· web viewupdate the word “waiver” hard to explain ... to get them connected to the local...

Employment Forum: Break Out Sessions

System Improvements: Barriers

School districts – barrier for families to sign up for several systems. Teachers don’t have time Our state is almost all Medicaid funds; how to we stay more innovative and not rely on Federal

dollars only Families need to know as much as the people working in the systems. Contact one person or agency

and not have to call several entities. A Systems Navigator OSPI/DDA/County -how can they work better together with their messages and services Each System (DDA, DVR, School Systems) doesn’t understand each other’s system. Systems don’t

talk to each other frequently. Central office and MOU’s have implications on services. Information is not getting out

Case mgt. has high turn-over- too busy, workload is overwhelming, Case mgrs. don’t seem to know how to answer things IEP, acuities assigned etc., need more training or ability to be a resource

Blending funding sources better: How do we blend transition/adult dollars with a more transparent process

Benefits planning and how scarce the training is available. Minimum wage going up makes it harder to understand. Resources: Able Account, Endowment Funds

RHC’s need to be looked at for budgets and case mgt. services. Disparity between funding for Employment versus CI services Access to the waiver at 19 versus 21 for DDA services; only short-term funding through WIOAA but

not being discussed through all counties (I.e King County). Smaller counties can always pay for transition models because of limited millage dollars Provider speaking: We get asked why do people don’t have more hours? The system depends on

high and low-end users, but we don’t have the resources available to provide the supports. Community Protection/Level 5 - Get rid of “line of site” less of 1% of what we do and move to

education of business and co-workers We invest thousands of dollars in WELN, Highline for vocational staff but not the same for

residential staff Agencies always asked to get more hours. Best case scenario for an agency if you exceed 26 hours

for an individual the rate you are paid is significantly lower than if someone works 25 hours. Higher equity and serving folks from RHC’s makes it more difficult for lowering fading/job coaching hours

A better system for linguistic background for families with cultural differences Holding school districts accountable to transition programs or how to start a program Transportation barriers for evening meetings for families Limited resources for JD services for Community Protection -Job Placement services limited within

our county for providers Community Protection providers require more time for placement with employers and vendors not

getting paid for the extra time and support Ongoing access to information with systems changes and available to providers and families (MOU’s

are coming but information at DDA is silo’ d) System improvement for the hand off between employment and Community protection; impacts

vendors ability to be successful Some clients who work or want 40hrs. and will lose Job Coach benefits and have done benefits

analysis and don’t qualify for IRWE’s


DDA system is very complicated to explain to families (constant change, policies/services etc.). Families don’t understand even the programs they are: Have one person to explain all services with the same messages from DDA/DVR/school system

Simplify our language re: services between agencies too cumbersome (Simple language). Don’t fall into acronyms. DDA language IFS waivers (What does IFS stand for)

Case managers need to be well diversified in their knowledge of resources and services and advice families when not using services they qualify for

Update the word “waiver” hard to explain many people don’t understand what it means. Agencies spend a lot of time explaining the meaning: waiver= services

Lack of understanding of the role counties play with HS transition programs and students. County puts in money until graduation and better partnership with DDA. Created HS Transition teams (Thurston/Mason)

System Improvements: Strategies

A reduced system for signing up for services for families of students (Federal/State/County). Community Education and Information Coordinator at every school (IEP and 504 meetings) Start with system services before Transition Services before age 16 CI training through WISE- Josie introduced team building and education for our teams that was very

impactful Pierce County working on Residential/Employment cohort services King County/DVR – DVR is showing up at King County meetings and are committed partners. Rob

Hines is listening to us and seeing OSPI sometimes to meetings where they were not involved Look at Medicaid and Value Based Payment and partner with CMS DDA will roll out training with the MOU and try to do collaboration at the local level with providers Better coordination for Community Protection between providers with two different systems If Community Inclusion client is going to take longer go to DDA for long-term funding, then back to

DVR More collaboration with Community protection providers and residential for streamlined services DDA eligible and/or not DVR eligible and vice versus: Is there a universal process between the two

systems to apply to fill the gap. Advice families to work with their schools. School distr. has to be flexible to customize their IEP if employment is the focus

Home and Communities Services waiver – 1115 Demonstration waiver. It will be reviewed in a year on the state level. Susy from King will share contacts statewide (Aging Agency)

