Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Santa Cruz County Workforce
Investment Program
2935 N.
Grand
Nogales, AZ 85621
Contact: Nils Urman
Phone: (520) 375-7670
Proposed Award Amount: $299,891
Community Served:
Santa Cruz County
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph: The overall goal of Project Connect II, a consortium
of many organizations and agencies, under the lead of the Santa Cruz Workforce
Development Program/One Stop Center, is to deliver training, placement and
employment services to individuals with disabilities – the majority not served
by Vocational Rehabilitation due to the “Order of Selection.” To build capacity, Project Connect II
would fund a position for a Disability Program Navigator. This Navigator will implement disability
training for staff, coordination of service delivery systems, access to
resources for disabled clients, and a Disability Learning Center at the WIA
offices. In addition, Connect II will improve and enhance the infrastructure of
the Disability Learning Center operated by the Santa Cruz County One Stop
Center and will also install assistive technology and monitoring aids to assist
clients, the majority of whom live in the EZ/EC community, to become technology
proficient and to increase their employment opportunities.
Partnerships: Santa Cruz Workforce Development Program/One Stop Center
(lead organization), County Board of
Supervisors, Governor’s Council on Workforce Policy, Arizona Department of
Economic Security-Rehabilitative Services Administration, Department of
Commerce, Santa Cruz Training Center, Easter Seal of Arizona, Arizona
Department of Education, Arizona Disability Law Center, Telecare Nogales, Area
Agency on Aging/Region 6; Santa Cruz County local government, Community
Services Department/Community Foundation Center, Association for the Blind,
Medical Assistance Program, Adult Basic Education/Literacy Volunteer Program,
Training Programs, Business Advisory Council, Library, Schools, Adult &
Juvenile Probation. Also Volunteer
Center of Southern Arizona, Training & Consulting Solutions (county
organization), Woltman & Associates (state organization), Pima Community
College, University of Arizona South.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Central Arkansas Planning & Development District, Inc.
115 Jefferson Street
Lonoke, Arkansas 72086
Contact: Rodney Larsen
Phone: (501) 676-2721
Proposed Award Amount: $674,671
Community Served: 16
counties constituting the Central Arkansas and Southeast Arkansas WIBs.
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph: This project aims to integrate people with disabilities into the
workforce investment system, including Wagner-Peyser and WIA services, with a
four-pronged approach: 1) installing extensive technology devices in
the workforce centers themselves, 2)
hiring two fulltime Work Incentive Specialists to act as Disability
Program Navigators, 3) employing “train the trainer” methods to coach frontline
staff in serving people with disabilities, and 4) offering immediate access to
Wagner-Peyser and WIA Title I services in workforce centers, and providing
transportation to and from workforce centers, training sites, and places of
employment, through the CADET Project.
CADET is a five-year model project
funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitation Services.
Partnerships: Central Arkansas Planning and Development District,
Arkansas Employment Security Department, Arkansas Division of Services for the
Blind, Arkansas Rehabilitation Services, ICAN – Increasing Capabilities Access
Network, and CADET – The Creative for Delta Area Transportation.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
City of Hawthorne – South Bay WIB
11539
Hawthorne Boulevard, Suite 500
Hawthorne, CA 90250
Contact: Robert Mejia
Phone: (310) 970-7700
Proposed Award Amount: $150,000
Community Served: Los
Angeles County
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph: Building on its October 2000 Workforce Incentive
Grant, this project will hire three persons with disabilities who have
completed training in One-Stop operations and in “Navigator” functions now
offered at San Diego State University.
These “navigators,” who will work directly with people with and without
disabilities to access, facilitate, and navigate the complex statutory and
regulatory provisions and application processes for public and private
programs, will also train One-Stop Staff.
They will be assigned to each of the three hub One-Stops in the South
Bay Consortium. After these Navigators
are hired, this project will increase the number of people with disabilities
served through One Stops through increasing outreach strategies, identifying
employers who have a special interest in hiring persons with disabilities, and
emphasizing Individual Employment Plans for clients.
Partnerships: Westside Regional Center, a network of 21 agencies whose
mission is to empower people with developmental disabilities; Westside Center
for Independent Living, which helps seniors and persons with disabilities
through support services and peer-led training programs; and the California
Department of Rehabilitation.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Employment Development Dept.
800
Capitol Mall, MIC 21; P.O. Box 826880
Sacramento, CA 94280-0001
Contact: Bill Burke Linda Rogaski
Phone: (916) 654-7111 (916) 657-0294
Proposed Award Amount: $500,000
Community Served:
State of California
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph: Building on the Work Incentive Grant awarded to the California
Department of Rehabilitation in 2001, this project plans comprehensive training
curricula for a Disability Training Program Navigator. The Navigator would meet the need for
well-trained, highly knowledgeable resource staff at One Stop Career Centers
for customers with disabilities. The
advanced training includes an in-depth understanding of the disability benefit
structure, especially regarding the Ticket-To-Work and the Employment Network
capacity in One-Stop Centers. In
addition, grant funds will be provided to Local Workforce Investment Areas for
developing strong partnerships with other organizations so that they may work
to acquire assistive technology and coordinate outreach. Finally, the grantee intends to coordinate
with the World Institute on Disability to provide on-time, online support and
technical assistance.
Partnerships: Employment Development Department, the Governor’s
Committee on Employment or People with Disabilities, Department of
Rehabilitation, California Workforce Investment Board, Department of Health
Services – Health Incentive Improvement Project & Medicaid Infrastructure
Grant Steering Committee, Department of Mental Health, Department of
Developmental Services, Department of Social Services, Northern California
Employment Network, and World Institute on Disability.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
City of Long Beach
110 Pine Avenue, Suite # 1100
Long Beach, CA 90802
Contact: Ray O. Worden
Phone: (562) 570-7751
Proposed Award Amount: $300,000
Community Served: Cities of Long Beach and Signal Hill
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph: This
multi-faceted project will designate and train two Disability Program
Navigators from the disability community, including Goodwill Industries and
Community Rehabilitation Industries.
The third Navigator, presently with the Career Transition Center, has a
four year background in case management and vocational rehabilitation
counseling in the One Stop system.
These Navigators will make immediate eligibility determinations for
disabled clients and initiate services by securing program authorization and
funding from the Department of Rehabilitation for employment, training and
placement services. In addition, the
Navigators will provide training for frontline staff. The project’s overall goal, through the work of these Navigators,
is to expand services to 80 individuals with disabilities, who will achieve and
retain employment.
