Maine's CHOICES CEO Project
Working Together News
A newsletter about Maine's efforts to increase work opportunities for people with disabilities
In Focus
Maine Youth Transition Collaborative – 2008
The Maine Youth Transition Collaborative works to improve the lives of young people aging out of the foster care system. The Collaborative works extensively with young people with disabilities who are seeking employment. Many studies have identified that over 45 percent of youth in foster care have one or two disabilities. Researchers who work with the Collaborative are helping the CHOICES CEO project develop materials on Employer-School connections in Maine, particularly in relation to best practices that engage youth with disabilities.
Broadly, the Maine Youth Transition Collaborative assists young people in the areas of employment, education, housing, mental and physical healthcare, and personal and community engagement. The organization recognizes that young people have a better chance of succeeding if they have strong support from their communities and if systems partners — both public and private — are informed of the needs of older youth in care by young people themselves.
Key focus areas are:
- Opportunity Passport™: a matched savings program that helps youth save for things such as vehicles, housing, micro-enterprise, education, or healthcare costs.
- Youth Leadership Advisory Team: an approach that encourages the involvement of youth in care in reform and advocacy at all levels of the child welfare system.
- Community Engagement: an effort to involve communities in supporting youth transitioning out of foster care. The Collaborative brings together public and private partners on an Advisory Board, Executive Committee, and workgroups.
For more information, please contact Marty Zanghi (martyz@usm.maine.edu) Voice: 780-5867; TTY 780-5646 or Maggie Vishneau (vishneau@usm.maine.edu) Voice 780-5469; TTY 780-5646.
Maine Employment Curriculum: A Valued Resource
By Gayla Dwyer, Aroostook Mental Health Center; and Jennifer Kimble, Maine Medical Center
Since July 2002, Maine Employment Curriculum (MEC) trainers have certified 422 job coaches and 216 employment specialists across the state. The people trained through this program have come from 134 agencies, school districts and other organizations.
Lately, the MEC staff has been seeing an increase in demand for the training throughout Maine. This is because of recent changes to services provided to people with physical and cognitive disabilities and those with a mental health diagnosis. The Legislature signed "Resolves Chapter 101" in June 2007; this legislation supports moving people to competitive jobs within their communities rather than sheltered workshops.
There has also been a renewed effort within the mental health field to assist case managers in teaching people the valuable role that work plays in their recovery process. Because these new services require different skill sets from what was previously offered, the MEC will be crucial in providing training.
MEC was developed in 2001 through a collaborative effort of the Maine Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, along with and community rehabilitative agencies within Maine.
The curriculum consists of 14 modules, with modules covering topics from An Employment Vision to Long Term Supports. If a person wants to be an employment specialist they will need to successfully complete all modules, whereas a job coach needs to successfully complete eight modules. The training is interactive and allows trainees to apply the knowledge they are receiving. The trainers bring ‘real life’ experiences to the classroom and help students learn what it is like to support a person who is entering competitive employment.
To find out more about the MEC and where training is being offered, please visit: www.ccids.umaine.edu/projects/mec
Legislative Report
Maine's Legislature is deliberating on LD 2147, "An Act to Ensure that State Government is a Model Employer of Persons with Disabilities," introduced by Rep. H. Sawin Millett, Jr.
A hearing on the bill was held on March 3, 2008. Testimony was given by Rep. Millett as well as Mel Clarrage, chair of Maine’s Commission on Disability and Employment, Larry Glantz of the CHOICES CEO project, and Alicia Kellogg, director of Maine’s Bureau of Human Resources.
While final language for the bill has not yet been released, several major changes were negotiated during the bill’s work session on March 5. The Disability Coordinator position, which was proposed in the original bill, will not be reinstated nor funded. However, if passed, the law will require that a biennial report be prepared, starting in March 2009, that compiles the contents of every state department’s plans to increase employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. That report will be submitted to two legislative committees (Labor, and State and Local Government) and to the Governor’s office.
Budget Cuts!
