Course List:

• Benefits Planning for Rehabilitation Professionals Working With Social Security Beneficiaries
• Customized Employment for Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime: Creating Careers in a No-Jobs Labor Market
• Disability Awareness: Train the Trainer
• Grassroots Advocacy Training Conference
• Practical Approaches to Assistive Technology Enhancing Productivity and Access to Work for People with Severe Disabilities
• Recruitment and Retention Strategies: To Increase Referrals and Retention for AbilityOne Jobs

Benefits Planning for Rehabilitation Professionals Working With Social Security Beneficiaries

Learning Objectives

• State the Social Security work incentives
• Learn how Social Security provisions and structures fit into the larger world affecting people with disabilities who work
• Develop effective strategies for working with Social Security offices and new employment support structures under the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act
• Learn how to stay up-to-date with new policies and initiatives
• Learn how to use WorkWORLD software to determine whether the Ticket to Work Program, AbilityOne employment, or other work is appropriate for a particular situation
• Gather sufficient information about consumers’ current benefits to ensure that people receive accurate and individualized information
• Generate plans that take into account the effects of employment and work incentives on consumers’ benefits and net income

Purpose:

Many AbilityOne employees receive disability benefits from Social Security and health care coverage from Medicare and Medicaid. The complexities and everchanging rules that govern these programs can be daunting, even for staff members who try their best to keep up with disability and benefits policy. Clients with disabilities often fear going to work because of uncertainty surrounding the effect of work on their disability benefits. Through scenarios and group work, the first day-and-a-half of this course will help demystify the work incentives and other employment supports available to Social Security beneficiaries.

The second half of the course is designed to help participants apply key concepts and issues to reallife situations. Participants gain hands-on experience with WorkWORLD, a free program developed by the Employment Support Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University. The software models possible scenarios in order to help individuals refine plans, avoid risky situations, reduce fears of gainful activity, and evaluate options. The goal of this course is for the participant to become more knowledgeable about Social Security and other programs and policies, and to understand how WorkWORLD helps people with disabilities achieve their best employment potential.

Audience:

This course is designed for NPA team members (and their managers) who work directly with people with disabilities in a variety of work and pre-work settings, including intake processes, job coaching and rehabilitation counseling. Others who work with clients in determining appropriate work levels and staff responsible for ensuring NPAs meet their goals as Employment Networks under the Ticket to Work Program should also attend.

Format:

This is a 2.5-day seminar presented in a classroom format with individual case examples, hands-on experience with WorkWORLD decision support software, and the opportunity for individual questions, comments and interaction.

Ken McGill, formerly the Associate Commissioner for Employment Support Programs at the Social Security Administration, is an independent consultant specializing in disability programs.

Mark Hill co-founded the Employment Support Institute (ESI) at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business for the mission of developing innovative business technologies to help people with disabilities manage their benefits wisely and achieve employment success.

Jim Troxell is ESI’s Network Developer and Coordinator. He communicates with WorkWORLD users and state partners to encourage the development of a national network of decision support technology users.

Customized Employment for Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime:
Creating Careers in a No-Jobs Labor Market

Learning Objectives:

• Understand Customized Employment as a legitimate vocational option
• Learn a variety of collaborative funding and resource opportunities available to NPAs and consumers
• Learn the advantages that self employment has over wage employment in the personal acquisition of wealth and equity
• Explore the role of community rehabilitation and NISH in expanding the use of customized employment strategies in both urban and rural settings

Purpose:

Customized employment builds on the energy created by supported employment, taking it to another level by refining the job development process, including self-employment as a legitimate career option, and by utilizing such augmentations as Resource Ownership and Social Security Work Incentives. This course will be of particular interest to participants who seek to assist people with disabilities in moving beyond traditional community employment, who are starting their own businesses, and who also hope to increase customer service using these fundable service practices in their NPAs.

Audience:

This course serves the needs of NPA executives and staff members who are interested in finding out about innovative employment models for people with disabilities.

Format:

This two-day interactive course, taught in a classroom format, highlights individual successes through personal accounts and videos, group activities, and the opportunity for individual questions, comments, and interactions.

Instructors:

Cary Griffin is Senior Partner at Griffin-Hammis Associates, a full-service consultancy specializing in building communities of economic cooperation, creating high-performance organizations, and focusing on disability and employment.

David Hammis is Senior Partner at Griffin-Hammis Associates and has worked in supported and selfemployment since 1988. He is personally responsible for the implementation of thousands of Plans for Achieving Self Support (PASS) leading to employment, self-employment, and enhanced personal resources for people with disabilities.

Click here for Distance Education Opportunities in Partnership with VCU.

Disability Awareness: Train the Trainer

Learning Objectives:

• Create an understanding of what disability awareness means
• Develop an understanding of how to establish a disability awareness-training program
• Develop and practice training that can be used easily
• Acquire training techniques and training skills
• Recognize and implement People First language
• Utilize the “Ten Commandments” when communicating with people with disabilities
• Identify specific application of course material for organizational marketing and/or community awareness

Purpose:

The focus of this course is to provide an understanding of disability in the workplace and to sensitize individuals who have little or no experience working with people with disabilities. Some of the common misconceptions about people with disabilities will be explored. Further, participants will gain insights into what to expect from people with disabilities who may be co-workers or subordinates in the workplace. This introductory workshop provides for exploration of the participants’ views on disabilities. In addition, the course provides the foundation for establishing a Disability Awareness Training Program within an organization. The course also presents ways in which organizations can use disability awareness materials as part of their marketing efforts.