Partnerships: The Greater Long
Beach Workforce Investment Board, the Career Transition Center, Community
Rehabilitation Industries, Goodwill Industries of Long Beach & South Bay,
Inc., State of California Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Disabled
Resource Center, Harbor Regional Center, Cal State Long Beach – Disabled
Student Services, Long Beach City College- Disabled Student Programs &
Services, Social Security Administration, ARC Hillside Enterprises, Long Beach
Mental Health Center, Albertsons, PRWT Services, Self Help for Hard of Hearing
People, the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific, the State of California
Employment Development Department, U.S. Vets, and the Los Angeles County Area
on Aging.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Napa County Workforce
Investment Board,
North Bay Employment Consortium
1700
Second Street, Suite 378
Napa, California 94559
Contact: Donna DeWeerd
Phone: (707) 259-8680
Proposed Award Amount:
$300,000
Community Served: Napa, Sonoma, Marin, and Solano
Counties
Project Emphasis: People with disabilities
Summary Paragraph:
This
Consortium plans to (1) develop comprehensive One Stop systems that are
welcoming and are valued providers of choice of persons with disabilities, and
(2) implement strategies to increase opportunities for training, job
development, sustained employment, and advancement. The primary investment of this grant
will be in Disability Program Navigators for all four counties. These
Navigators, once trained, will advocate for seamless service delivery for the
disabled by marshalling resources available for employment support, creating
sharing agreements with relevant partners, and leading Universal Access Workgroups
at each site. These Workgroups will
determine the array of resources and adaptive equipment and services for each
of the One Stops’ resource rooms. In
addition, the Navigators will determine and communicate the best practices for
improving access for disabled clients into the Employment Security and
Workforce Investment systems.
Partnerships: The North Bay
Employment Consortium’s partners range from the State Employment Agency to
local child care councils. Some of the
more prominent partners are Goodwill Industries, the State of California
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Development Departments, Napa Valley
College, Sonoma State University, Social Security Administration, Community
Resources for Independence, Inc., the Housing Authority of the City of Napa.,
and the County Human Services Departments.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
D.C. Workforce Investment Council and
D.C. Rehabilitation Services Administration
609 H. Street N.E., Room 521
Washington, D.C. 20023-4347
Contact: Joi Yeldell
Phone: (202) 279-6174
Proposed Award Amount:
$700,000
Community Served:
The City of Washington, D.C.
Project Emphasis: People with disabilities
Summary Paragraph:
The D.C.
Workforce Investment Council, in partnership with the D.C. Rehabilitation
Services Administration of the D. C. Department of Human Resources, plans a
comprehensive effort to establish a “One Stop” employment center for the
disabled within its One Stop Center at 2626 Naylor Road S.E. The grant will fund a Project Coordinator, who
will head up a public outreach campaign, starting with a kick-off breakfast
with faith-based community organizations.
This person will also coordinate efforts among the three partners for
this project: the D.C. Department of
Employment Services (Wagner-Peyser Act and WIA), the Rehabilitation Services
Administration, and the Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities
Administration. These partnering
agencies render direct services, are funded through federal agencies, and have
several community-based “intake” or feeder sites. This coordination will result in seamless service and in 1)
increasing the awareness and utilization of the comprehensive One Stop services
by the disabled population, 2) increasing the capacity of the targeted One Stop
Center to ensure that the disabled have equal access to all services provided
to the general public, and 3) increasing the number of employers hiring
disabled job applicants. Benefits
coordinators and job coaches funded by this project will enhance the partners’
efforts to serve the disabled and to negotiate services.
Partnerships: D.C. Department of Employment Services
(Wagner-Peyser Act and WIA), the Rehabilitation Services Administration, and
the Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Administration.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Polk County Workforce
Development Board, Inc.
205 East
Main St., Suite 107
Bartow, Florida 33830-4613
Contact: Nancy Thompson, Executive
Director
Phone: (863) 519-0100 x27
Proposed Award Amount:
$293,628
Community Served: Polk County, beginning with a
demonstration project at the Lakeland One Stop.
Project Emphasis: People with disabilities
Summary Paragraph: To
address the “human factor” in serving those with disabilities, Polk County’s
priority for this project is creating the position of a Disability Program
Navigator for the Lakeland One Stop.
This person will oversee training of the One Stop staff, address
physical barriers at the One Stops, and create a countywide disability
coalition, institute an aggressive outreach program, and coordinate with the
Division of Rehabilitation Services and the Business Leadership Network, among
other tasks. Polk County also
anticipates that the disabled will increasingly access Individual Training
Accounts and the Ticket to Work program.
Polk County is one of 24 boards implementing WIA through the One Stop
Career Center system for the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation.
Partnerships: ACS State and
Local Solutions, contract managers for One Stop Career system throughout Polk
County; Florida Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Services; Center for Independent Living, West Central Florida Office; Abilities
of Florida; University of South Florida.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Worknet Pinellas, Inc.
4525 140th
Avenue North, Suite 906
Clearwater, Florida 33762
Contact: Stacy Swank Edward
Peachey
Phone: (727) 524-4344, x3032 (727) 524-4344, x3016
Proposed Award Amount: $313,932
Community Served:
Pinellas County
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph: Working to improve services for people with
disabilities across the county, this project would employ three Disability
Program Navigators (DPNs), with one dedicated to each of the three full service
One Stop centers. In addition, the
project would produce and distribute an outreach video that would provide a
universal orientation to one stop services for the disabled. This video would highlight the many
functions of the DPNs, the available assistive technologies, and specific
services for the disabled. The state of
Florida has already designated all One Stop Centers and Division of
Rehabilitation Offices as Ticket-to-Work voucher systems offices, and the DPNs
will expand this initiative. DPNs
will also work closely with Vocational Rehabilitation counselors. In Pinellas County, Florida Division of
Vocational Rehabilitation services have been collocated within two of the three
One Stop centers to ensure seamless services.
Partnerships: St. Petersburg
College, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Family Service Centers,
Learning Disabilities Association of Pinellas, Suncoast Mental Health Center,
Directions for Mental Health, Physically Challenged Expressions, Boley Centers,
Deaf Services Center, Division of Blind Services, Goodwill Industries,
Operation PAR, and Lutheran Services.
Awardee:
Cobb County Community Services Board
361 North Marietta Parkway
Marietta, Georgia 30060
Contact: Teresa Smith
Phone: (770) 429-5005
Proposed Award Amount: $648,738
Community Served: Cobb
and Douglas Counties and statewide, State of Georgia
Project Emphasis: People with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph:
This
project seeks to expand and replicate “Project Exceed,” funded by a 2001 grant
from the Office of Disability Employment (ODEP) Customized Employment for
People with Disabilities. On a
statewide basis, the project would provide technical assistance and training
opportunities as well as local level consultation to all stakeholders. In addition, this grant would support
Disability Navigator Teams in each local workforce area by ensuring that
designated staff and relevant stakeholders are cross trained. These teams will work with their designated
Benefits Planning, Assistance, and Outreach organizations to streamline access
to resources while preventing service overlaps. The project’s second strategy would fund a competitive,
needs-based subgrant process for ten local workforce areas to increase their
physical accessibility and assistive technology resources.