WA Connection is a great tool works for individuals and families CP case managers and ACHS will have tools to enhance partnerships DVR and DDA liaison outreach to all the school systems; who understands the educational lens Opportunities joint strategies on employment providers and case mgt.; build better understanding

and relationships (DVR/County relationships, Community Protection) Cathy Murahashi paper-Medicaid threshold (task force needed) Minimum wage keeps increasing

will keep hours down for individuals Interagency council developed at Kittitas County. Packet is shared for families by age criteria and

focus areas with permission release document. I.e. Community organizer/navigator


Community Guides for transition students; a peer or parent to update with families or System navigator

DDA website: Informing families is informational and good tools When a person is eligible for services provide webinars or community event to get updates on DD

Services, and provide incentives (Stipend or incentive) Staff from DDA willing to do group training for families/agencies Jamie Bond – Medicaid personal

care and Ann -IFS training Parent nights – provide ppts/handouts electronically or mailed and encourage marketing to other

families More connection with partners DDA/DVR/Educators/Employment providers/Residential Local Level- Promote Community Development Adv. Committee or “Listening Night” to identify

what’s working and what the county needs to focus on. Put advisory boards to work! County Health Depts. are tasked with Community wide assessments (CHIP); underutilized service

and they have a focus on young adults. They have resources at time that can be utilized

Technical Assistance and Training

Challenges:

Spreading the benefit and knowledge TA and Training…continued practice of what was learned in communities and within organizations.

Two-day training can be difficult finding coverage for job coaching. Requesting TA (particularly ITA) –may take too long to get. Especially related to services to focus

on individual Travel to training for more isolated areas There are a lot of trainings in November. Three holidays In November. Presents a real challenge Wording on ITA form, i.e. behavioral challenges and trying to getting the appropriate wording to

get approval. Agency having a training structure and process for staff on boarding Skill sets are complex. Entities need internal capacity to train staff in specific skills at least to

some level. Training is mostly focused on basics. Need good mix of topics for advanced trainings. Communication devices and assistive technology. We need to know how to help people

communicate with our customers. Delivering training on cultural competency with a focus on diversity and people with disabilities.

Hard to measure the impact. Lack of funding to allow for in depth comprehensive follow up. Lack of measurement of impact of effectiveness of training. Turnover is challenging. Requires a lot more training for new staff. Training for managers and leaders is lacking. Inconsistency of training for county coordinators, Case managers. Assuring people see of the value of the training and getting to the table, including the value of

the training for families (ITA).


Breakdown in training consistency between employment and residential and schools: need to get the same training to all of them.

Community protection training is challenging to obtain. Difficult to measure employment agency training quality and involvement. Particularly when

agencies train internally. WA is advanced. Progressive high-end trainings are hard to obtain so we have to look to other

practitioners. CRMs and VRCs have gaps in training with lack of parallel to don’t parallel what Employment

Agencies receive. They aren’t at the same level of understanding. Service providers are overly dependent on external training and TA. They don’t develop their

own acumen. Smaller organizations don’t have enough people to get to the stage of being experts. Provider agencies might not know what is out there. Don’t necessarily stay informed. Cost vs. benefit of bringing in trainers for remote, small counties at the challenge of drawing

enough participants. Need to build this as a professional which training requirements and proficiencies Services available under ITA, examples of cases. Costs (even small fees) could be prohibitive for a smaller provider. Trying to bring fresh perspective to experienced providers is challenging. Getting commitment and engagement from provider agencies to participate in specialty training

opportunities when they have specifically requested it. Ever expanding skillset. Topics needed but not readily available: conflict resolution; group

facilitation; breakthrough thinking and innovation generation; natural supports—entry level jobs, and unskilled coworkers for people of higher acuity particularly (and positions unstable).

Had issues with getting case managers to embrace ITA. DDA has very little training on ITA. Understanding what can be provided through ITA. Sometimes the request for ITA is for the wrong need. Some level of training to be provided to all parts of the system—counties and CRMs often have

zero direct service experience, so they understand employment. Keeping staff at an organization after a sizeable investment in training.

