Meeting Summary

Meeting Summary Governor’s Commission on Jobs for Floridians with Disabilities Commission Business Meeting University of Central Florida – Fairwinds Alumni Center June 8, 2012 4000 Central Florida Boulevard 9:00 AM Building 126 North Gemini Boulevard, Grand Ballroom Orlando, Florida 32816 Commissioners Present Commissioners Absent Susanne Homant, Chair Robert Lynn Jack Felts Julio Suárez Mike Hansen Steven Wallace Suzy Hutcheson Jordan Knab Scot LaFerte’ Jim Landsberg Aleisa McKinlay Marvin Tanck Others Present David Darm, Dr. Daniel Holsenbeck, Joyce Mastriani, Louis Lubin, Nicholas Corvino, Dr. Jennifer Kent-Walsh, Carolyn Buchanan, Sarah Goldman, Amber Jackson, Angela Lagos, Sherry Wheelock Fred White, Alex Manrique, Lisa Hancock, Christie Laffey, Ana Irving, Wayne Jennings, Linda Bartz, Paul Sershow, Ted Podst, Terry Rick, Sherrie Fries, Geraldine Kressiw, Timothy Kogstrow, Mireya Hernandez, Jeff Whitehead, Gloria Roberts, Hector Del Valle, Jo Del Valle, Phyllis Heath, Jim Woolyhand, Christopher Debonig, Tracey Kurek, Erma Dennard, Eileen Diez-Lizardo, Walter Marino, Bruce Blake, MaryJane Wysocki, Melanie Etters Call to Order Chair Homant called the meeting to order. David Darm called the roll. A quorum was present. The agenda was approved. Approval of the April 27, 2012 Minutes Chair Homant discussed the minutes from the April 27, 2012 commission meeting. ACTION TAKEN: Commissioner Felts moved and Commissioner LaFerte’ seconded to approve the April 27, 2012 minutes with revisions. The motion carried unanimously. Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 1 Introduction of Commissioners The members of the commission introduced themselves. Welcome from the University of Central Florida Dr. Dan Holsenbeck, Vice President of University Relations, welcomed the commission on behalf of President John Hitt and the University of Central Florida (UCF). He said the university was started in 1968, and John Hitt is celebrating his twentieth year as the President of UCF. Dr. Holsenbeck said UCF has been successful during the past several decades. UCF is the largest university in the state, and the second largest university in the nation. He added Florida has three of the largest universities in the country. Of the 60,000 students that are enrolled in the Fall Semester at UCF, Dr. Holsenbeck said the average SAT score is between 1250 and 1270, and the average GPA is a 3.8. Dr. Holsenbeck stated the university has become a competitive institution for quality education. He stated the top priority is access. UCF is a metropolitan research university, and it is the only public university in the Orlando area. He said the university received over 35,000 applications last year for approximately 6,000 freshmen placements. Dr. Holsebeck discussed some of President Hitt’s goals when he began his tenure at UCF. He wanted to offer the best undergraduate programs in the State of Florida. He also wanted UCF to be America’s partnership university, which Dr. Holsebeck said President Hitt was interested in working with state agencies and organizations on investing in issues like students with disabilities and others in achieving employment. Dr. Holsenbeck introduced Louis Lubin, who manages the Fairwinds Alumni Center. He stated the facility belongs to the UCF Alumni Association; he said it was built with alumni donations. Dr. Holsenbeck also introduced his student assistant, Nick Corvino, who offered his assistance to the commission. Dr. Holsenbeck closed by thanking the commission for hosting the event. Chair Homant thanked Dr. Holsenbeck and his staff for hosting this event. During the afternoon session, Chair Homant said the commission would receive a presentation from a student at UCF who has a disability. She said the university is very accessible and welcoming to all students. Remarks from the Chair Chair Homant discussed housekeeping items. She stated this is the second opportunity for the commission to hear from employers on their experiences with recruiting, interviewing, training and hiring persons with disabilities. She informed the members that the commission will have a discussion on the effects of access to health care related to employment. She said this is a barrier for many persons with disabilities who are confronted with the choice between taking a job and losing health care benefits or Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 2 turning down a job and keeping the health care benefits. She wanted the members to share their thoughts on this issue, and see if this is relevant to the content of the first report. Committee Updates Chair Homant recognized the committees to update the full commission on the progress of their discussions. Access to Employment Opportunities Commissioner Tanck provided an update on the discussions of Access to Employment Opportunities Subcommittee. The committee is charged with developing strategies to improve access to job opportunities for persons with disabilities. He thanked the members of the committee for their hard work. He stated the committee discussed three major topics: 1) Internships, on-the-job training (OJT), and other work experience programs; 2) developing a single-point of contact; and 3) creating incentives within public programs to encourage persons with disabilities to seek employment opportunities (such as a developing buy-in within Medicaid to allow an individual to retain his or her medical benefits while remaining employed). In regards to internships, Commissioner Tanck stated the committee is trying to come up with terminology that is universal and specific enough that people can understand. He stated the terms “internship,” “work experience,” and “on-the-job training” have several meanings; thus, the committee wants to have a clear, identical, and practical definition and understanding of those terms. The committee is focusing on strategies that benefit both the individual and employer. For example, the committee discussed the need to streamline information to make it easier for employers to learn about the resources in the community, which can also benefit consumers to have access to more resources in the workplace. The committee discussed the need to create an information resource (web-based design, call center, etc.) that connects users with the opportunities available to hire persons with disabilities. Commissioner Tanck stated there appears to be a consensus among the committees that there are too many websites and an overwhelming amount of information; thus, this resource would be an effort to streamline this information and make it easier for the consumer. Commissioner Tanck said the commission will discuss conceptual models of a Medicaid Buy-In and other incentives that can assist persons with disabilities to access the labor market without jeopardizing health care coverage and other types of benefits they may need to support their independent lives in the community. He stated the committee intends to discuss these issues as more information becomes available. Chair Homant asked Commissioner Tanck to explain the definition of targeted terms relating to internships. Commissioner Tanck said internships may be familiar to certain people, but there are other populations where that term may not be as much of an Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 3 incentive and/or accommodation leading to employment. For example, the incentive for an individual to participate in a supported employment opportunities may not be the same as the incentive for an individual seeking an internship opportunity (Commissioner Tanck said “internship” has a professional connotation). The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) and Goodwill Industries provide OJT programs that serve different populations. He said these programs vary by referral source, funding source, and/or the types of jobs offered. He said this can be “touchy” for many agencies because the placements vary (Commissioner Tanck’s organization, Gulfstream Goodwill Industries, places several clients in OJT opportunities with small to mid-sized businesses). Therefore, Commissioner Tanck said the big issue is to come up with terminology that is inclusive rather than exclusive. He said this needs to be something common for placement specialists and individual applicants (conducting their own job search) can understand these incentives, and the employer is able to make the connection. Commissioner Tanck stated terminology is very important, and there may be terms the committee has not even considered. Employment Readiness and Services Commissioner Knab provided an update on the discussions of the Employment Readiness and Services Subcommittee. The committee is charged with focusing on the services and supports that assist individuals with disabilities to become more competitive in the jobs market. The committee has primarily focused on the important role of internships to prepare persons with disabilities for the workforce. With the assistance of Chair Steven Wallace, the committee put together a bubble chart that places the internship at the center and all the supports and services around the internship to help the individual be successful in transitioning into employment. The committee discussed components that make up a successful internship. The committee came up with a consensus on the components that benefit the individual; in order to promote a shared benefit, the committee would like to hear from employers on the essential elements that make them willing to facilitate internship opportunities. Commissioner

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