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 Knab provided some of the components the committee agreed upon: the internship should be a business-led model (not human service or social model); closely resembles a workday with a consistent schedule (as opposed to a one-hour-a-week schedule); provides persons with disabilities direct exposure to a real work setting; allows individuals to take on responsibilities that are valuable to the company (resembles work experience that is consistent with real world employment practices); entails an evaluation of the intern after a certain period of time so that there is consistent feedback to the individual (progress of the intern, areas that need improvement, etc.); and the intended outcome is the individual is either hired by the company or is able to gain a set of skills that will help him or her become more competitive in the jobs market. Commissioner Knab concluded that the committee’s recommendations closely align with the other subcommittees.

Chair Homant stated the two presentations demonstrate the committees need to develop reasonable definitions on issues such as: what does an “internship” entail, what Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 4 is an effective “real work” or “valuable business” experience, what is considered successful in terms of employment, etc?

Employer Outreach

Commissioner LaFerte’ provided an update on the discussions of the Employer Outreach Subcommittee The committee is directed to focus on promoting awareness among employers to improve their willingness to employ persons with disabilities in the State of Florida. Commissioner LaFerte’ said the committee has focused its discussions on two recommendations for the first report: 1) streamline information for employers; and 2) development of a communications plan.

In regards to the first recommendation, Commissioner LaFerte’ stated many employers do not find that there is a lack of supports available to assist in the employment of persons with disabilities. Rather, there is need to improve, streamline, and organize information on existing services and programs into a singular entity under the state in order to make it easier for employers to learn about and utilize such resources. Commissioner LaFerte’ said there has been a lot of conversation around developing a web-based resource, and identifying the entity that would be responsible for cataloging the information and developing the website.

The second recommendation is to develop a communications plan to promote awareness. The committee recommends state government leaders raise awareness among employers as barriers to hiring persons with disabilities are addressed. The committee discussed how a sustained awareness campaign (not just a campaign during the month of October) can be coupled with success stories highlighting new opportunities and benefits persons with disabilities bring to employers and Florida’s economy. Commissioner LaFerte’ said state agencies, such as DVR, provide success stories of their clients in employment (Commissioner McKinlay provided the committee with a brochure as an example). The committee discussed the need to define “success” both as an employer and state agency standpoint (e.g. type of profession, years employed, number of employees, types of resources in the community that have been utilized by the employer, etc.).

Chair Homant thanked the commissioners for their presentations.

Demonstration on Assistive Technology

Chair Homant stated the commission received a presentation by the Florida Alliance on Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST) at the March 2, 2012 meeting in Tallahassee. The commission expressed interest in receiving another assistive technology (AT) demonstration. The FAAST Atlantic Regional Assistive Technology Demonstration Center is located at the University of Central Florida Communications Disorders Clinic. Dr. Jennifer Kent-Walsh, the director of the center, provided the commission with a demonstration on the AT services and devices offered by the center.

Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 5 Dr. Kent-Walsh thanked the commission for inviting her. She began her presentation with an introduction to the Florida Alliance of Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST). FAAST, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization as of October 20, 1994, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) through the Assistive Technology Act of 2004 and through Florida General Revenue funds under §413.407, F.S. FAAST, Inc. is sponsored by the Florida Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. The mission of FAAST is to improve the quality of life for all Floridians with disabilities through advocacy and awareness activities that increase access to and acquisition of assistive services and technology. Dr. Kent-Walsh explained there are so many tools and technologies available that it is important to know how to implement these tools in a functional context and having the support to be able to accomplish these tasks.

Dr. Kent-Walsh provided an overview of her presentation: 1) overview of FAAST services, 2) demonstration of assistive technology categories, and 3) discussion on employment-related issues.