Partnerships: Cobb Works! Workforce Investment Board; Cobb Community
Services Board; Vocational Rehabilitation, Georgia Department of Labor,
including the Assistive Work Technology Unit of Voc Rehab; Tools for Life; Three
Benefits Planning, Assistance, and Outreach providers – Benefits Navigator
Project, Voc Rehab Outreach Project, and the Walton Options for Independent
Living Program; the Cobb Micro Enterprise Center; University of Georgia’s Human
Services Management Institute; Georgia State Workforce Investment Board;
National Center on Workforce and Disability/Adult; Griffin-Hammis, LLC; and
Georgia Institute of Technology’s Center for Assistive Technology and
Environmental Access.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
State of Hawaii
830 Punchbowl Street, Room 329
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Contact: Elaine Young
Phone: (808) 586-8812
Proposed Award Amount: $699,388
Community Served:
State of Hawaii
Project Emphasis: People with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph:
This state-wide
project would create a seamless service delivery system for addressing the
multi-faceted barriers to training and employment that affect people with
disabilities. This project will take
shape at an opportune time, since Ticket-to-Work is slated for implementation
in November 2003. To weave Ticket-to-Work into a seamless delivery system, the
project aims to create a close alliance between the State Workforce Development
Division and the Vocational Rehabilitation Division. Comprehensive strategies to facilitate this alliance include
assistive technology enhancement, specialized service provider development,
diverse and proactive leadership to ensure continuous improvement, and One Stop
staff training. Moreover, one staff
member of each of the four WIBs would function as a Program Navigator. This
project would complement the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employment and
Training Administration’s (ETA) Real Choices ACCESS Project, funded in May 2002
to provide an electronic infrastructure for partners and a user-friendly
information system, and DOL’s Office of Disability Employment Policy’s
(ODEP) funded Imua Project –
currently assisting Hawaii’s Vocational Rehabilitation and WIA One Stop system
by training youth service providers to serve youth with disabilities
effectively.
Partnerships: The University of Hawaii’s Center for Disability Studies (a resource); Winners at Work; the Hawaii Centers for Independent Living; the Hawaii Department of Health’s Developmental Disabilities, Vocational Rehabilitation, and Mental Health Divisions; the fours Workforce Investment Boards – Kauai, Oahu, Maui and Hawaii; Hawaii State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; Vocational Rehabilitation; U.S. Department of Labor’s ODEP Imua project and ETA-funded Real Choices ACCESS project.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Chicago Workforce Board
60 West Randolph St., Suite 200
Chicago, Illinois 60601
Contact: Linda Kaiser
Phone: (312) 762-9280
Proposed Award Amount: $300,000
Community Served: City
of Chicago
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph:
To unify
One Stop services for people with disabilities and to move them into optimum
skills training and jobs, the Tapping
Abilities Project will create a Work Information Navigator position in the
Pilsen, Chicago One Stop and will also create protocols for replication of this
position in additional One Stops. The
Navigator will then work to enhance One Stop staff training and program
capacity, including Social Security Administration-funded Benefits, Planning,
Assistance and Outreach and Ticket-to-Work programs. The project also plans to develop and distribute education and
outreach materials for 1) all One Stop partners in the Chicago area, 2)
individuals with disabilities who access these One Stops, and for employers to
assist them in understanding the needs of the disabled workforce as well as the
forms of assistance available to them.
Although the entire State of Illinois received funding through the
earlier 2000 and 2002 Workforce Incentive Grants, the City of Chicago
specifically needs funding to expand and intensify the assistive technology and
training in some of its One Stops that it received through the first grant.
Partnerships: Mandatory One Stop Partners: California Indian Manpower Consortium – Chicago based operation;
Chicago Department on Aging; City Colleges of Chicago; Illinois Department of
Employment Security; Illinois Department of Human Services – Office of
Rehabilitation Services; Job Corps; Mayor’s Office for People with
Disabilities; and Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development. Other Grant Partners: Access Living; Council for Disability
Rights; Great Lakes ADA Center; Health and Disability Advocates; Illinois
Assistive Technology Project; Welfare to Work Partnership/Business Resource
Partnership; Mayor’s Office of People with Disabilities; and Business
Leadership Network.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Career Choices Inc.
700 E.
Walnut
Evansville, Indiana 47713
Contact: Franka Siscel, Executive
Director
Phone: (812) 424-4473 x113
Proposed Award Amount: $150,000
Community Served:
Southwest Indiana Workforce Investment Area
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph: This project will build on the
successes of the Round 2 Work Incentive Grant awarded to Career Choices Inc.
and WorkOne Evansville, which focuses on 1)
upgrading WorkOne systems technology and physical facilities, 2)
providing seamless services to the disabled referred from Vocational
Rehabilitation, and 3) and training staff.
This project will increase services to the disabled residents of Perry,
Spencer, Warrick and Posey Counties – which border the Ohio River – and will
also expand job retention services and hire two staff who are credentialed to
be counselors/job developers for the disabled.
Partnerships: Career Choices, Inc., Job Corps, Adult Education, Title V of the Older Americans Act, the Local Community Action Program, Green Thumb/Experience Works, Indiana Department of Workforce Development, Vocational Rehabilitation, Great Lakes Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center, Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, Governor’s Planning Council for People with Disabilities, the Evansville Housing Authority, the City of Evansville, Goodwill Industries, Evansville Black Coalition, Indiana Vocational Technical College, and the Office of Family and Children’s Services.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Southeastern Indiana WIB
319 East Main Street
Madison, Indiana 47250
Contact: Gary Behnke
Phone: (812) 265-2652
Proposed Award Amount: $300,000
Community Served:
Southeastern Indiana
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph: This project entails three
strategies: * purchase and installation
of assistive technology, * designation and training of a Disability Program
Navigator for each WorkOne office, with subsequent training for all One Stop
partner staff, and *
outreach/recruiting marketing efforts to encourage businesses throughout the
region to meet their hiring needs through employing workers with disabilities,
as well as to inform the disabled population of the ways in which this system
can assist them in obtaining and retaining employment leading to
self-sufficiency.
Partnerships: River
Valley Resources, Inc., which serves as the WIA program operator; the Indiana
Department of Workforce Development, a state agency which provides
Wagner-Peyser employment services, Unemployment Insurance, Veterans, Disabled
Veterans, and Trade Adjustment Act services; Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation
Services; and Experience Works, Inc., responsible for Title V services to older
individuals.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Tecumseh Area Partnership, Inc.
PO Box 4729, 2300 Concord Road
Lafayette, Indiana 47903
Contact: Roger L. Feldhaus,
Executive Director
Phone: (765) 477-1710
Proposed Award Amount: $300,685
Community Served: Northwest Central Indiana
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary
Paragraph: To develop the capacity of the
local WorkOne system to provide seamless delivery to those with disabilities,
the “Express Site and Retention Project” will add the facitative work of a
Disability Program Navigator. This
specialist will assess and address gaps in knowledge, attitudes and behaviors
of WorkOne system staff that they may better serve the disabled
population. Project funds will also be
dedicated to a more welcoming physical and programmatic environment at the
eight WorkOne offices throughout the Tecumseh area for serving disabled
customers.
Partnerships: Great Lakes Disability and Business
Technical Assistance Center; Indiana Institute on Disability and Community;
Governor’s Planning Council for People with Disabilities; Ticket to Work
Program, Indiana Works; Adult Rehabilitation and Vocational Services for Wabash
Center; Abilities Services, Inc., and local WorkOne system partners including
those representing WIA and WtW, TANF, Older Workers, CSBG (Community Action
Programs), ABE and Literacy, Wagner-Peyser/UI/Veterans; Vocational
Rehabilitation; and Carl Perkins (Community College of Indiana and Purdue
University).
