Ensuring Gainful Employment Outcomes

Ensuring Gainful
Employment Outcomes
D.R.E.A.M. Partnership / ACES Project
Postsecondary Education Symposium
March 25, 2015
Jordan T Knab, Ed.S.
Consultant
Education & Transition Consultants,
LLC
[email protected]
813-361-1076
Background
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Project 10: Transition Education Network 2008
Governor’s Commission 2009
STING RAY: spring, 2010
TPSID funding: summer, 2010
Florida Consortium on Postsecondary Education
and Intellectual Disabilities: fall, 2010
Consortium Objectives
OBJECTIVE 1
Expand existing
transition programs at
3 campuses & fully
align with criteria
established for
Comprehensive
Transition Programs for
Students with
Intellectual Disabilities
into Higher Education
OBJECTIVE 2
Work with 9 existing
postsecondary
transition programs to
align them with the
Comprehensive
Transition Programs for
Students with
Intellectual Disabilities
into Higher Education
OBJECTIVE 3
Develop additional
postsecondary
transition programs for
students with
intellectual disabilities
across Florida
Florida Postsecondary Programs
for Students with Intellectual Disabilities
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Florida International University – Project Panther LIFE (two programs)
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Florida Keys Community College – Project A.C.C.E.S.S.
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Florida State College at Jacksonville – Vertical Training Program
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Indian River State College – Employment Institute
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Lynn University – The ACCESS Program
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Miami-Dade College – Project A.C.C.E.P.T.
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Pensacola State College Project REAL
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Polk State College – The Transition Program
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Santa Fe College – Project SAINT
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Tallahassee Community College – Eagle Connection
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University of North Florida – On Campus Transition
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University of South Florida (Tampa) The Learning Academy; STAGES
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University of South Florida St. Petersburg – Project STING RAY
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Warner University – The Transition Program
FL Postsecondary Programs
O All accept special diplomas
O Majority of students have ID/DD/dd
O Only 2 provide housing
O Serving 192 students for 2013-2014
O Avg. program length of 2.5 years
O Matrix of program information on website
Why Employment?
O In the research literature, what is the #1
(strongest) predictor of post-school
employment for youth with disabilities?
Why the Postsecondary
Environment?
O Numerous opportunities on a college
campus: multiple venues, diverse skills,
various environments, and diverse training
opportunities.
O Student’s focus is career development
O Interests  Coursework  Career
Exploration
O MAKING CONNECTIONS!
On Campus Internships
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Office of Multicultural Affairs
Department of Leadership and Programming
Fitness Center
Waterfront & Sailing Center
Mailroom
The Tavern at Bayboro
Harborside Activities Board
Career Center
Academic Advising
Department of Operations and Maintenance of Facilities
The Crow’s Nest newspaper
College of Education, Office of the Dean
Fairmont Park Elementary School
Student Advising Center
Off Campus Internships
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St. Pete Bakery
Practically Pikasso
St. Petersbug City Hall
Sunshine Recreation
Center (section of St.
Pete Parks & Recreation)
Meals on Wheels
Pet Pals Animal Rescue
Clay Center of St. Pete
Morean Arts Center
Painting with a Twist
Community Employment
O Academic Advising office, USFSP
O Art Museum-Security
O Café 100
O Creative Clay
O Division of K-16 Educational Initiatives, USFSP
O Don Cesar Lowe’s Hotel
O Fresh Market
O Lowe’s Home Improvement Store
O Publix Super Markets
O TJ Maxx
O Waffle House
Strategies for Employment
O Individualized student’s strengths,
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interests, and career goal
Consider the student’s support needs
Real work responsibilities
Realistic expectations and training needs
Increased independence fade supports
Provide opportunities for community
mobility, self-management and selfdetermination skills
Quality Work Experiences: Simonsen, M. (2013). TransCen, Inc.
TransCen Study of Community
Rehabilitation Providers (CRP)
CRPs identified these as the most critical
skills/experiences for youth to transition into
integrated employment:
 Self-management, community mobility, self-
determination
 Authentic Work Experience
 Documentation of Work History
 Family Support
Simonsen, M. (2013). TransCen, Inc.
TransCen Study of Integrated
Employment Predictors
What skills/experiences best predict
integrated employment outcomes?
1. Family member expressed interest in
integrated employment
2. Paid work experience during school
3. Community mobility skills
4. Self-management skills
Simonsen, M. (2013). TransCen, Inc.
In Fact!
O Youth whose families expressed
preference for integrated
employment were 6.48 times
more likely to achieve integrated
competitive employment
Simonsen, M. (2013). TransCen, Inc.
O Youth with previous work
experience were 4.53 times
more likely to be engaged in
integrated competitive
employment
Simonsen, M. (2013). TransCen, Inc.
Why is this important?
Family “buy-in” and support may be the most
critical component 
Family “contract” or “agreement” outlining the
goal of gainful, competitive employment!!
What does the data tell us?
Data from the national vocational
rehabilitation database (RSA 911):
 youth with ID who participated in
postsecondary education were 26% more
likely to leave vocational rehabilitation
services with a paid job and earn a 73%
higher weekly income.
