Building Capacity: Support System for the Disability Program Navigators

Michael Morris, Director, Washington, D.C. Office202-521-2930 mmorris@ncbdc.org

Law, Health Policy and Disability CenterUniversity of Iowa College of Law

Technical Assistance and Support Program

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA)has contracted with the Law, Health Policy andDisability Center (LHPDC) at the University of IowaCollege of Law to provide:

information, training,

evaluation, andtechnical assistance

to the Disability Program Navigator Initiative and theWork Incentive Grant Projects.

LHPDC

LHPDC was established in 1993 andhas focused on research and trainingactivities to advance the social and

economic independence of persons withdisabilities.

LHPDC

The LHPDC has 20 staff with expertisein multiple disciplines including law,

education, public policy, rehabilitationcounseling, economics, social work,psychology, occupational health and

computer science.

LHPDC

During the past six years, the LHPDChas been awarded grants and contracts

with the U.S. Departments of Labor,Health and Human Services, Education,and the Social Security Administration.

Law, Health Policy & Disability Center

TRAINING INFORMATION EXCHANGE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Audio ConferenceSeries

WorkingGroups

National TrainingConferences

Website InformationClearinghouse

Links and Resources

Resources ofThe Week

Process Evaluation

SiteVisits

ConsultantPool

LHPDC Technical Assistance

Audio Conference Series Sponsored by SSA and DOL, in cooperation with the

LHPDC. The series shares best practice strategies, research

findings, and policy developments and analysis from leading experts.

The ten month calendar of events, which began in February, covers a range of employment policy and practice challenges that impact Americans with disabilities nationwide.

The series is open to all grantees. Closed captioning is available. To view a conference brochure and to access the registration form, go to:

http://disability.law.uiowa.edu/lhpdc/events/2003_dpn/index.html

Audio Conference SeriesUpcoming schedule: July 15 (3:00 PM EDT): Streetwise Employment Tools that

Work August 19 (3:00 PM EDT): Self-Employment and

Customized Employment Strategies September 23 (3:00 PM EDT): Employer Relationships October 21 (3:00 PM EDT): Asset Development and Tax

Policy November 18 (3:00 PM EDT): Systems Coordination—The

Navigator Experiences: Challenges and Opportunities All audio conferences are audio taped and presentation

and supporting materials are posted to the LHPDC website at:http://disability.law.uiowa.edu/lhpdc/events/2003_dpn/

index.html

Working Groups Open to DPN and WIG grantees. Meet both monthly via scheduled conference calls and also

make use of the Discussion Board via the grantee section of the One-Stop Toolkit website to keep the dialogue fluid.

Conference calls are limited to up to 30 participants and grantees will need to sign up in advance to participate.

The purpose of these working groups is to begin sharing information among projects on topics of interest, including creative problem solving.

In June, completed two working group on Partnership Relationship Building within One-Stops and Relationship Building with Employers. (Summaries and supporting materials are posted to the Toolkit Discussion Board and Library.)

Two new working groups will begin in September, and grantees will choose the topics for discussion.

One-Stop Toolkit Resources of the Week The One-Stop Toolkit Resources of the Week is a

weekly listserv of the LHPDC. The resources include websites and publications,

as well as other information and tools. To view an indexed list of the resources of the

week by subject matter, visit the LHPDC website at http://disability.law.uiowa.edu/lhpdc/resources/wig/default.asp It currently includes 20 categories, covering over300 annotated references. Each category opens toa new window with each Resource of the Weekwhich covered material in that area.

LHPDChttp://disability.law.uiowa.edu/

http://disability.law.uiowa.edu/lhpdc/projects/doltech.html

One-Stop Toolkithttp://www.onestoptoolkit.org

Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned

Training and Education

Marketing and Outreach

Innovative Program Designs

Interagency Coordination

Outcomes

Creation of Local Working Groups to improve services and supports.

Increase of traffic flow of customers with disabilities within One-Stops.

Improved service coordination. Active involvement in evaluation of

One-Stop access and customer satisfaction resulting in policy and procedural changes.

Outcomes

Established permanent links with the Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach program and Vocational Rehabilitation.

Increased employer involvement. Modified core training for all frontline

One-Stop staff to include disability awareness.

Challenges Bringing together different philosophies and

organizational beliefs. Establishing and sustaining effective

collaborators. Blending financial support to customize

solutions. Ending disincentives implicit in current

performance standards. Establishing and maintaining employer

interest and investment.

Creating A Seamless System:

From a Customer’s Perspective

Creating a Seamless System

The list that follows could be used to discusswith staff and the Local Workforce InvestmentBoard whether the current services andapproach at the One-Stop are customerresponsive. What would need to change for

improvements to be made in evaluating recommendations a---z?

How can these changes be made and supported by the Board and staff?

Creating a Seamless System

a. physically and programmatically accessible;b. reasonable accommodations available and

effective; c. knowledgeable staff – aware of resources

available across systems;d. staff looks like me - diverse backgrounds;e. potential partners are co-located;f. flexible approach to meeting needs;g. comprehensive options;

Creating a Seamless System

h. no wrong door;i. holistic;j. no gaps in support;k. timely service and supports;l. multiple partners have worked out

relationships to support individual needs and they are easy to access;

m. spirit/attitude of can do;

Creating a Seamless System

n. strong employer relationships that link to jobs;

o. strong effective partnerships at the top and local level;

p. team approach to problem solving;q. don’t have to continue to provide same

information to different staff – information shared across systems;

r. fill out forms once’s. systems willing to take risks;t. customers with disabilities feel welcomed;

Creating a Seamless System

u. coordinated job search across agencies;v. customer treated with respect – opinions and

preference are listened to;w. soft skill and job-related skill training available;x. respond to off-the-job needs (transportation,

child care, housing);y. don’t have to fight for assistance or guess at

what options are available; andz. alternative ways offered to process

information, gain assistance, skill, and preferred outcomes – individualized plan developed.