Chapter 515 Annual Report On Integrated Employment For Individuals With Disabilities SFY 2007/08

Next Steps: Enhancing Collaboration and Increasing Integrated Employment Opportunities

VESID

State-level coordination is essential for assuring a statewide focus on improving the quality of employment services and increasing integrated employment outcomes. This approach has enhanced collaboration at the local and regional levels.

• Supported Employment Training Institute (SETI). VESID issued a request for proposals (RFP) in 2004 for the provision of a Statewide Supported Employment Training Needs Assessment.  The contract was awarded to the SUNY-Buffalo Research Foundation.  The results of this needs assessment were received in July 2006 and were utilized as the basis for a statewide SETI to provide the actual training to providers and VESID staff.  This is a five-year training initiative to provide instruction to community rehabilitation providers on a variety of supported employment related topics.  During the past year, SETI provided over 47 workshops to community rehabilitation providers.  Additionally, SETI will produce the course catalog and complete the development of the SETI website, which will be a knowledge resource for VR counselors, job developers and job coaches in community rehabilitation programs.
• Supported Employment Providers Guidelines.  VESID revised and re-issued these guidelines in May 2008 in anticipation of scheduled quality assurance and monitoring reviews to be conducted over the next year.
• Supported Employment Contract Redesign For FFY 2010.  In anticipation of new Supported Employment contracts beginning in FFY 2010, VESID is developing the new Supported Employment contracts that will include performance based funding strategies, updated standards for supported employment services and protocols to evaluate those standards.
• NYISER. State partners will continue updating NYISER protocols to more comprehensively capture information and reduce any unnecessary data reporting requirements from supported employment providers.  The focus is to strengthen the overall quality of data for fiscal accountability and program quality improvement.
• NYS Most Integrated Setting Coordinating Council (MISCC).  VESID has a strong interagency partnership presence in New York State and is an active participant in the NYS Most Integrated Setting Coordinating Council (MISCC) and is chairing the Employment Committee of that Council.  The MISCC Employment Committee, which included Chapter 515 State agencies that met along with OASAS, State DOL, State Workers Compensation, and several private vocational rehabilitation agencies, identified specific areas for interagency collaboration.  Through its leadership on the MISCC Employment Committee, VESID and the entire membership of the Employment Committee, which consists of representatives from consumer, advocacy and statewide organizations, community rehabilitation programs, independent living centers, public schools and colleges and State agencies, adopted the following vision statement in May 2008:

  All people can work.  New York State, in partnership with the whole community, will exercise leadership to advance prospects for employment and economic self-sufficiency of all individuals with disabilities.  Resources will be directed or redirected to realize this vision of integrated competitive employment.  Individuals with disabilities will have the opportunity to contribute to and benefit from the economic vitality of the workforce.  Employers will view individuals with disabilities as valued employees in their recruitment and hiring efforts. 

• Unified Contract Services (UCS) Redesign.  VESID provides a wide array of vocational rehabilitation services through community rehabilitation programs. This initiative reviewed VESID’s vocational rehabilitation process and functions, made adjustments to meet emerging needs, responded to changes in the larger federally funded vocational rehabilitation services system, and reassessed the utilization of resources.  Purchased services under the new UCS contract include: services to assist with entry into the VESID program; assessment services; assistive technology/rehabilitation services; work readiness services; job placement services; driver rehabilitation services; and related adjunct services such as benefits counseling, non job-related coaching support, mobility training, and transportation.  The new contracts will be effective early 2009.
• 2008 Statewide Business and Industry Initiatives.  VESID developed a statewide tri-fold brochure to promote quality vocational rehabilitation and independent living services to all eligible persons as quickly as those services are required to enable individuals to work and live independent, self directed lives.  The tri-fold brochure highlighted data for return on investment and highlighted four success stories of consumers and their employment outcomes.  VESID also updated its marketing web page to employers to feature those qualified workers who were assisted in achieving their employment goals in a variety of occupations: Their stories demonstrate the real life successes behind the statistics in this report and the valuable contributions they make to the workforce.
• 2008 NDEAM (National Disability Employment Awareness Month).  NDEAM continues to be an annual statewide event.  The theme this year is “America's People…America's Talent…America's Strength”.  In collaboration with many of our partners, VESID will be holding multiple events statewide.  Some of these events will also include “Disability Mentoring Day” celebrations.  VESID collaborates with our partners statewide to recognize employers in the community.  Businesses and workers with disabilities are recognized at the local level and with State-level awards that are selected in conjunction with the Department of Labor, CBVH, the Commission on Quality Care and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities (CQCAPD), Department of Economic Development (DED) and Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DED)