Overview of FAAST Services

FAAST consists of six regional assistive technology demonstration centers (RDCs) throughout the state. The Atlantic Regional Assistive Technology Demonstration Center serves ten counties. Dr. Kent-Walsh is an associate professor in the Department of Communications, Sciences and Disorders at UCF where she works with the next generation of speech language pathologists and teachers. Dr. Kent-Walsh trains these individuals specific to assistive technology, and works with them to implement these technologies. Dr. Kent-Walsh specializes in communication-related assistive technologies. She works with other consultants (occupational therapy, physical therapy, educators, rehab engineers, etc.) to meet the needs of their constituents. The Atlantic Regional Assistive Technology Demonstration Center serves numerous clients, from birth to death, and a variety of disabilities (physical, developmental, injury-related, communication disorders, etc.).

Dr. Kent-Walsh discussed the programs and services offered by FAAST. The Device Loan Program lends a wide variety of assistive technology devices to consumers and professionals through the RDCs. FAAST provides AT skills development trainings and assessments, where the RDC assesses the client’s needs and matches the individual with the available AT device(s) to improve functionality and participation. Dr. Kent- Walsh explained there are numerous options to assistive technology, but it is important to identify the devices that are most beneficial to the individual to succeed. Once the individual is able to determine what devices are most beneficial to him or her, the RDC helps the individual acquire those devices. FAAST provides device demonstrations on the use and applicability of AT devices and services for individuals with disabilities, family members, professionals and others. These demonstrations compare the features and benefits of particular AT devices or categories of devices for clients, and are designed to enable individuals to make informed decisions regarding relevant AT options. Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 6

FAAST administers AT device reutilization, refurbishing and recycling programs. These programs facilitate the repair and reutilization of AT devices given directly to individuals with disabilities, which may include computers, durable medical equipment, and other previously used AT. FAAST administers the New Horizon Fund Program, which is a low-interest loan program for individuals who are not able acquire AT devices through other funding sources. FAAST has an online forum called ATBay (similar to eBay) for individuals can buy, sell, or trade assistive technology devices. FAAST provides self- help resource guides to assist individuals in accessing information and resources in the community. FAAST is involved in public policy initiatives, including advocating for access to assistive technology for individuals with disabilities. FAAST’s E-News Magazine provides up to date information on the programs and services FAAST offers as well as current information on available assistive technologies, new computer applications/software for individuals with disabilities, informational resources, etc.

Categories of Assistive Technology

Dr. Kent-Walsh discussed the AT options the Atlantic Regional Assistive Technology Demonstration Center is researching, using and applying with its clients. Dr. Kent-Walsh introduced her graduate assistant, Carolyn Buchanan, who provided the commission with some of the AT devices used by the center. Mobility and positioning options are for individuals with gross motor impairments. The center facilitates access to those issues. The center also provides numerous AT options related to computer and technology access. For example, if someone is not able to access the computer with a traditional keyboard, the center offers a device that can access the computer with a head switch. Dr. Kent-Walsh stated their greatest challenge is to find a way for individuals with significant motor impairments to access this technology. Accessible architecture options are devices that assist individuals to access their environment (such as a work setting). Activities of daily living options are devices that assist individuals to provide self-care (feeding, bathing, etc.). Cognitive organization options relate to AT devices that will assist individuals to plan their day. For example, this technology would help an individual who suffered from a stroke in remembering his or her schedule. And communication options are AT devices that assist individuals who cannot speak or communicate to others. Dr. Kent-Walsh provided some examples of communication devices that are being utilized.

Dr. Kent-Walsh discussed how AT devices are included in the “apps” movement. She discussed some apps that can be applied to communication and cognitive organization options. Dr. Kent-Walsh provided a visual example of a priority matrix app in order to assist individuals with cognitive organization. She also provided an example of a schedule assistant that provides audio recording of tasks and appointments. In regards to speech generating applications, Dr. Kent-Walsh explained not all individuals who have speech disorders are completely non-verbal, but they struggle to communicate with others in particular environments (such as work, school, etc.). These technology options allow these individuals to produce speech via technology. Dr. Kent-Walsh

Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 7 provided a demonstration of an individual using a speech generating application with an iPad.