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
City of Detroit
707 West Milwaukee
Detroit, Michigan 48202
Contact: Cylenthia LaToye Miller
Phone: (313) 876-0674
Proposed Award Amount: $300,000
Community Served: City
of Detroit
Project Emphasis: People with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph: This grant, “Building
Workers for Detroit’s Future,” will fund assistive technology as well as
positions for one full-time and one part-time Program Navigator, who will work
directly with youth with disabilities enrolled in WIA youth programs. Thus, this grant will expand the capacity of
two existing grants from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability
Employment (ODEP): Customized
Employment for People with Disabilities and the Innovative Demonstration Grant
for Youth with Disabilities. In
addition to coordinating with these ongoing disability grants, this project
will support the process of the Detroit Workforce Development Board’s
Disability Task Force, which oversees access to services by One Stop system
providers, including vocational rehabilitation providers.
Partnerships: The Detroit Workforce Board’s Disability Task Force is comprised of members who represent Detroit – area disability groups, organizations, and providers. The Task Force’s primary mission is to assist individuals with disabilities in attaining full inclusion in society, employment opportunities, and economic independence as a result of services within the One Stop system.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Southwest Minnesota Workforce
Council
607 West Main Street
Marshall, Minnesota 56258
Contact: Linda McCorquodale
Phone: (507) 537-6987
Proposed Award Amount: $300,000
Community Served: The
Fourteen Counties of Southwest Minnesota
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph:
This
project builds on the Work Incentive Grant awarded to the
Governor’s Workforce Development Council in October, 2002, which funded
development of interactive web-based training videos on issues including those
that people with disabilities face as they seek and hold employment. To ensure streamlined service, this project
will create and fill positions for two fulltime and one part time Disability
Program Navigators – one for each of the three One Stops (Workforce Centers) in
this rural area. In addition to
cross-training the staff in each One Stop and working with local employers, the
Navigators will actively recruit persons with disabilities and educate them
concerning program services, eligibility requirements, and funding available to
customers through various waiver programs within the Workforce System. In short, the Navigators will be the bridge
between the disabled customer and these resources.
Partnerships: Partners in each Workforce Center include the Southwest Minnesota Private Industry Council (the WIA Title I and TANF provider for this region; the Minnesota Department of Economic Security/Job Service, Vocational Rehabilitation Services, and State Services for the Blind. This project also plans to partner with the Southwest Center for Independent Living.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Sterns-Benton Employment & Training Council
Minnesota Workforce Center – St.
Cloud
Midtown Square Mall, Suite 212
3333 W. Division Street
St. Cloud, Minnesota 56301
Contact: Kathleen R. Zavala, Executive Director
Phone: (320) 229-5702
Proposed Award Amount: $300,000
Community Served:
Sterns and Benton Counties
Project Emphasis: People with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph: This interagency project,
Sterns-Benton Workforce Solutions, will increase access to competitive
employment outcomes for adults and youth with serious mental health
disabilities throughout the two-county Workforce Service Area. To address policies and barriers inhibiting
the job placement of such adults, this project will create an interagency
project management team comprised of a Project Director, a Disability Program
Navigator, and two Customized Employment Consultants. In addition, a business leadership committee will provide overall
policy direction in marketing competitive employment opportunities to
employers. Moreover, existing
employment opportunities will expand to include micro-enterprises, self-employment
strategies, and career ladder advancement.
Partnerships: Core
agency partners: Stearns-Benton
Employment and Training Council, Minnesota Rehabilitation Services, Minnesota
Job Service/Unemployment Benefits, and State Services for the Blind. Also, Minnesota Community Transition
Interagency Committee, the St. Cloud Workforce Center Agency Committee, and
others.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Full Employment Council, Inc.
1740 Paseo
Kansas City, Missouri 64108
Contact: Clyde McQueen, President
and CEO
Phone: (816) 471-2330, x 256
Proposed Award Amount: $150,000
Community Served:
Kansas City & environs and East Jackson County Workforce Investment Area –
2 of the 14 Missouri Local Workforce Investment Areas.
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph:
The Full
Employment Council received a Work Incentive Grant in 2000, and the present
grant funds are intended to build on the system established through the initial
grant. Under the initial grant, an
automated management information system was developed, and agencies share case
management to leverage resources. These
new funds would add assistive technology as well as fund the full-time project
coordinator, who is also the designated Disability Program Navigator. With the help of a Work Incentive Advisory
Committee, the Navigator will work with staff at the four One Stop Centers to
train staff and to ensure that the needs of career seekers with disabilities
are met within an integrated model. To
further increase its capacity to service individuals, the Full Employment
Council was recently approved as an Employment Network under Ticket to Work.
Partnerships:
Missouri Division of Vocational Rehabilitation; Community Rehabilitation
Programs (Jewish Vocational Service, The Rehabilitation Institute, and the
Helping Hand of Goodwill Industries); the Greater Kansas City Chamber of
Commerce, and the Local Investment Commission (Division of Family Services
Liaison). Also – Independent Living
Centers.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Nebraska Workforce Development
– Department of Labor
550 South 16th Street
Lincoln, Nebraska 68509
Contact: Joan Modrell
Phone: (402) 471-3050
Proposed Award Amount: $700,000
Community Served:
Statewide, Nebraska
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph:
In the
past, the primary coordination between Vocational Rehabiltation and the One
Stop system and its partners has been provided through staff support at the One
Stops irregularly, on an itinerant basis.
This project will enhance coordination by piloting the concept of
locating a Vocational Rehabilitation staff person at three One Stop Centers –
one in each Workforce Investment Area:
Greater Omaha (two One Stops),
Greater Lincoln (one One Stop), and Greater Nebraska (nineteen One Stops). These Senior Rehabilitation Specialists
would function like Program Navigators.
In addition, two additional positions for Assistive Technology
specialists will be created to coach partners on adaptive technology and
physical accessibility. These
specialists will also set up a pool of assistive devices and equipment that
employers can borrow to offset start-up costs for hiring the disabled.
Partnerships:
Nebraska Workforce Development, Department of Labor; Nebraska Department
of Education, Vocational Rehabilitation; Nebraska Assistive Technology
Partnership. Also, Goodwill Industries,
Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, WorkNet/Career Design,
Inc., Community Action agencies, Automated Computer Services, Inc., Mid
Nebraska Community Services, Commission of the Hearing Impaired, and Health and
Human Services.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
State of New Jersey
PO Box 110, John Fitch Plaza
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0110
Contact: George M. Krause
Phone: (609) 292-9772
Proposed Award Amount: $699,886
Community Served:
State of New Jersey
Project Emphasis: People with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph:
This project, led by the New Jersey Division
of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, involves a consortium with workforce and
disability partners, highlights the importance of connective with disability
professionals as well as with the disabled population, and recognizes that the
workforce and disability/rehabilitation systems are complementary, not
identical. To facilitate staff training
and development, a cohort of Disabilty Program Navigators will be trained
throughout the Workforce Investment system.