Strategies:

Provide more autonomy and flexibility for folks who may be moving beyond our organization. Base learning plus mentoring model. Goes beyond one person or one eight hour days. Quality assurance benchmark through mentoring to see if training takes effect. Implement model to request information about how the training is applied. Make room for a discussion to identify specific ITA request through a point of contact. Developing something locally as experts might be good. ITA and short time hour—created a training 4 time a year on requesting ITA. (maybe Have DDA

do as on demand) Revamping the request form. Get it simplified and consistent across all counties. Make it ta so it can be at the county level. Inventory for training needs locally annually


Providing training and technical assistance in schools early and having it match what the employment agencies are receiving.

List of trainers with expertise in different areas, target audience, etc. on the list could contain core training vs. more advanced trainings.

Someone to be held accountable to build the capacity. Service alternatives/wise list all in one place. Making time spent in training a billable event, as it is focused on a client. Need to build this as a professional which training requirements and proficiencies Investing in training models beyond just stand and delivery. i.e.: stand and deliver plus

mentoring and follow up or peer to peer mentoring. Internal training: developing a list of skills staff need to have to ensure they are competent—

shared with every agency. Approach training by more of a train the trainer model. Online training—webinar vs. ESD—create activity. Staff gather to watch webinar with pauses for interaction and feedback, and materials for actual

activities. Figure out ways where it isn’t just your own agency. Figure out ways to measure impact of training. Require practitioners to get CEUs. Develop trainings to address the ever-expanding skillset: conflict resolution; group facilitation;

breakthrough thinking and innovation generation; natural supports—entry level jobs, and unskilled coworkers for people of higher acuity particularly (and positions unstable); HR and business speak. Cohort for new employees.

Need to build this as a professional which training requirements and proficiencies. Develop comprehensive list and examples of ITA. Communication element: Holes in the ways in which ITA is communicated. Need to develop

outreach tools to describe what it is, how to access it. Make sure ITA works within parameters that are sustainable. Community of Practice to elevate local experts as available resources. When ITA is utilized offer up the expertise to other entities in the form of TA. Person planning training cohort—virtual training and support. Engaging employment agencies in utilizing a phone tree model of getting their competitors to

attend trainings. Buddies for training or renting experts—collaborative model between agencies and/or counties

to secure/fund training. Build promotional opportunities to offer training opportunities to people within local

communicates. Streamlining ITA processes. Make it consistent, train case managers, eliminate the back and

forth between systems partners, which delays service delivery. Create timelines for response. Training—quick tip sheets or resources for completing the request form for ITA. Streamlining on boarding processes. And determining the way. Stipends and scholarships for employment agency staff to attend trainings. Training should be provided to all parts of the system—counties and others often have zero

direct service experience


Field experts—creating experts within organizations by focusing on this for their development plan.

Customized jobs inside our organizations. For a season, reason or lifetime. Staff engagement—and utilizing skills and engagement. Person centered planning model for professional development—organizational development

and what are you doing to develop staff within that model. Manual about how to develop a job. Documenting history of DD services and employment from legends in the field. Training and TA is great: need to build in celebration. More focus on training and events and building a community for emerging leaders.

Storytelling-How to Get the Word Out

Challenges:

Consistent messages coming from all stakeholders-county, providers, schools, other community partners

not driving the message-responding to criticism-reactive Knowing who the message is to come from- audience changes Lack of self-advocate voices in the message Abandon the word “program” and “Client” as a term for job seekers Up the professionalism of marketing strategies- from social services to business resources Intention- why are we telling the success story? Failure as an opportunity to learn should be

included Keeping up with staff turnover and consistent messaging training Urban Legends- based in fear-stories of why employment will not work Acronym overload-overwhelming to folks ne to the work Technologies to tell stories- keeping up with trends and who has them Tailor the message to the audience- different messages Focus on who is telling the story- white women Not carving out jobs within our agencies Not normalizing the good, the bad, the ugly Connecting with home schoolers

Strategies:

Positive short stories for employers how we overcome the failures-what we learned from them Belief that all people can work-across marketing for all audiences Success stories show a range of jobs and diverse (level of acuity/races/ethnicities) job seekers Following other folks social media- reciprocity in fields Focus inside agencies to revisit and update success stories Survey employers- what do you know about SE


Public service announcement on supported employment- what is it? Training for businesses- how can you enhance your business by a diverse workforce- Kitsap