Assistive Technology in the Workplace

Dr. Kent-Walsh discussed some of the issues confronting their clients and individuals with communication disorders in the workplace. Communication in the workplace is: fast, content rich (specific tasks, terminology, etc.), multi modal (face-to-face conversation, e-mail, video conferencing, etc.), and formal and informal context. Dr. Kent-Walsh provided a quote: “If you want to plan for the future, visit someone who is already there.” She provided a video of a person with a communications disorder who uses assistive technology in the workplace.

Dr. Kent-Walsh stated they work with their clients in three areas to prepare for employment: work skills, social skills, and employer supports. She said these factors are critical in determining success and a good match. She provided another video on how an individual utilized assistive technology in the workplace to interact with colleagues on work and social settings. Dr. Kent-Walsh discussed some of the employer supports: job carving (provides flexibility to a position that is workable to the individual); telework (telecommuting); assistive technology assessment to determine if the individual needs the device(s) to be successful in the workplace; “on-the-job training.”

Dr. Kent-Walsh concluded that assistive technologies are tools to help individuals with disabilities be more effective in the workplace. She provided a slide that stated: a good job match + relevant AT tools and services = positive employment outcomes.

Chair Homant thanked Dr. Kent-Walsh for her presentation and invited the commissioners to ask questions. Commissioner Hutcheson asked what the average cost of assistive technology is for employers. Dr. Kent-Walsh said in some cases assistive technology can be very simplistic. She provided an example of a piece of plastic to assist an individual to use a pen, which cost about five dollars. Other devices (such as the communications devices) can vary $8,000 - $20,000. In terms of the employment setting, Dr. Kent-Walsh said many of their clients already have these devices before they enter the workforce. She said the employer would not necessarily have to purchase the major devices; however, the employer may need to assist in setting up devices in the work setting, such as computer access and interface. She said those devices could cost around $100. She said it helps to have an individual available with the “on-the-job training” or the AT assessment to adapt to that work environment.

Chair Homant stated the commission is developing strategies that will make it easier for employers to assist their employees in the workforce. She asked how an employer can learn about these services, and how the commission could ensure that information reaches employers. Dr. Kent-Walsh said a lot of people do not know this program exists. Despite the organization’s extensive website, she stated numerous consumers, clients, and employers do not know about these resources. On the other hand, Dr. Kent- Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 8 Walsh said her staff consists of one full-time person who serves ten counties in the state. She stated her organization is limited in serving all the needs of their clients, which has created a waiting list. She said this can be very labor intensive in service delivery. Thus, Dr. Kent-Walsh said her organization is balancing the need to get the information to the right people and serving the needs of their clients. She responded to Chair Homant that any assistance to provide this information would be very helpful.

Commissioner LaFerte’ asked Dr. Kent-Walsh if their main client was the consumer. She said the client varies. Sometimes, it is the employer who is interested in contracting with the center directly. Other times, it is the client and/or the family. She said it may also be a treating provider, such as a speech language pathologist. Thus, FAAST partners with individuals/organizations that are seeking these resources to improve success. Commissioner LaFerte’ asked if the assessment process was specific to the client’s needs, or does the center provide a general assessment. Typically, Dr. Kent- Walsh said they try to identify the specific needs of the individual (but they also provide general assessment if it is necessary).

Commissioner McKinlay said these services are broad-ranging across the life span. In regards to where assistive technology and work intersect, she stated FAAST provides the assessment, has the equipment, provides loans, assists clients to learn how to use the equipment to determine if these devices will meet their needs, etc. Commissioner McKinlay stated this is an area where the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation can assist employers and customers. For persons with disabilities, DVR can purchase these devices to assist in employment. She said DVR can also provide workplace modification (structural changes to the facility) to make it accessible to individuals.

Discussion on Barriers to Employment

Chair Homant facilitated a discussion on the barrier of the loss of medical benefits as a result of employment. She wanted the members to share their thoughts on this issue. Chair Homant said the Access to Employment Opportunities Subcommittee has discussed the concept of a Medicaid Buy-In as a possible solution. She understood a “buy-in” can have positive and negative connotations. Despite these connotations, Chair Homant emphasized that this is an issue on the difficulty people with disabilities have in acquiring health insurance while on the job. She stated this is a discussion on health insurance benefits in the workplace.