To augment assistive technology, grant funds will help the statewide
purchase of accessible electronic and information technology. TO enhance the services and standards of
practice, this grant will develop four pilot projects to test outreach
approaches and service interventions.
Partnerships: New Jersey State Department of Labor, New Jersey Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, New Jersey State Employment and Training Commission, Garden State Employment and Training Commission, Garden State Employment and Training Association, New Jersey Division of Employment and Training, State Rehabilitation Council, Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Department of Rehabilitation Counseling – University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Assistive Technology Advocacy Center, Assistive Technology Center at Cerebral Palsy of New Jersey, New Jersey Protection and Advocacy, Inc., New Jersey Department of Human Services, Institute of Community Inclusion, New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities, and New Jersey State Independent Living Centers.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Center for Development &
Disability,
University of New Mexico Health
Science Center
915 Camino De Salud, NE
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131
Contact: Judith Liddell
Phone: (505) 272-6251
Proposed Award Amount: $677,546
Community Served: 4
Workforce Investment Regions: East
(Roswell), Southwest (Socorro), North (Santa Fe) and Central (Albuquerque)
Project Emphasis: People with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph:
The
University of New Mexico’s Center for Development and Disability was authorized
by the Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Labor to apply for grant
funding on behalf of the State Workforce Investment Board, which was in
transition as a new Governor and his administration took office. This project has four goals to increase the
ability of One Stop Centers to provide appropriate services to people with
disabilities leading to job placement success:
1) Build expertise and capacity through a Disability
Navigator System. The Albuquerque
region will develop expertise within existing One Stop staff; the other three,
more rural, regions will each have a dedicated Disability Navigator. 2)
Strengthen employment contacts and job placement techniques. 3)
Use “Mystery Shoppers” as part of an external quality assurance
process. 4) Develop a mentoring process to assure on-going disability expertise
through the use of three-person Mentor Teams that include at least one disabled
person each.
Partnerships: Consortium Partners: New Mexico Department of Labor, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation; New Mexico State Department of Education; four Regional One Stop Centers and their satellite offices.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Workforce Connection of Central New Mexico
5600
Eagle Rock Avenue, NE
Albuquerque,
New Mexico 87113
Contact: Larry Augley
Phone: (505) 822-5500
Proposed Award Amount: $300,000
Community Served:
Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance and Valencia Counties
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph:
Project
NEON – Navigating Employment Obstacles NOW – will serve disabled residents in
the four county area comprising the Workforce Connection of Central New Mexico
through the Central Area Model One Stop in Albuquerque. Building on the first round Work Incentive
Grant awarded the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, a partner in Project
Neon, funds will provide a full time “Peer Navigator” and an additional half
time Navigator. Project NEON is a
partnership between the Workforce Connection of Central New Mexico and the
SUCCEED SSA Program, a special initiative of the Department of Education. Key components of Project NEON include:
* links to the Benefits Information Center, located in the One Stop; * enhancement of consumer choice in
employment options; * Certified Wage/Benefits Planning Trainers; Interagency
Agreements and partnerships to promote strong service infrastructures; *
Increased services for disabled youth in schools who are ready for transition;
* links with TANF programs; * NOW club; * staff training; * evaluation of program outcomes.
Partnerships: Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Goodwill Industries, and Community Outreach Program for the Deaf.
Work
Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Broome Tioga Workforce Development System
171 Front Street
Binghamton, New York 13905
Contact: Richard D. Lindhorst
Phone: (607) 778-6442
Proposed Award Amount: $300,000
Community Served: The
five counties comprising the Workforce Investment Boards of Broome-Tioga and
Chanango-Delaware-Otsego. They are
located in the mid-southern region of New York State, known as the Southern Tier.
Project Emphasis: People with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph: In 2002,
New York State received a Workforce Incentives Grant, which has helped educate
local One Stop Operators on issues of the disabled. Building on this
information, the “Southern Tier Accessibility Project” will focus on developing
a comprehensive delivery system by eliminating barriers that prevent access to
employment and related services for people with disabilities. It will also develop and implement a
curriculum for training One Stop Center staff concerning the needs of
individuals with disabilities. This
training will lead to a two level certification. Staff will then be equipped to provide people with disabilities
with the knowledge, skills and supportive services needed for gainful
employment. Concurrently, staff will
recruit, orient, and train area employers and educate them on the benefits
associated with employing the disabled.
Employers will balso be provided with continuing support and technical
assistance.
Partnerships: Cornell University School of Industrial Labor
Relations; Catskill Center for Independence and Southern Tier Independence
Center; Binghamton University School of Education and Human Development
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Suffolk County Workforce
Investment Board
PO Box
1319
Smithtown, New York 11787-0895
Contact: Peter Crisano
Phone: (631) 853-6616
Proposed Award Amount: $298,751
Community Served:
Suffolk County
Project Emphasis: People with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph:
“Project
POWER” will emphasize both infrastructure enhancement and resource and program
access for people with disabilities, including the full range of core,
intensive and training as well as placement and retention services. Strategies call for a Strategic Planning
Team to direct outreach and marketing, two fulltime Disability Program
Navigators to serve both youth and adults, an Assistive Technology Specialist,
and a Technical Assistance Specialist to train One Stop staff and vendors on
disability and employment issues.
Partnerships: This grant is a partnership among The Suffolk County Department of Labor, the Workforce Investment Board, the New York State Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities, and Abilities, Inc. – a non-profit agency headquartered in adjacent Nassau County.
Work
Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Workforce Investment Board of
Herkimer, Madison and Oneida Counties
209 Elizabeth Street
Utica, New York 13501
Contact: Alice J. Savino, Executive Director
Phone: (315) 793-6037
Proposed Award Amount: $289,720
Community Served:
Herkimer, Madison and Utica Counties
Project Emphasis: People with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph: This project, “MV WORKS,” aims to
develop the capacity of the four One Stop Career Centers in a tri-county region
to assure access and provision of services to disabled customers. Strategies include the establishment of
three full-time Service Navigators, the hiring of part-time Peer Specialists,
the preparation of recruitment and outreach materials, and the use of the
Institute for Community Inclusion to provide both technical assistance and
staff training.
Partnerships: New York State Vocational and Educational
Services for Individuals with Disabilities; Resource Center for Independent
Living; Learning Disability Association of the Mohawk Valley; The Arc; Oneida
County Department of Mental Health; Herkimer County ARC; Madison-Cortland ARC; Herkimer County
Employment & Training; Madison County Employment & Training; Oneida
County Workforce Development; and The Institute for Community Inclusion.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Cape Fear Workforce Development Board
1480 Harbour Drive
Wilmington, North Carolina 28401
Contact: Margie Parker, Workforce
Development Director
Phone: (910) 395-4553
Proposed Award Amount: $298,152
Community Served:
Columbus County
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph:
This
project, the “Work Incentive Network” in Columbus County, will hire an
experienced Navigator to service people with disabilities. The Navigator, in turn, will work with the
One Stop Center (Joblink Career Center) staff to ensure that they acquire the
knowledge and skills to better serve this population. Funds from this grant will help achieve a seamless transition for
the disabled customer, including programs for disabled youth, between the
Joblink Career Center, Department of Social Services, SSA, Employment Security
Commission, and Vocational Rehabilitation.
