September 2013 Visit JTPR’s website at www.impact-publications.com JTPR 1

Balancing the Equation By Leslie Wilson, M.S.

There are two equal custom-ers in the employment equation: job seekers with

disabilities and employers. Most service providers will tell you they spend less than 30% of their time networking with and market-ing to employers because their funding is focused on assisting job seekers.

This imbalance in time and resources contributes to the 27% employment rate of Americans with disabilities, as reported by the Employer Assistance and Resource Network (EARN) in January 2013.

To create a culture of opportu-nity, Wilson Resources (WRI)

has spent a multitude of hours organizing Business Leadership Networks (BLNs), assisting ser-vice providers to develop their own Business Advisory Committees and presenting to employers. The first step to opening employers’ doors to job seekers is creating lasting rela-tionships based on:

v Trust, understanding the employers’ business and staffing needs; and

v Excellent customer service.

Once that is established, one of the most effective tools is offering paid internships provided through

private grants and fund raising, and On the Job Training (OJT) positions through Vocational Rehabilitation.

Innovation GrantIn 2012-2013, the Florida

Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) awarded an Innovation Grant to WRI. The grant permitted WRI to try new

Fast Facts

APSE Applauds Coverage of

Sub-Minimum Wage – Part I

Benefits.gov Goes Mobile

NISH Changes its Name

Confidence is Key!

Miranda – Creating a Job in an

Inclusive Child Care Setting

Do Your Job Seekers have

Soft Skills?

What’s New in AT?

APSE Names National Award

Winners

INSERTS

APSE Connections: Maine

APSE has Moved Employment

First Forward!

Fe at u r e d In s I d e

fo r p ro fe s s iona l s who suppor t emp loymen t fo r peop l e wi t h d i sab i l i t i e s

JOB TRAINING & PLACEMENT REPORT

Volume 37, No. 9 September 2013

continued on Page 2

37 years

of service!

2 JTPR Visit JTPR’s website at www.impact-publications.com September 2013

approaches to the employment of 25 people with disabilities, primar-ily those with mental illness of all abilities. The project was focused on three areas of the state: Duval County (Jacksonville), Miami Dade County, and Hillsborough County (Tampa).

Key to the project’s success was Florida DVR’s OJT Program, a 90-day paid employ-ment experience. Because this was an innovation grant, WRI was able to use a staffing com-pany as the OJT vendor to handle all of the pre-employment paper-work, background checks, drug testing, and payroll.

WRI opened the OJT positions using its employer contacts and sourced candidates directly from DVR. Employers’ brief job descriptions were submitted to one DVR contact in each regional office. These were circulated among DVR counselors and résumés were submitted to WRI. WRI assured that the candidates were well-matched and sent the

résumés to the employers. The employers conducted interviews and chose the best candidates.

The OJT experience permits job seekers to get their foot in the door, get noticed, bypass the com-petitive interview process, and show the employer what they can do, gain experience and confi-dence, and build a résumé and references.

For employers, OJT is a no-risk opportunity to witness people with disabilities in their workplaces, which reduces stigma and proves to co-workers and supervisors that employees with disabilities can do a good job, just like anyone else.

Wages ranged from minimum wage up to $30/hour. Thus far, three out of five of those who have completed their OJT experiences have retained employment at their OJT sites. One individual was not able to be employed at the OJT site due to a hiring freeze, but he impressed the employer, who used his contacts to help the OJT intern become employed elsewhere.

Keys to the success of the Florida DVR/WRI Innovation Grant OJT program:

v Importance of employer networking: The greatest OJT program success was achieved in Duval County, in part because of the long-established, employer-driven First Coast Business Leadership Network, which uses its influence to encourage other area employers to hire. Some of the larger employers became repeat customers, hiring several people through OJT.

v Make it easy for employers to participate: Employers repeat-edly say, “If you want us to partic-ipate you have to make it easy.” Using a staffing company as the DVR OJT vendor paved the way

for internal corporate champions to convince their companies to participate. Today, more than 20% of new hires are handled by staff-ing companies and that percentage is growing.

v Let the employer train: Since the OJT participants were being paid; employers provided the training without outside inter-vention. Simulated training based on what we think employers need is typically not useful. By staying out of the way, supervisors and co-workers became engaged from the outset.