Economic Development Council event Professional Videographer- empower agencies to utilize the tech at their hands- families too to

create success stories Capture the employer’s willingness to hire folks with disabilities-employmer testimonials Visual examples Storytelling is changing- adapt to shorter attention spans Talking about employment at a younger age- birth to 5, introduce the idea, parental

expectations- plant the seed for 0-3- introduce employment potential DD Systems are deficiency based- leads to parental expectations- change social norms on

universal access Resource connections-where to find these stories Hire some diverse folks-Open Doors- to reach the families. Community Colleges as potential platform to pull folks into Understand cultural differences and messages- norms and values may be different Linguistic access- nonlinguistic communicators- accessible communication for folks Parents not having a single point of entry paperwork into the system-redundancies EF Forum-more strategic about who is not represented here- lived experience, more folks of

color, Social service population to use business jargon when speaking with businesses Different communities-local transition teams to focus on local challenges Include the parents and transition students- networking groups- no funded needed Bring stakeholders into alignment on the message- VR, DDA, governor’s office Education as a potential career field- recruiting people into the field Work Source-employer fair, spectrum of folks, promoting already existing affairs All teachers “planting the seed” of employment instead of overwhelming the families with 1

time messaging Education and visual examples for employers and people on the fringe of SE Hireability Spokane is working Start each sentence with, “We think we can do better if…” As advocates, instilling dreams in the kids- my goal is to see you better than me 1 pager stories on employment- utilized by agencies, school districts, Dialogue about responsibilities, independence and expectations from a young age Educating employers about carving positions- job analysis Transition programs could be better at communicating with families on work experiences their

kids participating in- more of a partnership- progress Expand exposure to students of jobs in work settings Parents are underutilized- strong resources- not an us vs them- ask their resources for potential

transition program site or jobs- leverage those for jobs Trust- building relationships with parents Transition (Rural) Roadshow- roving success stories Website-housing space for success stories- Sharing stories of success from the agencies doing well


Shifting attitudes- different is the new normal Large business initiatives- stoke a little competition Stories to focus on the employee story- disability, growing up, award for 1 person per year Update the logos, mission statements, websites- more modern and exciting- less words How to go viral- how do we create those stories and opportunities- humor, heartstrings,

shocking Having employer representation at the EF table Marketing materials accessible for non-readers, strategies on how to make the website user

friendly Organize the websites, testing in markets outside of the SE Language matters- biodiversity-neurodiversity-people first Legislature lobbying- families to share their stories, telling impactful and authentic stories-they

are not here to tell their stories because they are working Honest communication with families-not all success Focus groups to review marketing materials Partnering with parents of kids experiencing significant disabilities Having some stories in your back pocket and staff panels with people pectrum of disabilities Ya, but- “I hear you” and give example of relatable success story- ask questions on the “Ya, but” Promote a variety of success stories Hub for housing stories from all partners Maybe we are thinking too small-I support Employment for All logo- how to use this as a

platform for education Stories from different perspectives- employee talks about their fears and hesitation and then

shared the success- whole story Stories showing persistence-what is a success? looks different for each person Messaging to folks experiencing disabilities vs. focusing only parents Hiring branding companies- educate the field Recognizable campaign- repetition State wide jingle- supported employment earworm Film festivals-submit and make recommendations Local theaters to donate before the show time for ads-SE advertisements

Leadership Conversation

Challenges:

Ego and unwilling to work with people with disabilities Loosely coupled group of organizations vs. traditional hierarchical structures, how do you get on the

same page? People first, multiple chapters, etc.—County and State not being on the same page all of the time. Diversity of needs and resources across the state, potential loss of flexibility with Medicaid money Getting to the right people, especially in the school districts. VR – Schools Time to groom people to find their place in the field Finding time to do intentional development work with staff