In fact, Vocational Rehabilitation is integral to this project and will
be on site for specified hours each week to assist customers.
Partnerships: Major partners are Vocational Rehabilitation; Department of Social Services; Employment Security Commission; Southeastern Community College; and the Social Security Administration.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
North Carolina Department of
Commerce
4327 Mall Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-4327
Contact: Roger Shackleford,
Executive Director
Phone: (919) 715-3300
Proposed Award Amount: $700,000
Community Served:
North Carolina Statewide.
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph: In partnership with the North
Carolina Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS), the North
Carolina Commission on Workforce Development seeks to improve the
employability, employment, and career advancement of persons with disabilities
through enhanced services in all of the States’ 107 JobLink Career Centers and
affiliates. First, three Regional
Coordinators will design and coordinate a comprehensive training program for
all staff. Second, under the direction
of an Employment Coordinator, this grant would integrate the Model Employer
Development program, currently used by
DVRS, into the JobLink framework.
In addition to implementing the array of services available to the
employer, job retention needs of current employees will be addressed when a
disability is interfering with job performance. The State’s Benefits, Planning, Assistance and Outreach projects
will educate staff concerning SSA and concomitant public benefits and supports
as well as Ticket to Work legislation.
Partnerships:
Within the Department of Commerce – the Commission of Workforce
Development, Division of Employment and Training, and the Workforce Development
Institute. Also, The Employment
Security Commission and its Employment Services. The Programs section of the
State’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services will partner with the
Commission of Workforce Development and serve as subgrantee for the
project. Other Divisions of the
Department of Health and Human Services such as the Division of Social
Services, Division of Services for the Blind, and the Division of Mental
Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services will also be
active in this project. The North
Carolina Community College System will work to improve basic education skills
to JobLink Career Center participants with disabilities, while other service
providers, advocacy groups, and employers will serve on the project’s Advisory
Council.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Big Five Community Services,
Inc.
PO Box 1577, 1502 North First
Durant, Oklahoma 74702
Contact: W. J. Haddock, Jr.,
Executive Director
Phone: (580) 924-5331
Proposed Award Amount: $297,751
Community Served: the
17 counties covered by the Southern Workforce Investment Board and the
Consortium Southeast Workforce Investment Board
Project Emphasis: People with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph:
Big Five Community Services, Inc. is the
fiscal agent and administrative entity for the Southern Workforce Investment
Board, which submitted this proposal in partnership with the Southeast
Workforce Investment Board. These two
Boards oversee six comprehensive One
Stop Centers and five One Stop Satellite Centers, all of which will
benefit from the grant. Highlights
include installation of assistive technology and cross-training for front-line
staff on this technology as well as on disability and awareness, legal issues,
service delivery (assessment, counseling and support services), job development
and job placement. This staff training
will serve as a follow-up to ongoing capacity building led by the partnership
of the University of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Development Disabilities Council,
and the National Center of Disability Education and Training. Project
Coordinators will conduct outreach and marketing based on Advisory Teams’ One
Stop Tool Kits, Disability Program Navigator Network and Best Practice
models. Job screening and job matching
systems customized for persons with disabilities will be [provided by the
Department of Rehabilitative Services’ JobFit and the Workforce Oklahoma’s
JobLink systems.
Partnerships: Besides the applicant consortium, partners include: WIA Title I, Welfare-to-Work, Developmental Disabilities Services, Head Start and transportation programs, the state and local Department of Health and Human Services, the University of Oklahoma’s Workforce Oklahoma Training Institute, state and local Departments of Rehabilitative Services, state and local Employment Service/Unemployment Insurance/Veterans Employment Services, One Stop Operators, KEDDO WIA Title I and Welfare to Work, state and local Adult Education and Literacy, local vocational education schools, and the Chikasaw and Choctaw Nations’ Employment and Training Divisions. In addition, the Consortium will work with the Oklahoma Development Disabilities Council, Office of Handicap Concerns, local CBOs, businesses, disability organizations such as BIOS and Independent Living Centers, etc.
Awardee:
The Oregon Consortium
260 SW Ferry, Suite 102
Albany, Oregon 97321
Contact: Jeff Davis
Phone: (541) 928-0241
Proposed Award Amount: $698,820
Community Served:
Statewide, Oregon
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph:
Building
on the successes of the Work Incentives Grant awarded in 2001, “Work Incentives
for Rural Oregonians” will directly serve 25 out of Oregon’s 36 counties and
two of the seven Local Areas. Staff
training and development, however, will be statewide. In addition to comprehensive training, this grant would provide
subgrants to One Stops for outreach and
marketing activities as well as for adaptive and assistive new
technologies. In terms of systemic
change, the grant would increase the presence of partners who serve people with
disabilities in the integrated One Stop environment, including the closer
alignment of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Commission for the Blind.
Partnerships: The Oregon Consortium & Oregon Workforce Alliance (TOC/OWA) is the lead applicant for a statewide partnership that includes Oregon’s Department of Human Services, The Job Council, 17 One Stops and affiliate sites, partners in business and industry, such as the Oregon Business Leadership Network, the Employment Capability Access Network, Senior and Disabled Services, Department of Community Colleges, and several CBOs which serve the disabled.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
The Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board
425 Sixth Avenue, Suite 1750
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219
Contact: Patricia Petrosky
Phone: (412) 390-2215
Proposed Award Amount: $489,682
Community Served:
Pennsylvania, Statewide
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph: “Raise-up II” plans statewide
dissemination of the best practices developed in “Raise-up I,” a 2001 Work
Incentive Grant awarded to Goodwill Industries of Pittsburgh. These elements include * expanding the www.raise-up-org website to include
information on service providers and resources through the state; * conducting
“train-the-trainer” sessions to pave the way for staff training workshops and
to introduce the concept of “Service Navigators,” * providing technical
assistance to Workforce Investment Areas to develop local Disability Service
Committees, * ensuring the availability of standard materials in alternate
formats, * coordinating with the Ticket to Work Medicaid Infrastructure Grant
pilot projects in Pittsburgh and Schuykill County as well as Federal HHA
Benefits Planning Outreach and Assistance Grants, and * enhancing linkages with
employers. Goodwill Industries of
Pittsburgh will manage grant activities.
Partnerships: In addition to Goodwill Industries and the State Workforce Investment Board, as well as partners within each Workforce Investment Area, partners include the Team PA CareerLink Bureau, the State Accessibility Task Group, and the Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Upper Cumberland HRA
3111 Enterprise Drive
Cookeville, Tennessee
38506
Contact: Phyllis R. Bennett,
Executive Director
Phone: (931) 528-1127
Proposed Award Amount: $300,000
Community Served:
Upper Cumberland Region: 14 counties
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph:
This
project would fund a Disability Program Navigator and two part-time Disability
Coordinators to implement staff training and to assist in disabled client
assessments, case management, linking with other programs, and performance
tracking. Working closely with
Vocational Rehabilitation, they will ensure clients are offered services,
assist with program applications, and develop community outreach initiatives. The balance of the funding would be dedicated
to upgrading and purchasing adaptive technology needed at the Career Centers.