Chair Homant discussed a legislative proposal that was considered during the 2009 Legislative Session to change the Medicaid system in Florida where an employee enrolled in Medicaid could maintain his or her coverage until the individual qualifies for another health insurance plan. She said the legislation proposed certain employees enrolled in Medicaid could pay a premium, pay a portion of the cost, or allow the employer to pay for the individual’s premium until he or she qualified for another health insurance plan. She said one of the stumbling blocks confronting individuals with disabilities who receive Social Security Disability or Medicaid benefits is the decision either to take a job and lose medical benefits or not take a job and maintain the medical Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 9 benefits. She said one of the senators who sponsored this bill had a son with a disability who was confronted with that decision. She stated some health insurance policies will not cover an individual for up to a year. Chair Homant asked the commission if it should address this issue; if so, she asked how the commission would want to address it.

Commissioner Felts, who represents Publix, discussed his company’s benefits program. He said his company offers a group benefit for anyone meeting qualification when it comes to hours. Within a year after ninety days, the individual is on a probation period. Commissioner Felts said he would not know how that would work with an individual on Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare; he said his company works with individuals with Social Security concerns (such as those who are elderly) on adjusting their hours. He said he would need to research this issue further to represent Publix.

Chair Homant asked Commissioner Felts after the 90-day probationary period if his company’s health benefits program covers pre-existing conditions. Commissioner Felts said it depends. Chair Homant asked about an instance where the pre-existing condition is not covered for ninety days: if an employee was able to continue his or her benefits through Social Security, Medicaid, etc., she asked Commissioner Felts if that would help. Commissioner Felts said yes: that would be a benefit to both the employer and employee. Chair Homant said Publix is a large employer, but small employers may have lesser options with their health insurance policies.

Commissioner LaFerte’ shared concerns that this issue may be outside of the scope of the commission. He said this topic is so big and complicated that it may take the focus away from the commission’s responsibilities. He recommended this issue not be included in the report, but it could be considered as a subtopic or recommended that another task force research possible solutions. Commissioner LaFerte’ stated this issue can be debated for years and may take away from the work of the commission.

Commissioner Knab, who represents the Project 10 Transition Education Network at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, agreed with Commissioner LaFerte’ to add this issue as a subtopic within the report. He said that his organization is finding that students with intellectual disabilities who are transitioning from university campuses to the workforce are being pressured by their families to quit their jobs to retain their SSI and/or medical benefits. He suggested the commission at least address the issue that the commission acknowledges this as a barrier. Although the federal government has tried to address this issue by providing options within the Social Security program to assist beneficiaries in retaining some of those benefits, Commissioner Knab said those alternatives are not working for his students and many are being asked to quit their jobs by their parents.

In response Commissioner Knab’s comment, if the commission were to include that statement in the report, Chair Homant said it would need to be substantiated with a source of information. She asked Commissioner Knab how he would propose to provide that information. Commissioner Knab said his organization has fifteen university programs that have reported that information. He said USF St. Petersburg holds the Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 10 federal grant called the “Florida Consortium.” He said it has been a consistent report from the staff: once students have obtained a job, many parents pressure their children to quit so they can maintain their medical benefits. He added that the district school systems would attest to that as well.

Commissioner Hutcheson said there was research available that she could send David Darm. She said her organization is experiencing the same scenario as Commissioner Knab. She said the economic conditions also impact the concerns. In regards to addressing this issue within the report, Commissioner Hutcheson said this is as much a federal issue as it is a state issue. She suggested this be identified as a major barrier. Along with transportation, Commissioner Hutcheson said this is one of the most challenging issues confronting persons with disabilities who seek employment. She said the benefits issue is a much larger challenge than the commission can solve on its own.