Segregation of students limits leadership opportunities Room and space for innovation, whether it’s funding or time Long term how to look out 5, 10-year opportunities—How to plan for that People with disabilities have been taught to be job coaches? If we grow leadership…they leave, bringing in leadership is difficult due to housing, low pay Constantly feeling like you are starting over Lack of opportunity within small counties Large counties have trouble with retention of leaders as well VR wave of retirement coming in the next 5 years, risk of losing institutional knowledge Job coaches are paid low wages and not recognized as professionals, still growing a profession NY times—Employers are willing to do almost anything ‘except’ pay more to keep employees Lack of diversity at the leadership levels An under resourced system, if we aren’t careful we will be in a crisis Not enough collaboration across agencies Leadership making decisions without a good communication strategy Not enough opportunity for all staff to get training, same folks getting access vs. all Messages not always on point A lot of good people that don’t even know that this field exists Engaging in community boards is difficult due to when the meetings occur Our ‘whiteness’ and gender dominance by women We are a bit ‘ableist’—how much of your leadership incorporates the people you serve The way that we define leadership and the expectations we put on it makes opportunities

inaccessible for many people Schools don’t see parents as leaders

Strategies:

Provide parent education so that students don’t lose opportunities Start empowering a leadership role in everyone, recognize even the small leadership actions Encourage the student to start their own IEP Practice as a leader by getting back into the field and get reconnected It’s important to ask people what they think in your organization—give people a chance to think Make it okay to make ‘small mistakes’ Be open to ideas that you’ve heard before; the circumstances may lend themselves for it to work

this time around Know your goal as a leader: Power and control or progress? How do you define positive outcome? Maintain curiosity and be open to change Foster a Leadership Culture—this is a job that requires lifelong learning Formal mentoring training Being a mentor and reaching out more Get to know people and gather information before we act Ensure that there are opportunities for people with disabilities Help people understand all of the ways that they can lead and engage and influence systems-

broaden the interpretation of what leadership means Start with the value base for everybody


Don’t assume that legislators have all of the information that they need, consistent education is needed

Come up with creative win win solutions and leaders from all areas can work together to advocate together

Getting engaged on community boards as leaders and speak about the needs People in leadership positions need to tend to the balance of services so that we don’t have any

piece fall into crisis Be the model for diversity Clark County is going to be doing one pagers on people’s stories No special ed students, integrate Publicize, publicize and publicize Get HS students excited about working and JD Utilize existing training in each area Culture shift to earlier age Look at the history in our field and go to the next level of services—change the narrative from ‘the

feel good’ to the ‘profession’ of the services providedo Certifying the staff, utilizing training and set the expectation for the professiono Leaders need to step up and make this happen—everyone will be trained and certified is our

goalo Millennials want upper mobility, and increase of pay with a clear career patho Need to define the commensurate wage for the profession

For businesses, we need to make the ROI clear Talk the business talk Encourage certifications in other areas like project management, HR Look at the education world as examples of competencies and pay People leave work because they don’t feel appreciated—5 languages of appreciation in the

workplace—people feel rewarded in different ways It’s my job as a leader to work myself out of a job—develop people who are coming up to take over

your job Provider qualifications have been modified for competencies Base our decisions in reality and still seek the brass ring Mentoring after training is SO important! Provider association is critical for mentorship and organizational development, look at expanding

the ‘club’ Make a cool club that includes everyone Contract with SE vendor in San Juan to work with middle school/HS program “all” students, called

‘Dream Builders’ Need to tackle use of social media and multiple spokes people with disabilities in your local area.

Have their stories recorded and shared, make it inspirational and get young people motivated Research tells us that stand-alone training results in less than 15% success, need experiential

training and mentoring Message employment as part of a ‘meaningful life’. What do you really want? A life


Enhance the retention of the program manager level by giving them some training—staff development, communication styles, inclusion, etc., thereby elevating the professionalism of our work

Leadership Clark County sponsorship for some of the agencies Professional development for our program managers to increase retention

o How to reach your career goalso Promote what you value and develop your career

Leadership group running in Region 3 of DDA for case managers, supervisors, etc. on how to do peer leadership and how to cultivate leadership

o Creating a peer support network DDA leadership academy about ‘true leadership’—how to influence and bring people together The structure of our profession is a need for the majority of the people are needed at the grass roots

level and we need to develop people to lead and embrace their growth within the field Educate people on building a career in the field, the path may not be within one organization, yet

the field needs continually growing people and evolving positions Slow the rate of exit of the job coaches or at least good communications with stakeholders/funding

entities when staff are leaving “Turn it over” rather than turnover Stories of those that have moved up/off the ranks of employment—banker, lawyer, etc. What can we do to increase leadership opportunities for self-advocates?