Partnerships: Core partners: Programs authorized under Title I of the WIA and under the Wagner-Peyser Act, Adult Education and Literacy, Vocational Rehabilitation, Title V Older American Act, Post Secondary Vocational Education, Trade Act/NAFTA, Veterans’ Activities, CSBG Employment & Training, Department of Housing and Urban Development Employment and Training, and Unemployment Insurance programs. Additionally, partners may include TANF and Families First, Food Stamp Program, National and Community Services Act, Economic Development Organizations, and other programs.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Alliance for Business and Training
PO Box 249
Elizabethton, Tennessee 37644
`
Contact: David Shanks, Executive
Director
Phone: (423) 547-7500
Proposed Award Amount: $300,000
Community Served:
Northeast Tennessee Workforce Investment Board: five counties
Project Emphasis: People with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph:
This
initiative, “Freedom to Work,” will augment services for individuals with
disabilities by integrating strategies for success. Strategic partnerships, such as the planned Freedom to Work
Commission, will align this project’s goals with regional needs. Acquiring assistive technology will improve
service to those with disabilities.
This project will also create a position for a Navigator – one full time
and two part time - in each of the One Stop/Career Centers. Navigator integration is a key to seamless
service delivery. Staff development and
training on the complexities of disability related issues and barriers to
employment will enhance staff interactions with clients. And the provision of direct services will be
a catalyst to the growth of individuals with disabilities in their efforts to
seek full employment and retention services.
Partnerships: Northeast Tennessee Workforce Investment Board; Vocational Rehabilitation; Alliance for Business and Training; One Stop/Career Center partners; the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities; the Tennessee Council of Developmental Disabilities; Eastern Eight Community Development; Frontier Health; the Tennessee Statewide Center for Independent Living; Johnson City Transit; and Net Trans.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Cameron Works, Inc.
245 East Levee
Brownsville, Texas 78520
Contact: Stella E. Garcia,
Executive Director
Phone: (956) 548-6719
Proposed Award Amount: $200,000
Community Served:
Cameron County, Texas
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph:
This
program targets infrastructure funding in its five full service Texas Workforce
Centers and Mobile Lab, rather than funding staff positions, to ensure
sustainability when the funding expires.
Unique to this project is the provision of adaptive technology, Business
Access in Home Learning, in up to twenty disabled individuals’ homes. Front line staff will take
informal training using “Access for All: A Resource Manual for Meeting the
Needs of One-Stop Customers with Disabilities and At Your Service: Welcoming Customers with Disabilities.” A consultant will assist with intensive
train the trainer sessions, incorporating the knowledge and skills similar to
those incorporated in the Disability Program Navigator Initiative; a staff
person in each Texas Workforce Center
will act as a navigator, tracking services to the disabled and ensuring they avail themselves of customized
programs and services.
Partnerships:
Consortium partners: Cameron
Works, Inc. – the local workforce development serving Cameron County; the Texas
Workforce Center; the Texas Commission for the Blind; Cameron County Housing
Commission; and the Texas Rehabilitation Commission.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Concho Valley Local Workforce
Development Board
PO Box
2779
San Angelo, Texas 76902-2779
Contact: Mary Kay Kuss
Phone: (915) 655-2005
Proposed Award Amount: $149,992
Community Served: The
13 counties comprising Concho Valley Local WIB
Project Emphasis: People with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph:
This
project builds on the previous Work Incentive Grant, awarded in 2000, to Concho
Valley in partnership with the Texas Workforce Commission as well as the Golden
Crescent, Gulf Coast, Tarrant County,
and Upper Rio Grande Workforce Development Boards. The first goal of the current project is to support a dedicated
Disability Coordinator position. To
meet the needs of the business community, this project will acquire the
services of an integrated Vocational Counselor. People with potential or hidden disabilities will be assessed
and referred to professional consultants who can identify barriers to
employment such as educational deficiencies, learning styles, and mental health
issues.
Partnerships: Consortium: Concho Valley Workforce Development Board, Texas Rehabilitation Commission, Texas Commission for the Blind, San Angelo Office of the Social Security Administration, and the Texas Workforce Consortium. Also, partner in a State Consortium that conducts planning with HHS on Medicaid infrastructure and Buy-in. Vocational Rehabilitation; and many additional partners.
Work
Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Golden Crescent Workforce Development Board, Inc.
PO Box 1936
Victoria, Texas 77902
Contact: Laura G. Sanders, Executive Director
Phone: (316) 576-5872
Proposed Award Amount: $299,995
Community Served: Golden
Crescent Workforce Development Area
Project Emphasis: People with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph: Although Golden Crescent has
benefited from a statewide Work Incentive Grant, awarded in 2002, through the
enhancement of programs as well as accessibility of facilities, three of its
Career Centers sill need funding for fully accessible technologies. This project will fund these upgrades. In addition, to prepare for its imminent
Employment Network status under the Ticket to Work and Work Incentive Improvement
Act, and to enhance its ability to serve disabled customers, this project will
fund a Disabilities Specialist, who will provide services similar to those
listed for the Disability Program Navigator.
The project will also provide a series of workshops and Employment
Essentials classes to disabled customers; these classes include workplace and
computer literacy, SCANS skills, and job readiness components. Finally, the project anticipates providing
office space in Career Centers where organizations serving the disabled can
provide on-site intake, eligibility screening, and counseling services.
Partnerships: Programs provided within the One Stop Career Centers: WIA Title I, TANF Choices, Food Stamp Employment & Training, Veterans,’ Project RIO (Reintegration of Offenders), Job Corps, School to Career, Communities in Schools, TAA/NAFTA, Senior Texas Employment Program (STEP), Wagner-Peyser Employment Services, and Subsidized Child Care Services. Consortium partners – Texas Rehabilitation Commission, Texas Commission for the Blind, Corpus Christi Council for the Deaf, Gulf Bend Mental Health & Mental Retardation, San Antonio Independent Living Center, Veterans’ employment & training programs, and Devereau (home-based living program)
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Worksource for Dallas County
1201 Main Street, Suite 2700
Dallas, Texas 75202
Contact: Laura Bouillion Larrea,
President
Phone: (214) 290-1000
Proposed Award Amount: $300,000
Community Served:
Dallas County
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph:
This
project will build on the Work Incentive Grant awarded in 2002 to the Tarrant
County Workforce Development Board.
WorkSource for Dallas was one of the many partners in this earlier
grant. The funds from this project
will develop a transparent one-stop system by connecting the disability
community to local employees, community partners, and training providers. These steps will boost the awareness of
services, develop a pre-assessment tool, create a solid foundation of community
partnerships with local/state and federal partners, enhance training, install
additional specialized, adaptive technology within the workforce centers, and
provide unique training for local employers.