THE IMPACT OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION ON EMPLOYMENT FOR
STUDENTS WITH ID Migliore, A., Butterworth, J., & Hart, D. (2009).
Postsecondary Education and Employment Outcomes for Youth with
Intellectual Disabilities . Think College, Fast Facts, No. 1.
Florida TPSID Data
SITE
YEAR
ENROLLED
EMPLOYED
Lynn
2010-2011
12
4 (33%)
UNF
2010-2011
25
13 (52%)
USFSP
2010-2011
6
3 (50%)
Lynn
2011-2012
15
6 (40%)
UNF
2011-2012
25
12 (48%)
USFSP
2011-2012
7
4 (57%)
Lynn
2012-2013
12
4 (33%)
UNF
2012-2013
28
10 (36%)
USFSP
2012-2013
8
2 (25%)
Completers Employed
2010-2011; 20112012;
2012-2013
# Students who Exited
(completed program)
# Students Employed
Lynn
12
8
UNF
17
14
USFSP
5
5
TOTAL
34
27 or 79%
Completers Employed
2013-2014
# Students who Exited
(completed program)
# Students Employed
Lynn
6
5
UNF
11
9
USFSP
4
4
TOTAL
21
18 or 86%
Aggregate of FL Students (InD) preparing to
complete postsecondary programs 2013-2014
 54 students preparing to exit
 32 are currently employed (59%)
Aggregate of FL Postsecondary Completers (InD)
and Employment Outcomes 2010-2013
 115 completers
 72 employed upon exit (63%)
Preparation for College & Challenging
Careers
 Access to technology
 Programs that bridge academic levels
to school and work
 Work-based experiences
 Peer support
 Mentoring
Cunningham, Redmond & Merisotis, 2003; National Science Foundation, (2001)
DO-IT scholars, WA.
Think College Job Development Module
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topostsecondary education for students withintellectual disabilities.
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COACHING AND MENTORIN GCOMPREHENSIVE TRANSITION PROGRAMSFOR FAMILIES
UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING JOB DEVELOPMENT
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http://www.thinkcollege.net/think-college-learn
Resources
O Let’s Get Everyone to Work Videos from the Florida Development
Disabilities Council (FDDC)
The Florida Developmental Disabilities Council (FDDC) has developed
three employment and transition videos called Let's Get Everyone to
Work. Two 45-minute videos, the Resource Toolkit for Students and
Families and the Teaching Toolkit for Pre-Service Professionals, discuss
employment and independence strategies, high expectations, personcentered planning, and support networks for people with developmental
disabilities. Twelve success stories are included in each video. The fiveminute Marketing Toolkit for Employers video presents the benefits of
hiring people with developmental disabilities and available employer
supports. Success stories for ten "super employees" are included. To
access the videos, go to the FDDC website at
http://www.fddc.org/publications and scroll down to the Employment
section.
Resources, cont.
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Paving the Way to Work: A Guide to Career-Focused Mentoring
http://www.ncwd-youth.info/paving-the-way-to-work
The creation of the Mentoring Guide is rooted in the U.S.
Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy’s
(ODEP) charge to find and promote the most effective researchbased policies and practices to improve transition outcomes for
youth with disabilities. Mentoring is recognized as one of the most
important strategies for assisting youth in making a positive
transition into adulthood. Despite all of the information available
on mentoring, there is very little about mentoring youth with
disabilities or about career-focused mentoring of older youth. This
Guide was developed by the National Collaborative on Workforce
and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) specifically to address the
needs of youth with disabilities during their transition from school
to work. This Guide is intended for individuals designing mentoring
programs for youth, including youth with disabilities, in the
transition phase to adulthood.
Resources, cont.
O Questions & Answers about Persons with Intellectual
Disabilities in the Workplace and the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA)
http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/intellectual_disabilities.cfm
“Questions & Answers about Persons with Intellectual
Disabilities in the Workplace and the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA)” addresses how the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to applicants and employees. In
plain, easy-to-understand language, this revised document
reflects the changes to the definition of disability made by the
ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) that make it easier to conclude
that individuals with intellectual disabilities are protected by
the ADA.
Resources, cont.
O College of Charlston REACH Program – Off-
Campus Learning Agreement
http://www.thinkcollege.net/images/fbfiles/
files/REACH_INTERNSHIP_Agreement.pdf
This Think College link contains The College
of Charleston Internship Agreement form.
Resources, cont.
O Fast Facts for Faculty: Coordinating Internships
for Students with Disabilities
http://ada.osu.edu/resources/fastfacts/Interns
hips_for_Students_with_Disabilities.htm
The Ohio State University
Developed by Nancy Dugan, Margo Izzo, Ginny
Knowlton, and Alexa Murray
This website lists the general benefits and
guidelines for arranging internships as well as a
sample step-by-step listing of procedures that
can be used as a template for internship
planning.
Resources, cont.
O National Center on Workforce and Disability
(NCWD)
http://www.onestops.info/
This link provides tools and resources for
Workforce Development including guides for
customized employment and the Universal
Design for Workforce Development Toolkit.
Questions?
Comments?
Ideas?
Thank you for your attendance!