o Board, staff, mentorso Build out coalitions for legislative advocacy

Agencies have some parent advocates engaged to support the evolution of services—partner with parents

Guided leadership can have structure and a curriculum More opportunities for time like this event—develop relationships Increase those with the lived experience in these meetings Slow down a bit so that more people can be included in leadership events A broad range of people involved so that there is input from multiple layers Focusing local on leadership training and advocacy, the Arc model for young families Continuing to educate yourself as a leader- the self-advocate is the best advocate Declare your intention to develop leadership and that you value it Leaders help people navigate through their careers and their lives Identify people’s strengths and help them find their strengths and feed them Strength finder is a great tool Clark county has a hiring methodology based on strengths—Ask Mary Strehlow Arc of King County board has a young professional board to bring in new people to the table Use the word ‘we’ vs. ‘I’ Present ideas as you ‘could’ vs. you ‘should’ to impact the power base Pre -Employment Transition Services 9-11th grade student leadership grant—student led IEP’s DD Board in Clark County has work sessions throughout the year to increase their learning

Transition Break Out


Strategic Conversation #1: Teachers already have so much on their plate, so if they are going to commit to employment,

they need more specific information and direction. How do we increase the employment conversation for all students, for all classrooms? Who trains the people in the ESDs? There appears to be a gap in the types of supports that teachers get from their leaders in the school systems. The lack of funding and opportunities don’t allow teachers to be at our table often.

The counselors are reaching out to share/start employment information/conversations earlier on.

Transition job goals are challenging to align with what is available at the schools and what isn’t available in the community. Transitional IEPs need to align with the resources that are in their communities.

Universal design can flip the script from accommodations to the environment being more inclusive.

The expectation should be to become independent, not just be safe. Starting earlier to help people understand what the future will look like, what resources are not

going to be there, and preparing for that early on. Whatcom county is using community guides to help people locate the resources they need, and

build them into DDA service plans. This is available if you have IFS, or a waiver. Community integration and peer mentoring services can also be offered to help students reach their goals or meet their needs. DDC is holding the training and orientation to help get community guides going across the state. They are trying to get to people in local communities to provide the services. IEPs can help potential community guides get hooked into the system- to offer more services. Whatcom is also doing DDA hosted fairs/resource nights for families who are interested in providing supports in the system (respite, community guides, etc.) to help get people organized. DDA could really help get the information out to Eastern WA.

CRMs could/should/want to be invited to IEPs if possible. It’s also hard for them to attend. DVR counselors and CRMs can really help with the conversation if they work together when the student is preparing to exit.

General information about services, the difference between services, etc. needs to be more consistently rolled out across the state.

Making sure that information is available when people are ready for it, and need it, seems to be key to making sure it is applied.

They have Special Education Boot Camp that is sponsored by Washington Education Association. It’s about five days long. This could be a venue to infuse transition information into the education system.

Front Door in Snohomish- DDA, DVR, Arc and others meet at the schools for parent night. Sumner has a transition coordinator position to help students from 6th grade through transition.

Helping those families understand how and why and what the system offers is key to getting them ready and hooked in before they exit.

Reevaluation by school psychs is key to helping students qualify for DDA. Looking at deficits vs strengths, looking at vocational vs academic skills is really important.

Oak Harbor team got a Center for Change grant that allowed them to pull their high school teachers together and reset how things worked: writing IEPs, put a teacher on special assignment to ensure the quality of the IEPs was there, etc. They also structured resource room


to create more employment focus and skill development. They also worked to get their students into the Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.

Career Connect WA is happening right now- it will go to the legislature this session- it’s an effort with DDA, DVR and OSPI to help make work based learning accessible to students with disabilities.

Lake Washington has lots of things happening for the students in their program. Their schedules are busy.

CTE and Pre-Ets cross over is happening- safety testing and features are a concern for some students with IDD. Some CTE efforts are building alternative types of positions for people.

Strategic Conversation #2: The moment of diagnosis kicks off a life focused on what isn’t working and what they can’t do.

Deficit based/medical model thinking needs to change. We are creating more barriers for people when we think this way.

South Kitsap Start Now program helps people understand the players, exposure to past grads, what success looks like. Birth to three “plan the seed” concept also helps parents envision what the future looks like.

Systemic discontinuity: on early end for kids moving from birth - three to school and also the other end when they leave the school system. This results in breakdowns at specific points. How can we create cohesive overlap?