CBVH

• Employment Focus. CBVH is continuing its emphasis on achieving quality employment outcomes, implementing recommendations from a CBVH management symposium which set the directions for the agency.  Counselor meetings reinforce CBVH’s employment priorities and allow counselors the opportunity to gain additional skills and knowledge, and to share successful strategies.  For each of the past two years, CBVH has increased its competitive employment outcomes.
• Contracting for Services. CBVH will be implementing a new 5-year Comprehensive Services Contract, strengthening job-readiness (soft skill) and vocational skill training.  CBVH has established expectations that these services incorporate input from employers and opportunities for participants to interact with employers.  CBVH has also issued a Request for Qualifications to broaden the pool of providers willing to provide placement services to CBVH. 
• Self-Employment.  CBVH continues to support self-employment opportunities for consumers.  During the past few years, after implementing a revised Self-Employment policy, along with an emphasis on self-employment through staff training initiatives, CBVH continues to actively work with consumers who are interested in pursuing self-employment.  CBVH Home Office staff assists in the process by reviewing and providing comments and feedback on business plans.  In 2007, 17 individuals achieved self-employment.
  In New York City, CBVH continues to participate in the Abilities Fund grant program funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA).  The grant links State vocational rehabilitation programs with micro-enterprise organizations.  In New York City, the Abilities Fund Grantee - the Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) works with individual CBVH consumers to explore the feasibility of their business idea, if appropriate, develop a business proposal and if approved by CBVH, assist the individual in implementing the business plan. 
• Work Experiences for Youth.  CBVH recognizes that employment is a valuable teaching tool for the teenager and young adult, fostering responsibility and self-discipline, expanding social horizons and providing income.  Most youth work before they graduate from high school.  Therefore, CBVH has the expectation that all youth participate in some type of work experience during their teenage years.  During the summer, many teenage and young adult consumers are involved in work experiences.  Other youth participate in prevocational programs, where they explore career options and acquire work-related skills; or pre-college programs, where they work on self-advocacy skills, research techniques and study skills.  CBVH’s Children’s Program also prepares youth for employment, encouraging parents and schools to involve blind youth in chores at home and in volunteer activities.  Social skills and self-confidence are further developed through participation in summer camps (both mainstreamed opportunities and experiences developed for individuals with disabilities).  During the summer of 2007, 274 youths participated in summer employment and 308 youths participated in recreation programs.
• Business Enterprise Program (BEP). CBVH has established regional BEP training opportunities, which have increased the number of applicants to the program and CBVH’s ability to fill vacancies.  CBVH continues to expand BEP facilities to increase employment opportunities.  CBVH established a new facility in the Federal court house in Central Islip, and has reclaimed a former BEP facility at the Cohalan Court House.  BEP staffing was increased to allow CBVH to provide better managerial and job coaching support to facility managers.  CBVH is actively working with the New York State Lottery to identify managers having trouble running the lottery portion of their business so that they can receive assistance to restore that business opportunity.  The State Committee of Blind Vendors continues to work with CBVH to promote the employment of individuals with disabilities as employees in facilities run by legally blind managers.
• Supported Employment.  Under the current contract, a total of 41 providers have contracted to serve a total of 184 consumers, with a goal to place, train and stabilize 115 of those consumers.  CBVH has worked with VESID to utilize unused capacity at agencies with special expertise related to those CBVH consumers with disabilities in addition to blindness.  CBVH will be working with VESID in planning the redesign of the SE contracts to improve service delivery.
• Vision Institute.  With the Regional Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program in Region II, CBVH held its annual “Vision Institute” designed to enhance participants’ knowledge and skills related to working with people who are visually impaired.  Over 130 participants, including CBVH staff and staff from community rehabilitation programs who work with individuals who are blind, learned about: working with people with multiple disabilities; issues related to aging and employment; ethics and disclosure; call center employment; innovations in outreach; providing customer driven services; the Business Enterprise Program; and Disability Mentoring Day.
• Case Management System.  A new case management system will be implemented in October 2008.  CBVH anticipates that the system will support more effective employment strategies by providing an employer database and a variety of tools to be used to develop career goals, and provide better data by which to measure CBVH progress in achieving outcomes.
• Collaboration.  CBVH continues to collaborate with community rehabilitation programs through regional employment provider groups, and with other state VR programs through participation with the Region I (New England) Employer Networking Group, and participation in employment initiatives of the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation.  Along with Baruch College’s Computer Center for the Visually Impaired, CBVH and the Metropolitan Placement Consortium awarded their first “Access Builder” awards to employers in the Metropolitan NYC region. 
  CBVH collaborates with other State agencies and stakeholders on a number of statewide employment workgroups, including the Most Integrated Setting Coordinating Council’s (MISCC) committees on Employment and Transportation, the Chapter 515 Implementation Group, and VESID’s “State Partners” group. CBVH also participates in and supports NDEAM events across the State and participates in the steering committee selecting statewide winners.
• Marketing and Outreach.  CBVH has begun to work with the Office of Children and Family Services Public Information Office to design a marketing and outreach campaign with the goals of:

• Increasing name recognition of CBVH among the general public. 
• Increasing referrals and applications from legally blind consumers, especially those from underserved populations.
• Increasing employers’ awareness of CBVH’s ability to help them meet their staffing needs through qualified job applicants, assistance retaining employees who are losing their vision, and provision of technical assistance.