Balancing... cont’d from Page 1

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Editor - Mike JacquartPublisher - Scott Kolpien

Circulation - Jamie KolpienDesigner - Laura J. Miller

COPYRIGHT © Impact Publications, Inc. 2013. Job Training and Placement Report (ISSN 1041-1488, USPS 665-490) is published monthly by Impact Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 322, Waupaca, WI 54981, Phone: 715-258-2448, Fax: 715-258-9048, e-mail: info@impacttrainingcenter.net. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to Job Training and Placement Report, P.O. Box 322, Waupaca, WI 54981. No part of this news-letter may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quo-tations in a review which must credit Job Training and Placement Report as the source, and include the publisher’s phone number, address, and subscription rate. Yearly subscrip-tion rate is $149.00. Periodicals postage paid at Waupaca, WI 54981. Material accepted for publication is subject to such revision as is necessary in our discretion to meet the requirements of the publication. The infor-mation presented in JTPR is from many sources for which there can be no warranty or responsibility as to accuracy, originality or completeness. The publication is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering product endorsements or providing instructions as a substitute for appropriate training by qualified sources. Therefore, JTPR and Impact Publications, Inc. will not assume responsibility for any actions arising from any information published in JTPR. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior information so that corrective action may be taken.

JOB TRAINING & PLACEMENT REPORT

“Millions of dollars are spent preparing

job seekers with disabilities to work but there is little

investment in preparing the workplace for a diverse workforce

that includes people with disabilities.”

— John Wagner, Florida Blue; Chair, USBLN Corporate Advisory Board

September 2013 Visit JTPR’s website at www.impact-publications.com JTPR 3

v Sourcing directly from DVR and single points of con-tact: Sourcing directly from DVR offered employers access to thou-sands of potential candidates. One DVR staff person was the single point of contact for WRI, and WRI was the single point of contact for employers. Employers often rec-ommend that local service provid-ers work together to eliminate multiple and confusing contacts.

v Importance of DVR commit-ment to employment as an out-come: If state VR agencies are truly ‘employment’ focused, their supervi-

sors and counselors need training on local employers’ staffing needs and an understanding that VR is not just a provider referral source. Florida DVR staff was committed to this project, especially the single points of contact. Employers complimented the quality of the well-matched can-didates, how quickly DVR sourced job seekers, and how well the pro-gram was managed. This created a reputation of excellence and repeat customers.

SummaryContinued reliance on old ways

will net the same results. OJT is

available in nearly all states through Vocational Rehabilitation. Typically it has cumbersome rules and is not employer OR provider friendly. This has suppressed its use. Florida DVR’s willingness to let WRI try another way reflects the importance of OJT and pro-grams like it in providing opportu-nities to bring job seekers and employers together.

Leslie Wilson is President/CEO of Wilson Resources, Inc., a national consulting firm. She is a former APSE Board member and can be reached by email at: lesliew@wilres.com; or phone: 941-729-9673. WRI’s websites are: www.wilres.com and www.nationalctc.com.

Editor’s Notebook

This isn’t to say that spending more time with a population you’re not as familiar with is easy. We all like to stay within our comfort zones, but it’s also true that we can’t, as they say, “keep doing the same things but expect different results.”

Speaking of that statement, one reason why I continually ask for feedback is because JTPR, like-wise, will tend to cover the same topics unless we hear about other subjects from YOU. We think we do an OK job deducing what you want to read, but there’s still nothing like spending time with the reader, because you’ll always think of things that we may well overlook. A brief email or phone call is all it takes. Until next time.

Mike Jacquart, Editor(715) 258-2448

mike.jacquart@impacttrainingcenter.net

It seems that we can’t overdo some topics in JTPR, and this month’s cover story by

Leslie Wilson on “balancing the equation” is one case in point. Like last month’s cover article by Larry Robbin, Leslie discusses the two equal customers in the employment equation – job seekers with disabil-ities and employers, and the lack of time many integrated employ-ment professionals spend with one customer (employers) as opposed to the other (job seekers).

Leslie goes a step further by describing the innovation grant her organization received, which stressed the importance of employers in this equation. But whether it’s last month’s discus-sion on the “dual-customer model” or this month’s piece on “balancing the equation,” the idea is the same: spending more time with employers to learn their needs, and in turn increase employment outcomes.

Balancing... cont’d from Page 2

Fast FactsLabor force participation

• People with disabilities: 20.7%

• People without disabilities: 69.1%

Unemployment rate• People with disabilities:

13.6%• People without disabilities:

7.0%

v Over 37 million Americans are classified as disabled; about 12% of the total population.

v More than 50% of those disabled Americans are in their working years.

v 8.8 million disabled wage earners, over 5% of U.S. work-ers, were receiving Social Security Disability (SSDI) bene-fits at the end of 2012.

v Approximately 90% of dis-abilities are caused by illnesses rather than accidents.

Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, www.disabilitycanhappen.org.

4 JTPR Visit JTPR’s website at www.impact-publications.com September 2013

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By Laura Owens & Ryley Newport

APSE would like to thank NBC for its recent news coverage, which clearly

showed that it is time for the sub-minimum wage to go! APSE was very pleased with NBC’s thorough investigation into the use of the 75-year-old legal loophole that needs to be phased out.

We are extremely appreciative to NBC for exposing that the sub-minimum wage is a funda-mental violation of the civil rights of people with disabilities. The story shed much-needed light on the discriminatory nature of sub-minimum wages, includ-ing use of stringent productivity rate standards and requirements that apply only to workers with disabilities, and paying individu-als with disabilities as little as 22 cents per hour, while service pro-vider executives make $500,000 or more annually.

APSE Disagrees with CEOThe NBC story focused specifi-

cally on Goodwill Industries’ use of sub-minimum wage. APSE fun-damentally disagrees with Jim Gibbons, the CEO of Goodwill, and his reaffirmation of the misperception that individuals with disabilities are not capable of being productive employees. Throughout this country there are individuals with disabilities much more significantly disabled than those portrayed in the NBC story, working at minimum wage or more. There are simply too many

success stories, to say that sub-minimum wage is still necessary.

As NBC clearly pointed out, sub-minimum wage is not a mat-ter of people with disabilities being incapable of working at competitive wages. Bad job matches are the real issue – the work that individuals are required to perform at sub-minimum wage is nothing more than a bad match for an individual’s skills, abilities, and interests.

Within the story, in referring to individuals with disabilities earn-ing sub-minimum wage, Mr. Gibbons stated: “It’s typically not about their livelihood. It’s about their fulfillment. It’s about being a part of something.”

We have a question for Mr. Gibbons: Is not his job, and his $500,000 a year salary, about his livelihood – his ability to earn a living, pay his bills, and enjoy the freedoms that making a living

wage (and his case a very gener-ous wage) provides?

First-class Citizenship for AllThere is no doubt that is the

case for Mr. Gibbons , and the same should be true of all of the individuals with disabilities who are employed by his organization. As advocate Sheila Leland pointed out in the story, “It’s a question of being able to be treated like a first-class citizen in this country and have the rights of other people to work to obtain the things they need and to be the people they can be. It’s a civil rights issue for me.” APSE could not agree more.

NEXT MONTH: Issue goes beyond Goodwill.

For further information, contact Laura Owens, APSE Executive Director – lowens@apse.org; or Ryley Newport – APSE Public Policy Associate – ryley@apse.org - 301-279-0060.

APSE Applauds Coverage of Sub-Minimum Wage – Part I

Opinion

September 2013 Visit JTPR’s website at www.impact-publications.com JTPR 5

NISH Changes its Name

NISH is now SourceAmerica. According to the organi-

zation, the new name is meant to more accurately convey its national scope and position as the leading single source of job opportunities for people with significant disabilities.

As an AbilityOne authorized enterprise, SourceAmerica pro-vides staffing support to federal customers through a nationwide

network of more than 550 community nonprofit agency partners, which together employ more than 125,000 people with significant disabilities.

For more information, visit www.sourceamerica.org.

Source: Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).

Benefits.gov has launched a mobile compatible version of its website, the U.S.

Department of Labor announced recently.

Benefits.gov, the official bene-fits website of the U.S. govern-ment, has enhanced its site for visitors using mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. The changes make it easier for the pub-lic to access government benefit and assistance program informa-tion anytime, anywhere.

Mobile access to Benefits.gov increased by more than 200% in the last year, underscoring the importance of enhancing the web-site to improve user experiences. A new “Responsive Design” enables the site to identify the resolution of the user’s viewing screen and dynamically alter the format to

accommodate the device. It ensures that a quality user experience is not dependent on the type of device or operating system being used – computer, smartphone or tablet.

One of the website’s key fea-tures is the “Benefit Finder,” a search tool that anonymously asks users questions to determine which government programs they may be eligible to receive. Visitors can also search for more information about available programs by browsing the site by state, cate-gory or federal agency.

Visitors can keep up with the latest benefit-related information by subscribing to page updates directly from the site, www. benefits.gov.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor.

Benefits.gov Goes Mobile

In the News

In the News

Quick Ideas

Confidence is Key!