PCP doesn’t transfer nicely/easily in adult services because the supports don’t continue in adulthood. How can we get the training to the right stakeholders and help people be a part of their planning process on an ongoing bases.

Families need to be the keepers of the information that’s been collected over the years. Lewis County is putting an employment portfolio together for each student. If students could leave with information about what they did in high school, their

accommodations, work experiences, etc., it would be helpful to getting people jobs. Also need to remember that the information is from a snap shot in time, and that it may change as the person grow.

Parents are learning that employment is possible and that they should expect it. Businesses are learning that they can make a difference.

DVR Extended Supports will be available for communities that don’t have formal School to Work program (for 48 months or up to age 25). How do we share those stories that are working- DVR and counties and DDA.

Speech and language therapists could be doing more evaluating and support than just giving someone a piece of technology. They need more assistance with learning how to use it and how it could be applied.

How do counties get information about the students who may qualify for services but are not in the system? Clark County has a 3-5 year old program to get to students earlier. If the county funds birth to three then you may be able to loop the ends of the system together. They also have a family transition training series that’s run for a long time.

Pierce County has a program to help families reapply for DDA application.


PTA is a great place to help early families connect to resources. Doing this with multiple districts can help curb resource issues and costs.

Jefferson County also funds birth to three and is part of the interagency coordinating council. They have a transition workshop series, they ask the school districts to reach out for them as well.

For pediatricians, what training is happening so they know what and how the system works. Children’s Village in Yakima has an amazing system and set up that could be examined for how

to wrap around families earlier. Island County is connected to a pediatricians office and also the Naval Base. They are trying to

fund a care coordination position to help with information and ed to early parents. Their transition council is responsible for disseminating the information to their local schools. Looping service families in (like the navy) to get them connected to the local efforts helps get the word out. Having DDA eligibility people at the events they hold seems help get people connected when they are ready. Zoe Foundation also helps send out information to families. Their commissioners in that county have connections/children/family members with disabilities.

Kitsap county parent coalition networks with local social service agencies. This often helps people get hooked into the DDA system. They have a community and networking group that includes military families, hospitals, etc.

Strategic Conversation #3: DDA and DVR MOU is helpful in understanding who is doing what. DVR Pre-ETs has streamlined recently. Pierce County Transition Breakfast meets at a restaurant once per month to talk about and

share resources. This is hosted by the county. Snohomish does this as well. Stevens County has a resources fair that is attended by students, not families. It’s called Pizza

and Peers, and students talk with other students about what they are doing after they exit, how things work, etc. People First chapter helps pull it off.

SAW has a training curriculum that hasn’t been run in a while. Clark County has a training program for families- it’s nine months long and cohort style. They’ve

also trained the educators on how to do PCPs so they can incorporate it into school planning. The last event for that series includes students that are exiting and the providers meeting.

Pierce County will be doing the application process for school to work earlier this year so that people are set up and ready to go in their last year.

DVR in Moses Lake had a challenge to do two transition work based learnings/counselor. The transition webinar series that was created at WISE a few years back, with rural

communities, was a way to share resources/tools/ideas/etc. Not all counties have a STW program, but all counties should have a formalized transition

program. What could we be doing as a baseline for the state? What could peer mentoring look like- how could we set it up so that students who have jobs are

mentoring each other. Video tools to share stories- how can we collect these and share them more widely? Alumni Day in Oak Harbor was a great way for students to hear from, and reconnect to grads so

they can see what happened to their classmates who left- connect and celebrate.


Transportation solutions have to be creative. San Juan has a Wash-DOT grant to help set up solutions in rural areas. In Stevens Ferry people reported that transportation was very important and worrisome, however once they got their job, it wasn’t as big of an issue. How do we build transportation infrastructure, with grant funding, that will sustain itself?

Arc in Grays Harbor provides info and ed at IEPs, with the intention of creating the relationship and having a connection to families. How counties connect with the families, family to family, especially with HIPPA, seems really important but difficult.

Benefits analysis is key to helping families plan for what they will do in the future. If the county can help or attend the IEP, along with helping establish the PCP, so that they get the information and start planning way ahead of time.

· web viewupdate the word “waiver” hard to explain ... to get them connected to the local...

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