78% 800,000 OF STUDENTS HAVE 700,000 A TRANSITION GOAL TO WORK - PDF document

Connecting Aspirations to Opportunities CHANGING THE CONVERSATION Engaging Local Communities in New Ways to Identify Assets and Improve Outcomes for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Erik Carter, Olivia Raynor, Jenny Neugart, Harold Kleinert, Jenn Bumble, & Elise McMillan State of Stuck: Integrated Employment 78% 800,000 OF STUDENTS HAVE 700,000 A TRANSITION GOAL TO WORK IN THE COMMUNITY 600,000 83% Total Adults Served 500,000 400,000 OF PARENTS CONSIDER SOME TYPE OF PAID, 300,000 COMMUNITY JOB TO BE IMPORTANT 200,000 100,000 Adults Accessing Integrated Employment 0 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 EMPLOYMENT ASPIRATIONS Sources: Blustein, Carter, & McMillan (2016); Shogren & Source: Butterworth et al. (2014); ICI National Survey of Plotter (2012); www.nlts2.org State IDD Agencies; www.thinkwork.org New Approaches Needed State of Stuck: Inclusive Education 100% • Attention to the local 90% level 80% • Thinking from beyond 70% the service system 60% 50% • Solution-focused 40% approaches 30% • Individualization at the 20% community level 10% Students in General Education (80% or more) 0% 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 Source: U. S. Department of Education

Community Conversations Session Overview • Context for this Work (Carter) • Illustrating the Approach (Bumble) • Lessons Learned in Wisconsin (Neugart) • Lessons Learned in California (Raynor) • Lessons Learned in Tennessee (Bumble & McMillan) • Lessons Learned in Kentucky (Kleinert) • Some Key Themes Across Applications (Carter) • Questions & Discussion Sources: Carter et al., 2016 Carter, Swedeen, Cooney, Walter, & Moss, 2012 COMMUNITY https://vimeo.com/128290120 CONVERSATIONS Illustrating the Process Jenn Bumble 1-2 lead 3 Critical Elements of a Community Local Planning Team organizers Conversation Recruitment Planning Logistics Ideas Connections Collaboration Follow-up Location People Snacks Team members should be: Data Action Committed Passionate Available

Extending Disability Mayor Student services Invitations provider • Planning Committee Parent • Email Campaigns Educator Job coach • Phone Campaigns • Outreach determined by community Civic culture, resources and preferences Employer leader School transition coordinator Student Adorable preparing for baby transition Diverse backgrounds Innovative, Diverse perspectives out-of-the box Diverse community roles University solutions faculty Structuring Engaging Conversations: Structuring Engaging Conversations: Setting the Stage Setting the Stage Welcome 15-25 minutes • Attendees are seated • Facilitator introduces purpose of the event • Featured speakers Structuring Engaging Conversations: Structuring Engaging Conversations: Rounds 1 & 2 Round 3 Rounds 1 & 2 Round 3 15-20 minutes 15-20 minutes • Conversation about Question 1 • Facilitator poses Question 2 • Table hosts record conversations • Attendees record feelings, concerns, ideas on placemats • Everyone moves to new table after each round • Attendees have now met with 12-18 other community members

Structuring Engaging Conversations: Conversation Wrap-Up and Data Harvest Collection Harvest 10-15 min • Large-group discussion • Table hosts or attendees share out the most promising ideas/ strategies they heard • Ideas are recorded and posted Table host notes Follow-up cards Placemats Follow-up surveys Harvest notes Interviews End-of-event surveys Observations Wisconsin Issues Being Addressed • Identifying innovative ideas for increasing the number of youth with significant disabilities working in the community. • Raising awareness of the issue with a variety of WISCONSIN: stakeholders. • Making new connections and strengthening collaborations LESSONS LEARNED at the local level. • Increasing the expectations of parents and other Jenny Neugart stakeholders for community based employment. The Wisconsin Way The Wisconsin Way Involving Youth with and without Disabilities • Used with school pilot sites, project meetings, trainings • Make centerpieces and other small gifts. • Easily modified – no right or wrong way to do it • Share their employment goals and stories. • Get people to commit to something – I Am Willing cards • Make posters with their job goals to decorate the room. • Extend personal invites to a variety of stakeholders • Show videos of local students working. • Welcome participants as they arrive. • Give a few opening remarks to kick off the event. • Assign them to a table to provide their perspective.

The Wisconsin Way Lessons Learned from Wisconsin • Variety of locations: country club, coffee shop, an ice • Paid employment can be a direct result! arena, a community center, libraries, and a school • Motivating and engaging the community is pretty easy. cafeteria. • Schools make better connections – especially with • Restaurant that catered the event at a significant discount. employers. • High school cooking class received funds to pay for the food; class cooked the meal. • Local employers realize an untapped worker pool. • Evening event with a dessert buffet • Jump start to heightened awareness* • Potluck style! * After attending a CC, participants, including employers, reported they believe that a majority of youth with disabilities can be employed in integrated, community employment. Lessons Learned from Wisconsin Lessons Learned from Wisconsin • 5 Themes (continued): • 5 Themes: • Call to action for multiple stakeholders • School inclusion & transition services • Dispel myths and use facts and success stories • Benefits of inclusion and meaningful strategies • Explore opportunities for job exploration in the community • Visiting other successful schools • Market the youth’s abilities • Peer mentoring • Service system collaboration • Family engagement • Better collaboration between schools and providers, especially to work • Use family members’ network during job seeking out summer employment opportunities • Provide families with info to understand transition process • Employer & community outreach • Gathering info on employer needs and matching those to youth • Setting up business tours, job shadows, internships Policy and Practice Implications from Policy and Practice Implications from Wisconsin Wisconsin • Valuable info for establishing new 18-21-year-old • Strong potential to develop educational champions among community-based transition programs, expanding local, state, and federal policymakers. Exploring the topic community-based services to students with more I/DD, or together can lead to many policy changes. developing a transition coordinator position. • WI Division of Vocational Rehabilitation • Better way to engage employers versus the “cold call”. • Youth On-the-Job-Training (OJT) • LEAs and SEAs can use CCs to improve several federally • Committed funds to Business Service Consultants mandated special education performance indicators, • Local school commitments to fund community-based including Indicator 8 (family engagement), Indicator 13 transition programs and hire transition coordinators. (transition planning), and Indicator 14 (post-school • Bills sponsored by state legislators to improve transition outcomes). supports.

CALIFORNIA: TENNESSEE: LESSONS LEARNED LESSONS LEARNED Olivia Raynor Jenn Bumble & Elise McMillan TennesseeWorks Partnership Projects of National Significance: Partnerships in Employment Systems Change grant from the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities A%collabora+on%of%more%than%50%organiza+ons%and%agencies%across%the%state%that%stand%commi:ed%to%changing% the%employment%landscape%for%young%people%with%disabili+es.% % Tennessee%Conversa+ons% A%Crea+ve% The%Community%Conversa+on% Self- Crowd% Other Approach% Advocates 8% Disability 8% Agencies 12% In%the%last%4%years%we%have%been%a%part%of%28% Faith Families 21% Communitie community%conversa+ons%across%our%state. % s % 3% By%this%+me%next%year%we%will%add%another%15%to%our%total. % Community Groups 11% Employment% Faith% Needs%of% for%people% Community % Diverse% Civic Educators Leaders 19% with%IDD% Inclusion% Communi+es % 1,427 Employers 7,289 6% 12% Independent% PostL Families%&% citizens ideas Living % Secondary% Caretakers % contributed generated % Educa+on % %