Employers and recruiters can tell the difference between candidates

who possess confidence and those who don’t. If your job-seeking clients are among those who don’t, employers are likely to wonder why they should have any confidence in them when they don’t have any in themselves!

The following are some tips to help clients develop self-con-fidence during a job search:

v Thoroughly prepare for interviews. Help clients rehearse answers to typical interview questions.

v Practice acceptance. Clients must admit their mis-takes and then move on. They must not dwell on them! What’s over is over – the key is to learn from the mistake.

v Make a conscious effort to not compare. The client must affirm his/her unique-ness and remind himself/ herself of individual talents and strengths.

v Hang out with positive people. Job hunting is a chal-lenging and difficult process, and clients need the support of family, friends, and supported employment professionals.

Source: “The Smart New Way to Get Hired,” by Caldas Kappesser, JIST Publishing, www.jist.com.

6 JTPR Visit JTPR’s website at www.impact-publications.com September 2013

Miranda – Creating a Job in an Inclusive Child Care Setting

Success Story

Miranda loves children and is also interested in helping other people

with disabilities. She provides child care during the school year at the Brookline Early Education Program (BEEP) in Brookline, Mass. Because of Miranda’s strong interest in child care and the employer’s philosophy of inclu-sion, her job developer approached BEEP about creating a meaningful job for Miranda.

What’s ImportantMiranda had limited work

experience but had enjoyed a vol-unteer job at a child care center near her high school. She let Jill, her job developer, contact people to talk about job possibilities. This included Miranda’s life coach. (A life coach is someone who can help develop and reach personal goals.)

Jill met with the BEEP’s execu-tive director and discussed Miranda’s work experience and desire to work with young chil-dren. Jill mentioned the program’s belief in practicing inclusion for

children with disabilities and asked if they would consider using the same approach in their staff-ing. The director liked the idea of hiring Miranda, but the program had no open positions. However, the director was interested in cre-ating a new position because they saw the need for an additional part-time assistant.

Jill and the director thought Miranda would be particularly helpful in assisting in the class-rooms. This was in line with Miranda’s interest in helping chil-dren with disabilities and those who might need extra support with classroom activities, lunch, snacks and personal care.

In addition, Miranda would help other staff clean the preschool room after the morning class and prepare it for the afternoon class. She would also perform office duties, such as passing out school notices and making photocopies. Miranda had already shown in her previous job that she could handle tasks like these.

Jill and the director negotiated the supports they could provide Miranda on the job, such as coaching (from Jill) and consis-tent opportunities to provide feed-back. Once they had put together the details and worked out Miranda’s hours and wages, the position was submitted to approval to the school board and union. Meanwhile, they decided to have a job trial, which would be a chance for Miranda to try out the position on a voluntary basis for three weeks to ensure the job would be a good fit.

During the trial, the staff saw that Miranda worked very well with the children and was able to complete assigned tasks. Miranda learned that the philosophy at rules at BEEP were very different from those at the school where she had volunteered at before. For instance, rather than letting a child not to do something, the staff was encour-aged to redirect children in a posi-tive way or get them interested in doing something else. Miranda was encouraged to adopt this approach. Also, Miranda and the staff learned how to work together to improve her work performance and jointly make decisions about procedures in the classroom.

What HappenedThe new position for Miranda

was approved, and she works 12 hours a week at the BEEP at $12/hour. Miranda cares for the chil-dren, reads to them, and helps them with classroom activities. She also assists with clerical tasks and main-taining and setting up classrooms.

Miranda continues to learn and grow in the job and the staff is happy they hired her. Also, parents of children with disabilities who attend the program have com-mented that they are happy to see her doing well there; this helps them feel more optimistic that their own children will find mean-ingful work when they grow up.

Lessons Learnedv Set up a job trial so that an

employer and an individual can

continued on Page 8

September 2013 Visit JTPR’s website at www.impact-publications.com JTPR 7

Job Training and Placement Report is published monthly. For subscription information contact: Job Training and Placement Report, P.O. Box 322, Waupaca, WI 54981. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. (From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers.) Job Training and Placement Report does not necessarily endorse any products or services mentioned.