The biggest news out of the Legislature this session is the major funding cuts to social service programs such as programs for Maine people with disabilities, including some education and employment support programs. Mel Clarrage of the Commission on Disability and Employment has been keeping tabs on budget cuts being faced by the Council on Transition. At first, the Council’s budget was cut entirely by the Education Committee. But, with strong advocacy efforts, $442,000 was restored to the Council. This number still represents a $100,000 cut to the Council’s budget and presents quite a challenge to keep the Council functioning.
Hundreds of people made their opposition to proposed budget cuts very clear at a rally at the Legislature on March 12. Participants held signs, filled the hallways of the Statehouse, and spoke at several hearings that were going on about the cuts.
Visit the new website: http://www.mainecandobetter.org to follow the progress of budget deliberations. The site has stories of how people would fare under proposed cuts and provides suggested action steps that can be taken to restore funding, such as signing a petition or contacting your legislator.
Mark Your Calendar
EmployME ‘08
Bangor Area Career & Job Fair
April 16, 2008; 10 am – 2 pm
Spectacular Event Center
395 Griffin Road, Bangor, ME
11th annual spring Career and Job Fair for the Bangor area.
Open
Commission on Disability & Employment (CDE) Northern
Meeting
April 16, 2008; 11 am – 3 pm
DHHS Regional Office
396 Griffin Road, Bangor, ME
Open meeting for all people (especially those from northern
and eastern Maine) interested in disability and employment
issues in Maine. A free lunch will be provided for those who pre-register! To
register or request accommodations please contact Nancy Labbe
(Nancy.L.Labbe@maine.gov) by April 9th. Voice: 207-623-7941;
TTY: 1-888-755-0023.
Working
Together Business Network
Booth & Lunch Roundtable Discussion
May 8, 2008 at the Maine
Human Resources Convention 2008
Samoset Resort
Rockport, ME
SAVE the DATES!
Disabilty and Employment Fall ‘08 Conference
September 23-24, 2008
Augusta Civic Center
Augusta, ME
Details to follow
Ideas for Stories
Please help us… we are seeking stories! Do you know of a worker or employer that we can feature in our newsletter? Please contact Leslie Pohl.
Spotlight on Employers
Annie Darling (left) and
Catherine Breer (right)
of annie/catherine
annie/catherine is a company located in Westbrook, Maine that creates and distributes stationery products and accessories, including cards, holiday and note card sets, limited edition prints, calendars and wrapping paper. The company, founded in 2004 by Annie Darling and Catherine Breer, recently hired Danny Winship, an illustrator who is deaf. We asked Catherine Breer to tell us about the experience of hiring and working with Danny.
Annie Darling knew Daniel Winship for years through family connections. “In the summer of 2006, Danny asked if we might have some part-time work for him,” recalls Catherine. “He had tried to break into the illustration market with little success, in large part because of the fact that he is deaf.” The company hired Danny on a part-time basis. Later, Annie and Catherine learned that the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, part of the Maine Bureau of Rehabilitation Services, might be able to help the company employ him on a more permanent basis.
“Deciding to hire Danny had absolutely nothing to do with his disability,” says Catherine. “In fact, we feel uncomfortable with the label of ‘disabled’ in regard to Danny.” She admits that communicating with Danny, who is profoundly deaf and does not read lips, was a bit of an issue at first as she didn’t know any sign language and Annie’s sign language was rudimentary. “Gradually, we began to learn how to communicate and it quickly became clear that Danny’s assets far exceeded any difficulties that might arise from communication issues. He is motivated, driven, ambitious, talented and reliable.”
The company has employed Danny on a permanent, part-time basis with assistance
from the state since October, 2007. Catherine and Annie say they hope to
employ him full-time without assistance by the end of 2008.
Currently, Danny is the company’s only employee. He manages the warehouse
and oversees all packing and shipping. He also does illustration and design
work for annie/catherine’s greeting card line. “Basically,
Danny does much of the same work that Annie and I do,” Catherine
says. “Because we are a small company, we all have to wear many hats.”
Both Catherine and Annie have made progress learning American Sign Language (ASL). “In the beginning, I had some trepidation about communicating with Danny,” remembers Catherine. “But, those fears were soon dispelled as I learned basic ASL. When we first hired Danny he and I would write a lot of notes back and forth to communicate. As I learned more ASL, suddenly, one day, we didn’t write notes anymore. I hadn’t thought of myself as knowing much sign language, but clearly our communication had progressed to another level.”
