides online banking services. Using this connection, SaveUp monitors account balances in order to issue credits.

Think of credits as reward points — every time you save money or reduce debt, we automatically award you SaveUp credits. Use these credits for the chance at cash and prizes.

Use the credits you earn from saving money and paying down debt for a daily chance at cash, cars, vacations, and rewards up to a $2,000,000 jackpot. The more you save and reduce your debt, the more chances you have to win big!

Visit www.saveup.com today to learn more!