Chair Homant appreciated Commissioner Hutcheson categorizing this issue with the transportation challenges as the two most significant barriers to employment. She stated the commission could decide to include this subject in the first report as an issue it intends to further research and discuss.

Commissioner Tanck said this is a barrier and believed the commission could address it. He agreed with Commissioner LaFerte’ that the commission may not have a major impact on the broad issue due to the federal implications. However, he said there are different earning levels in employment for individuals who receive Social Security Disability Income that equate to what benefits are lost and what benefits are maintained. He suggested the commission can impact the education piece. He said his organization, Gulfstream Goodwill Industries, has an individual who works with consumers on the dollar amount they can earn and what benefits would be lost if they exceeded that amount (he called it a “menu” of x amount of earnings equals a reduction in this benefit). Commissioner Tanck said a recommendation could be to provide education and training to these individuals. He stated the Social Security laws are inconsistently implemented between SSA offices. He said the Commission could explore how to maximize access to information so individuals can make informed decisions on benefits planning (rather than just working on the false premise “If I go to work, I lose everything”). There are some parameters available where people can be employed without losing major benefits, or at least be able to make informed decisions to match benefits with their lifestyle. He added that there is a program available under Social Security Disability that provides a safety net for people should they lose employment that their benefits would kick back in at 100%.

Commissioner McKinlay agreed that this is a significant issue, and that the scope is much larger than this commission can tackle. She said the commission still needs to discuss the issue, but the concentration of energy might be better spent where the commission can impact (such as the educational effort of benefits planning, the collection of information or provide an information portal accessible to employers, etc.).

Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 11 Commissioner Felts agreed with the other commissioners. He said this issue would likely come up during the interview process with a candidate.

Chair Homant asked Commissioners McKinlay and Hutcheson how big this issue is from the perspective of trying to placement agencies. Commissioner McKinlay said it is always an issue. She said people who are on SSI or SSDI can receive a Ticket to Work to bring to an employment network, including DVR. However, she said the rates of success are low (she said this is consistent with the national trend). She said the national effort is to encourage people to use the ticket to get into the workforce and address the health insurance (or the lack thereof) barrier. However, as Commissioner Tanck stated, there are ins and outs with Social Security and the federal government has tried to make the program more responsive to individuals who are trying to work (e.g. provide trial work periods, provisions of hours to work, etc.). Commissioner McKinlay said the difficulty is that it is very technical, and it is critical that people receive good information about those options. She said the federal government attempted to address this barrier and provide better information to consumers by creating the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) program under Social Security. WIPA was designed to be a certification program in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University to train people in benefits planning so they can assist individuals on SSI or SSDI to understand the effects of moving into the workforce on their benefits. She said the intended outcome of the WIPA program was individuals could make better informed decisions. Commissioner McKinlay said the WIPA program is expiring.

Commissioner McKinlay suggested the commission explore ways the state could improve the education and training so individuals can make better informed decisions. She said provided some examples. The Disability Program Navigator Initiative provided these services through the workforce system. DVR is establishing a fee code so it can purchase benefits planning services on a fee-for-service basis. She said there may be other ways the state could support either the continuing education of people in benefits planning, or the purchase of benefits planning services for individuals that need it.

Commissioner Hutcheson said this is a major issue from the placement specialist’s perspective. She said her organization spends a lot of time making sure the individual maintains the benefits while working; she said the outcome usually is the individual works part-time. She said these individuals are not making a living wage. Commissioner Hutcheson also said if the benefits are not monitored and if the individual does not pay attention, the payback is significant through Social Security. She suggested the commission elevate the issue to a level of sophistication to realize what the issues are, and how the state can address any of these issues. Commissioner Hutcheson added that she did not think the commission could address the federal issues.

Commissioner Tanck said training on the usage of the Ticket to Work itself is important for the consumer because the individual gets the ticket in the mail and does not know what to do with it. He said the participation rate of the ticket is low because the reimbursement for expenses (to the provider) is paid after the individual is employed. He said that is not a real incentive for many agencies who cannot afford the loss of cash Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 12 flow while they are providing that service. He said that goes back to the federal government.

