Awardee:
`
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
projects 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.