Partnerships: Texas Commission for the Blind (state agency); C-CAD (non-profit), Bill J. Priest (post-secondary institution), Texas Rehabilitation Commission (state agency), University of North Texas (post secondary institution), local school districts, REACH (non-profit), United Cerebral Palsy of Tarrant County, Inc. (non-profit), and others.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Utah WorkForce Investment Board
140 East 300 South
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
Contact: Donna Sato
Phone: (801) 526-9239
Proposed Award Amount: $695,666
Community Served: Utah
Statewide.
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph: This project plans a combination
of statewide comprehensive services and regional model services. Statewide services include 1) enhancing One
Stop staff capacity with a Disability Manager position in the Utah Department
of Workforce Services, consistent staff training on disability issues and
support resources, and 2) other strategies such as a statewide accessibility
study, a consumer outreach campaign, and statewide employer outreach. Model services will be demonstrated in one
rural and one urban One Stop. Those
sites will demonstrate a disability screening process, a Disability
Program Navigator Project, and a Model Disability Training Program for
customers with disabilities.
Partnerships: State agencies, private non-profit organizations and individuals with disabilities who are members of the Utah Work Incentives Coalition (UWIC), including the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation, Office of Education, Department of Health, Department of Human Services, Utah State University Center for Persons with Disabilities, Salt Lake Community College, and Department of Workforce Services.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council
1101 Broadway, Suite 120
Vancouver, Washington 98660
Contact: Lisa Nisenfield,
Executive Director
Phone: (360) 567-1073
Proposed Award Amount: $300,000
Community Served: Clark, Cowlitz, Wahklakum, and Skamania
Counties
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph: This project sets out a number of
specific goals. First, it plans to hire
and train Disability Navigator as the regional specialist, create a navigation
specialist at each One Stop site who can facilitate services for customers with
disabilities, and implement
across-the-board training for site staff.
Second, the project will designate an area One Stop as an Employment
Network in the Ticket to Work program and develop staff and system skill
building techniques. Third, it will
implement principles of universal design for an inclusive system modeling
universal access. Finally, it will
disseminate capacity building approaches and successes as well as information
for individuals with disabilities on how to access and what services to
anticipate from the One Stops.
Partnerships: Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council; WorkSource sites throughout Clark, Cowlitz, Wahklakum, Skamania Counties; Washington State Employment Security Department; Washington State DSHS Community Services Offices in Vancouver, Stevenson, and Kelso; Southwest Washington Agency on Aging; Lower Columbia Community Action Council; Green Thumb; Clark College; Lower Columbia College; Washington Division of Vocational Rehabilitation; Calrk County Department of Human Services; and Clark County Independent Living Resources.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Snohomish County Workforce Development Council
917 134th Street SW,
Suite B-3
Everett, Washington 98204
Contact: William Bell, Project
Director, ACCESS Initiative
Phone: (425) 921-3421
Proposed Award Amount: $300,000
Community Served:
Snohomish County
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph: This project, “Access
Initiative,” aims to provide seamless services to staff, the disability
community, and employers. First, a
Disability Program Navigator will be added to the staff of the planned
WorkSource Transition Center, to be housed within the WorkSource Everett site,
which will help the Snohomish County system to meet all three Ticket to Work
and Self-Sufficiency Program goals.
Second, by enhancing staff and employers’ knowledge and the existing
infrastructure, this project will improve access to existing Wagner-Peyser and
Workforce Investment Act funded services.
This effort will be coordinated with the Washington Workforce
Association’s Work Incentive Grant, awarded in 2002.
Partnerships: Washington State Employment Security Department, Washington State Department of Social and Health Services and its Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Additional members of “Access Initiative” are Center for Career Alternatives, Edmonds, Everett, and Skagit Valley Community Colleges, Refugee and Immigrant Forum, Service Alternatives, Snohomish County Housing Authority, Sunrise Services, TRAC Associates, Volunteers of America, Work Opportunities, and the YWCA of Seattle-King County and Snohomish County.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Seattle – King County Workforce Development Council
2003 Western Avenue, Suite #250
Seattle, Washington 98121-2162
Contact: Daniel Fey
Phone: (206) 448-0474
Proposed Award Amount: $300,000
Community Served: City of Seattle, King County
Project Emphasis: People
with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph:
This
project is well timed for preparing the One Stop system for the upcoming
implementation of the Ticket to Work program in the State of Washington. The project will emphasize Person Centered
Planning techniques in case management for persons with disabilities; the
viability of the One Stop system for
providing comprehensive employment services to the disabled, and increasing
staff awareness of disability service providers, inter-agency linkages, and
unique Disability service and job retention issues. To this end, the project will hire a Disability Navigator to
procure enhanced assistive technology and to ensure team-based staffing
approaches, comprehensive case management, and coordination of services with
disability benefits counseling.
Partnerships: In a unique partnership, the regional office of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) is one of three operators of the Seattle-King County One Stop system, currently comprised of three hub sites and five affiliates. In this role, DVR coordinates One Stop activities and facilities system-wide, co-locates DVR staff at One Stop hub sites, participates in WDC subcommittees, and provides technical assistance to partner agencies. Other partners – the Department of Services for the Blind, the International Association of Machinists Center for Administering Rehabilitation and Employment Services (IAM CARES), King County Division of Development Disabilities, the Northwest Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center, the Washington State Business Leadership Network, the DO-IT Program at the University of Washington, and the Tri-West Group – providers of technical assistance and evaluation.
Work Incentive Grant
Awardee:
Governor’s Workforce Investment
Division
Capitol Complex, Building 6, Room
B-617
Charleston, West Virginia 25305
Contact: David Lieving, Director, Governor’s Workforce Investment Division
Phone: (304) 558-7024
Proposed Award Amount: $499,9941
Community Served: West Virginia, Statewide
Project Emphasis: People with disabilities.
Summary Paragraph:
A Work
Incentive Grant was awarded to West Virginia in 2002; this grant is working
within the seven Workforce Investment Regions and 18 One Stop Centers. This new statewide project, to ensure
consistent upgrades and services within all One Stop Centers, calls for two fulltime
Training and Technical Assistance Specialists – one for Morgantown and one for
Charleston. Requirements for these
positions include Masters’ Degrees in rehabilitation counseling, social work,
special education, or public administration and experience in the disability
field. One of their tasks will be to
link with the Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center for West
Virginia, making use of their resources and technical assistance specialist for
training needs. They will also ensure that each One Stop has a team that
focuses on disability issues in the workforce investment system. These teams
will help coordinate, promote, and provide training for all staff on these
myriad issues. They will also
coordinate with four benefits specialists funded through the Benefits,
Planning, Assistance and Outreach project.
Finally, this project will launch an extensive employer outreach and
marketing program, with concomitant training for employers.
Partnerships: Governor’s Workforce Investment Division, local Workforce Investment Boards, West Virginia Advocates, the Developmental Disabilities Council, SW Resources Mental Health Agency, the West Virginia ADA Office, MR/DD Offices, Division of Rehabilitation Services, DHHR, business leaders, people with disabilities, Social Security Administration, West Virginia Association for Persons in Supported Employment, American Federation for the Blind, Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach and Medicaid Infrastructure grants, and the Center for Excellence in Disabilities.