Commissioner Hansen said the issue was too big for the commission to tackle. He said he was not personally well-enough informed to make comments on the subject, but he was familiar with the health insurance industry and stated the laws are complicated and change constantly. He said the issue is worthy of note as a barrier, but it is beyond the scope of this commission to solve the problem.

Chair Homant said it appears there is a consensus that the commission can agree this is a barrier to employment. She reiterated Commissioner Hutcheson’s point that transportation and health insurance appear to be two major barriers to employment. She agreed that the many of these issues are impacted by federal and state laws; however, she said many companies are self-insured and are not impacted by state and federal provisions. She reminded the commission that it will have the opportunity to discuss the draft of the report before it is provided to the Governor.

Discussion on Employer Hiring Practices

Chair Homant originally asked Eladio Amores, who provides employment training for Vocational Rehabilitation, to participate in this discussion, but he was unable to attend this meeting. Chair Homant asked Mr. Amores if he could provide the commission feedback on what he is hearing from employers on the barriers and concerns to hiring persons with disabilities. Mr. Amores provided Chair Homant a summary via email of the feedback he is receiving from employers, which Chair Homant distributed to the commission.

Prior to this meeting, David Darm provided invited several employers in the Orlando area to participate in an informal discussion among employers on the benefits and barriers to hiring persons with disabilities. Mr. Darm invited those within the audience who represented employers to participate in this discussion. He said this is designed to be a conversation where the commission can learn about their experiences and the issues confronting them. Commissioner LaFerte’ invited his colleagues from Universal Orlando to participate in the discussion.

Amber Jackson is the director of staffing and Angela Lagos is the senior manager of diversity inclusion from Universal Orlando. Ms. Jackson addressed some of the factors that her company looks for in candidates. She said they look for qualified individuals who can perform the essential functions of the job, with reasonable accommodations. She said one of the biggest challenges is having the resources clearly explained to them as employers on what is available for those accommodations. Ms. Jackson said she has been contacted by over 20 organizations to discuss their services. She said it is a very confusing process to navigate for employers. She said they want to employ people with disabilities, but they are unsure where to go when they find a qualified individual to find the resources necessary to help that person. She used the example of FAAST: if Ms Jackson needed assistive technology for an individual she was about to Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 13 hire, she asked how she would know who to contact (and if there are other organizations to contact). Ms. Jackson said there could be 25 other organizations that may provide similar services. She also referenced Commissioner McKinlay’s remark that DVR could provide resources, she asked if she should go to FAAST or DVR.

Ms. Jackson discussed an example where her company tried to assist an individual with a visual disability. She said her company requires a portion of the interview process to use a computer. Ms. Jackson said they ran into barriers trying to get the assistive technology installed on the computer in order to successfully complete the interview process. She said the agency (Blind Services) was not willing to provide the technology (JAWS screen reader program) until after the individual was hired. Ms. Jackson said her position is that she has to interview the individual in order to see if he or she can do the essential functions of the job before she can hire the individual. As a result, Ms. Jackson said they ended up at an impasse: the company could not acquire the technology.

Ms. Jackson said it appears that there are so many resources available that it is not clear who to go to when an employer finds a qualified candidate for a position. She agreed that a streamlined informational resource, such as a website, would be helpful and provide clarity to the process.

