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

• Project 10: Transition Education Network 2008 • Governor’s Commission 2009 • STING RAY: spring, 2010 • TPSID funding: summer, 2010 • Consortium on Postsecondary Education and Intellectual Disabilities: fall, 2010 Consortium Objectives

OBJECTIVE 1 OBJECTIVE 2 Expand existing transition programs at Work with 9 existing OBJECTIVE 3 postsecondary 3 campuses & fully Develop additional transition programs to align with criteria postsecondary align them with the established for transition programs for Comprehensive Comprehensive students with Transition Programs for Transition Programs for intellectual disabilities Students with Students with across Florida Intellectual Disabilities Intellectual Disabilities into Higher Education into Higher Education Florida Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities

 Florida International University – Project Panther LIFE (two programs)

 Florida Keys Community College – Project A.C.C.E.S.S.

 Florida State College at Jacksonville – Vertical Training Program

 Indian River State College – Employment Institute

 Lynn University – The ACCESS Program

 Miami-Dade College – Project A.C.C.E.P.T.

Project REAL

 Polk State College – The Transition Program

– Project SAINT

 Tallahassee Community College – Eagle Connection

 University of North Florida – On Campus Transition

 University of South Florida (Tampa) The Learning Academy; STAGES

 University of South Florida St. Petersburg – Project STING RAY

 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

O Office of Multicultural Affairs O Department of Leadership and Programming O Fitness Center O Waterfront & Sailing Center O Mailroom O The Tavern at Bayboro O Harborside Activities Board O Career Center O Academic Advising O Department of Operations and Maintenance of Facilities O The Crow’s Nest newspaper O College of Education, Office of the Dean O Fairmont Park Elementary School O Student Advising Center Off Campus Internships

O St. Pete Bakery O Practically Pikasso O St. Petersbug City Hall O Sunshine Recreation Center (section of St. Pete Parks & Recreation) O Meals on Wheels O Pet Pals Animal Rescue O Clay Center of St. Pete O Morean Arts Center O 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, interests, and career goal O Consider the student’s support needs O Real work responsibilities O Realistic expectations and training needs O Increased independence fade supports O Provide opportunities for community mobility, self-management and self- determination 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; 2011- # Students who Exited # Students Employed 2012; (completed program) 2012-2013 Lynn 12 8

UNF 17 14

USFSP 5 5

TOTAL 34 27 or 79% Completers Employed

2013-2014 # Students who Exited # Students Employed (completed program)

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

 Welcome!  Think College LEARN provides self-paced modules using multimedia tools such as videos, publications, interactive learning activities and podcasts to share information on topics related topostsecondary education for students withintellectual disabilities. • Select a topic of interest from the circles on the right. • Hover over a circle to get a brief description of the content of that module. • Click on a circle to go to the full module content. • Modules can be viewed from beginning to end, or users can choose sub-topics.  Email us with any questions or comments. We strive to provide a quality learning experience and welcome your suggestions for improvements, additions or new topics we should cover.  Register to use Think College Learn  Log in to Think College Learn 

 COACHING AND MENTORIN GCOMPREHENSIVE TRANSITION PROGRAMSFOR FAMILIES UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING JOB DEVELOPMENT

 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, person- centered planning, and support networks for people with developmental disabilities. Twelve success stories are included in each video. The five- minute 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.

O 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 research- based 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!