To get a job, a growing number of employers say that applicants need to

develop their soft skills. The fol-lowing are the soft skills that employers value most:

v Communication – This refers to the ability to speak and answer questions clearly and directly. Experts say it’s some-thing employers start paying attention to from day one. How the applicant presents him or her-self tells employers how the indi-vidual will represent the company if hired.

v Teamwork – There is a rea-son why applicants will find this

word in nearly every job descrip-tion today. Bosses want to hire people who can work well with others. If job experience is lack-ing, experts recommend perform-ing volunteer work, and then highlighting that team experience on a résumé and in the interview.

v Adaptability – This refers to being flexible and having a good attitude. Unexpected change is a fact of life in today’s job market and bosses prefer hiring people who show they can change and keep up, without complaining about it.

v Good judgment – A recent survey found that good judgment is among the “must have” skills

that 98% of employers look for in new hires. That’s why experts say it’s important for applicants to think about what they choose to post, or NOT post, on web-sites like Facebook and Twitter. Drunken party pictures or per-sonal attacks are signs that the job seeker probably doesn’t use good judgment.

v Being pleasant – Surprised? Research shows that one of the top “pet peeves” workers have today is working with someone who’s rude, or complains.

Source: John Tesh: Intelligence for Your Life (www.tesh.com).

Do Your Job Seekers have Soft Skills?

Quick Ideas

What’s New in AT?What is it? DynaVox Vmax+What does it do? The

DynaVox+ is a direct selection or scanning communicator designed for individuals with speech, lan-guage, and learning disabilities.

How does it work? This speech-generating device can be used for day-to-day communica-tion and real-time communica-tion in person, via text message, email or phone. The device also supports language and literacy development.

Who makes it? DynaVox Mayer-Johnson, Pittsburgh, PA (866) 396-2869, www.dynavox tech.com.

Cost: Not available.

What is it? Incipio FIXIE Universal Tablet Stand

What does it do? This is a tab-let computer stand for individuals with fine motor, neurological, severe physical disabilities, spinal cord injury or arthritis.

How does it work? The unit

fits most tablet computers and is composed of two parts, one of which holds the tablet, while the other supports the unit.

Who makes it? Incipio, Irvine, CA (800) 733-0088.

Cost: $39.99.

Source: ABLEDATA (www.abledata.com), which adds more than 1,000 assistive technology products to its database each year. ABLEDATA records are provided for informational purposes only. Products contained in ABLEDATA have not been examined, reviewed or tested.

Assisstive Technology

8 JTPR Visit JTPR’s website at www.impact-publications.com September 2013

APSE Names National Award Winners

In the News

APSE recognized a number of outstanding individuals and organizations at its

24th-annual conference, held June 25-27 in Indianapolis, IN. They include the following:

v Sue Killam, LA received the Professional Award. This award recognizes an individual for outstanding best practice and professional achievement as a job coach, job developer,

employment specialist, agency director or agency personnel.

v Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Project SEARCH, received the Best Practice Award. This award recognizes an orga-nization for outstanding accomplishment in pro-moting integrated employ-ment through innovation, imagination and exem-plary performance.

v A number of Employer Awards were presented to

public and private sector employers for outstanding achievements in enhancing employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. They are as follows: Small (29 or less employees), Indiana University Motor Pool, IN ; Medium (29 to 249 employees), TIAA-CREF, NC ; and Large (249 employees or more), Strack & Van Til, IN.

v Juli Paini, IN, received the Personal Achievement Award, which recognizes an individual for outstanding achievement in employment, including self-employment.

v Steve Savage of IN was the first recipient of the Dave Hammis Award, which recog-nizes individuals who demonstrate innovation in the area of technol-ogy, customized strategies, and/or self-employment for individuals with significant disabilities.

“Steve has worked to develop customized employment and focused all his energy on individu-als that others suggest are ‘too disabled’ to work,” said Susan Rinne CEO of LIFEDesigns who, along with colleague Patrick Sandy, penned the nomination. “Many people have changed their vision and expectations, as a result of Steve’s consultation, advice, and support.”

Other award winners are listed on the APSE website, www.apse.org.

Steve Savage was the first recipient of the Dave Hammis Award, designed to recognize

innovation in the field. Dave passed away in 2012.

see if they would be a good match. The individual can also use this time to practice work-place skills that will make them a stronger job candidate.

v Learn about an employer’s val-ues. The employer’s commitment to

inclusion was evident in their hiring of Miranda. The employer was bet-ter prepared to develop natural sup-ports because of their experience with children with disabilities. This was also an opportunity for Miranda to model successful employment for

the parents of young children with disabilities.

Reprinted with permission from the Institute for Community Inclusion, University of Massachusetts Boston (http://community inclusion.org). For more information, contact: Jill Germain-Eastman: jill.eastman@umb.edu.

Miranda... cont’d from Page 6