• Service Expansion. In order to be more responsive to underserved populations in areas of NYC, CBVH is establishing an additional district office in Harlem.

OMRDD - Putting People First

The Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) in accordance with its mission statement -  We assist people with developmental disabilities to live richer lives. – has embarked on a “Putting People First” agenda for policy and service delivery.  

In SFY 2008, OMRDD embarked upon a transformation agenda that strengthens their commitment to assisting individuals with developmental disabilities who want to work.  Under the leadership of Commissioner Diana Jones Ritter, OMRDD participated in a series of regional forums which were conducted throughout NYS.  During those forums, the impassioned voices of self-advocates and those who support them (parents, families, provider partners, teachers and others) were heard.  These self-advocates expressed the deep desire to be supported in their quest to become valued workers and to contribute to the economy of New York State.

As part of its “Putting People First” agenda, OMRDD is strategically planning to more effectively assist the growing numbers of individuals with developmental disabilities who want to contribute to the NYS workforce and move out of traditional day programs.  The first step in growing the workforce is through the issuance of an ambitious Request for Proposals entitled the Enhanced Supported Employment Pilot Project in SFY 2008/09.  This RFP has been designed to foster creativity and innovation in assisting people with developmental disabilities to achieve their employment dreams.

OMRDD will be promoting the enhanced supported employment initiative which challenges workshops and other certified day programs (including day habilitation) to implement efforts for people to move into supported employment.  Special emphasis will be extended to young people who are recent high school graduates who for whatever reason did not move directly into community employment from high school.  Through this RFP, 700 new people will gain the dignity which comes with the financial security achieved through employment.

In order to support the employment aspirations of the people served by OMRDD, we are planning to develop a training agenda that supports the mission of “Employment First”.

OMH

• Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS) - PROS programs incorporate a person-centered approach to facilitating employment.  Services are provided for the purpose of overcoming mental health barriers that prevent an individual from achieving his or her recovery goals. 
  Over the past year, OMH has been working with Erie County to support the conversion of existing programs to the PROS model.  OMH is pleased to report that one program has already been issued a PROS license and that five more in Erie County will be converting by early next year.  This will bring the total number of PROS programs to 20 by early 2009.  In addition, programs in several other counties are actively working toward converting to the PROS model.
  In preparation for the transition of programs to PROS, OMH offers training in a variety of areas including the implementation of employment-related services.  The Workplace Center of Columbia University has proven to be an invaluable asset in providing this essential training.  The Workplace Center also offers follow-up consultations on an as needed basis to agencies that have already received training.  These consultations reinforce the importance of employment to recovery and provide one-to-one guidance to providers concerning implementation and planning issues.  The Center is also available to moderate learning collaboratives to enable programs to learn from the successes and challenges of other programs.
  OMH considers employment to be a fundamental element in the recovery process.  PROS practitioners are encouraged to offer employment-related services to any participant who has a goal of working.  In addition, OMH provides its own ongoing, individualized technical assistance and support to providers regarding these crucial employment-related services.
  As PROS continues to be implemented throughout New York State, OMH will work in partnership with VESID and other State agencies to help individuals acquire jobs and to provide the necessary ongoing support to maintain those jobs.

• Assisted Competitive Employment (ACE) and Transitional Employment Placement (TEP) - OMH is looking at ways to encourage outcomes reporting from ACE and TEP programs in order to have a clearer, more complete depiction of the effect of the services.
• New York Interagency Supported Employment Report (NYISER) – NYISER is a data system created to capture detailed information about supported employment services offered by agencies contracted with VESID, CBVH, OMRDD and OMH.  The Chapter 515 Interagency Implementation Team has been working to make the system more user friendly for all programs.  The planned improvements include streamlining the data entry process and offering electronic versions of forms used by all agencies.  It is our hope that these improvements will make data reports from NYISER more useful and meaningful for all four agencies.
  OMH will continue to encourage programs to report employment-related information in NYISER toward the goals of improving statewide services and enhancing the lives of the people we serve.

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