Audience:

Trainers, training managers, human resources personnel, front-line managers and other staff responsible for training others on issues pertaining to disability awareness are encouraged to attend this course.

Format:

The two-day course relies on lecture, activities, open discussion, videos and role plays to illustrate the principles of disability awareness.

Instructors:

Betty Clark of the NISH South Regional Office developed this training and serves as the instructor for this course. Clark’s success bringing Disability Awareness training to NPAs, Federal agencies and other members of the JWOD family rests on her broad knowledge of the issues and concerns facing individuals with disabilities and their employers.

Grassroots Advocacy Training Conference

Purpose:

The Grassroots Advocacy Training Conference brings together teams from NPAs to learn about the policy issues affecting them. The conference focuses on systems change advocacy with an emphasis on educating policy makers on important programs such as the AbilityOne (Formerly Javits-Wagner-O’Day) Program, which benefit individuals with the most severe disabilities.

This event is by invitation-only and is extended to the CEO/Executive Directors of the NPA and up to three team members, which must include one AbilityOne contract employee. In return, the NPA promises to:

• Establish a grassroots advocacy team
• Attend the grassroots advocacy training
• Attend the legislative sessions prepared to learn and discuss the issues facing the AbilityOne Program
community
• Visit at least three Members of Congress from the organization’s home state to educate them about the AbilityOne Program and the NPA’s activities
• Conduct an educational tour for one Senator (or a staffer) and one Representative (or a staffer) at their AbilityOne contract sites within the next 12 months
• Actively work in concert with NISH staff to recruit Members of Congress as AbilityOne Congressional Champions within one year of attending

The conference includes sessions for the first-time attendee, the AbilityOne contract employee, and even the most seasoned veterans of the grassroots initiative. Grassroots will once again conclude with a Congressional Reception held on Capitol Hill.

The NPAs invited are selected based on the following criteria:

• AbilityOne Champion status of their Congressional Members (Senate and House of Representatives)
• The committees on which their Congressional Members serve
• Their willingness to complete all the requirements listed above
• Their understanding that they are representing the NPA community (not just their individual NPAs)
• Their willingness to visit not only their Federal representatives, but also as many of their state representatives as possible

Practical Approaches to Assistive Technology
Enhancing Productivity and Access to Work for People with Severe Disabilities

Learning Objectives:

• Create better, more productive jobs accessible to people with severe disabilities
• Understand how to apply objective techniques to evaluate individual capabilities
• Develop practical approaches to devise performance enhancing interventions
  • Decrease cognitive loads
  • Decrease physical loads
  • Create aids to help people with their dexterity
  • Create an ergonomic workplace for improved comfort and productivity
  • Manage work to decrease stress and improve output
  • Integrate prompting into the workplace to keep people engaged in their work
• Structure the workplace for improved universal acces
• Assess the cost effectiveness of proposed solutions

Purpose:

This course will focus on practical techniques to understand how to analyze tasks and individual capabilities and how those tasks and capabilities relate. Using an understanding of the relationship of individuals to their work, participants will learn simple techniques to extend capabilities, simplify jobs, and make tasks easier. Participants will improve their abilities to create a more productive, rewarding, and accessible workplace for workers with the most severe disabilities.

Audience:

This course is valuable for people managing, coaching, supervising, hiring, and accommodating people with severe disabilities in the workplace. It may also be valuable for people with maintenance responsibility who create solutions to improve the work life of people with disabilities. The course will contain a lot of hands-on examples, guided problem-solving, and fun exercises. The focus will be on understanding what is possible and learning how to creatively solve problems and develop solutions, rather than provide a list of specific interventions. This training will apply to both service and products providers.

Format:

This course will be a mixture of short lectures, detailed examples and group problem solving exercises.

Instructors:

Recruitment and Retention Strategies: To Increase Referrals and Retention for AbilityOne Jobs

Learning Objectives:

• Explore the facets of employee recruitment and retention for both AbilityOne employees as well as NPA staff
• Learn new marketing and outreach strategies that speak directly to the needs of key stakeholders in recruitment
• Develop strategies to target key stakeholders and market job availability
• Learn about methods to increase networking and partnerships with referral sources
• Learn how to create advisory committees to attract job seekers and retain employees
• Explore incentive programs that increase referrals by current employees
• Learn about creative programs through which employee retention can be increased
• Share and learn about best practices and successful strategies used by other NPAs

Purpose:

The purpose of this course is to provide a selection of proven techniques and tools to increase both referrals and retention on AbilityOne jobs. NPA staff will learn how understand the needs of the various potential referral sources and to target and implement marketing, outreach and partnership strategies that provide the greatest return for their outreach investment. NPA staff will also learn how to understand what employees need in order to be satisfied with their jobs and to create a job environment that cultivates higher levels of employee satisfaction. The course will cover programs and employee incentives that can be established to increase retention rates and reduce turnover.

Audience:

This course is ideal for NPA management and staff who are interested in learning about best practices in the areas of recruitment and retention for AbilityOne employees as well as NPA staff.

Format:

This two-day interactive workshop includes classroom instruction, team activities, brainstorming sessions, open discussion, and question-and-answer sessions.

Instructors:

Peter Brinckerhoff is an experienced NISH Trainer and a leading Consultant heading Corporate Alternatives, Inc. Brinckerhoff specializes in work with nonprofits and is the author of 10 books for nonprofit managers, including Mission-Based Marketing.

Therese Stein from the NISH Workforce Development Department co-instructs this workshop. Stein has been with NISH for over 10 years, providing training and instruction on a variety of topics and overseeing the management of several programs that provide workplace enrichment for the AbilityOne workforce and the NPA staff that support them.