Catherine says that because Danny is deaf, his other senses are highly developed. “He is very observant visually,” she explains. “This has been a great asset to our business. I would encourage others to think of what a person with a disability might add to a company because of their disability.”
In closing, Catherine shared some advice for other employers interested in employing a more diverse workforce that includes people with a disability: “If you can just step out of your comfort zone and get to know another person, you will be surprised at how easy it can be to develop a great working relationship, regardless of the other person’s ‘disability.’ And, honestly, their disability might really be so insignificant compared to their other ’abilities’ if you just take a chance to find out what those abilities might be. So, take a chance, learn something new, your business will thrive as a result and you will be a better person because of it!”
To learn more about annie/catherine, their products and business philosophy
visit: www.anniecatherine.com.
Updates
Service Providers Survey is Out!
Service providers and agencies that support the employment
of people with disabilities are now completing a questionnaire
recently mailed to them by the CHOICES CEO project. The answers
to the survey will be used to expand and update our Service
Providers Directory.
The directory contains contact information for service providers
and is a resource for people with disabilities, family members,
agencies, and employers. Go
here to download an excel version of the directory .
If you are a service provider and did not receive a survey, please complete the survey online at: http://www.choicesceo.org/survey. For more information, or to share ideas, please contact Vanessa Bell.
Sheltered Workshop Conversion Resources
This past October, a Maine team of state agency representatives and disability advocates attended "Vermont's Conversion Institute" held by Vermont APSE and Green Mountain Self-Advocates. The two-day meeting covered strategies taken by Vermont and other states as they converted sheltered workshops and enclaves into programs that helped people with developmental disabilities find and hold integrated jobs in their communities.
Members of the Maine team brought back many helpful resources that can further conversion work going on in Maine. The CHOICES CEO project, working with staff of the DHHS Office of Adults with Physical and Cognitive Disabilities, created a web site to share these resources: http://www.employmentforme.org/conversion.html
Resources on the web page are organized in four areas: 1) Maine materials; 2) Conversion resources from Vermont; 3) National resources; and 4) Research/outcomes on sheltered workshop conversion.
In January, a Maine workgroup began meeting to build on the momentum that emerged from the Vermont Institute, and to help Maine develop and sustain services and supports that are as integrated as possible. The website will be updated as new resources are identified. Contact Larry Glantz if you have resources to add to the page.
A Cost/Benefit Analysis of Postsecondary Services among Clients of the Maine Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
The CHOICES CEO Project and Maine Bureau of Rehabilitation Services recently released a summary of a study of employment outcomes for Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) clients who used postsecondary services. (Preliminary findings were previously presented in the July 2007 newsletter).
Findings show that in federal fiscal year 2004, the 20 percent of vocational rehabilitation clients who received postsecondary services used 37 percent of the available funds that year. The average cost for these clients was $8,195, compared with $3,535 for other clients. Yet, those receiving postsecondary services were just as likely to find and keep a job as those not receiving them.
However, those who received postsecondary education were: 1) More likely to find a full-time job (26 percent versus 19 percent); and 2) Had significantly higher incomes ($16,200 versus $12,200) than those who did not receive post-secondary services.
The analysis also showed that completing a postsecondary degree was critical to obtaining these positive employment results. Those who completed a degree or certificate were more than twice as likely to be working at case closure. Moreover, degree-completers earned an average of almost $800 more per month in the two years after their case closed than clients who did not complete a degree.
It is clear from these results that the substantial investment by clients and DVR in postsecondary education does pay off in the form of better jobs and better pay, but that payoff is confined primarily to those who are able to complete a degree. Unfortunately, those who complete their degree represent only a small fraction (18 percent) of all DVR participants who use postsecondary services.
To maximize the benefit of postsecondary services, DVR needs to better understand why people don’t finish their degrees. This could be accomplished during the assessment of rehabilitation needs that DVR counselors normally conduct with each participant.
Read
the full research summary here.