Commissioner LaFerte’ asked Ms. Jackson to talk about the call center and some of the challenges they experienced. Ms. Jackson said Universal Orlando has a great partnership with Lighthouse Central Florida (a community service organization that provides supports and services to those that are blind and legally blind). Ms. Jackson said her staff toured one of the Lighthouse facilities where they are training individuals with visual disabilities to become call center agents. She said her staff was very excited to recruit some of these clients to work at Universal Orlando’s call center (e.g. selling the company’s ticket packages, etc.). During that process, Ms. Jackson stated the company was never able to acquire the technologies to meld together. She explained that there are certain customized applications that are used in their call center to sell certain products offered (such as the express pass). She said if one of those products sold out, their customized technologies would not work with the assistive technologies. She said the company was looking at spending thousands of dollars to have a programmer try to figure it out. She said it was unclear who would have provided the funding and be responsible for the ownership of trying to solve the problem. Ms. Jackson said they are eager to help Lighthouse place those individuals. She said as businesses have technology needs, it is difficult to apply these technologies while maintaining IT security. Ms. Jackson said they have had success stories of individuals who had lesser needs (such as ZoomText, magnifiers, screen readers, etc.) that the company has been able to hire as call center agents.

Commissioner Hansen said he had the opportunity a few weeks ago to tour Universal Orlando. He said he was very impressed with the big attractions’ interest in employing people with disabilities. He said the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) serves 30,000 clients on the Medicaid waiver, and has about 20,000 people on the waiting list. He said he was interested in figuring out how APD can connect with employers like Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 14 Universal to bring about more job placements. Commissioner Hansen said he does not understand the workforce system, but it appears they are having trouble in bridging the gap between employers and persons with disabilities. He wanted to understand how the APD area office staff interact with employers in the community (MaryJane Wysocki, from the APD Central Florida office, was present at the meeting). Commissioner Hansen said the report needs to be easy to understand with practical solutions (he did not want to see a 30-page book).

Chair Homant asked Ms. Jackson to discuss the situation she experienced with the individual who applied for the job where the company could not acquire the technology to use during the interview process. She asked Ms. Jackson to explain the process leading up to the interview (how the individual was able to apply for the job, how the individual heard about the job, and how the company communicated the job availability). Ms. Jackson said the individual found out about the position from the Internet; she said the company has an online application the candidates have to complete. She said her staff can offer assistance in completing the application. Ms. Jackson said the individual originally applied to be a dish washer. Ms. Jackson and her team liked the individual, but were also concerned about her safety due to her visual disabilities (i.e. cleaning sharp objects). She said they did an interactive process with the individual by taking her out to one of their restaurants and had her demonstrate how she could do the essential functions of the job. Ms. Jackson said this process took several resources from the company to conduct this interactive scenario. As a result, Ms. Jackson said they referred the individual to Lighthouse Central Florida in finding other employment opportunities. She said the individual succeeded at completing the call center training offered by Lighthouse. Once the company learned the individual completed the call center training, Ms. Jackson said they recruited the individual to apply for a call center position with Universal Orlando. She said the individual was able to successfully complete the initial interview process; however, when she went through the manager interview process and had to do a mock sales call, she needed accessibility to the website to navigate in finding information about the sales. As a result, Ms. Jackson said the individual could not demonstrate her salesmanship abilities because she did not have the accessibility to the Internet and the information to accomplish the tasks.

Chair Homant said it was very heartwarming to hear Ms. Jackson and her staff spent so much time with the individual; however, she said that would not be possible for most employers who need to fill a position quickly. Chair Homant said this is a prime example of the importance of employment readiness for the individual to be trained and prepared to be hired after the interview. She said the importance of training is going to be addressed either by this report or a subsequent report. In regards to Commissioner Hansen’s concerns about the first report, Chair Homant clarified that she and Mr. Darm do not intend to provide a report that is more than 12 to 15 pages (if it is even that large). She said this report would be concise and cover the most important issues.

Commissioner Hansen asked MaryJane Wysocki to explain how APD connects with employers like Universal Orlando to place clients in job positions. Ms. Wysocki said if someone wants to work, her office refers the individual to Vocational Rehabilitation. She Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 15 stated DVR has all the funding for the heavy supported employment piece. When she finds a job opportunity for a client, Ms. Wysocki goes to DVR to screen the people in the process so she can send the individual to the employer. She explained APD provides on-going support after the individual has been established by DVR (90 days into the position). If DVR cannot serve the individual, APD tries to place the client itself. Ms. Wysocki said there is disconnect on a three-way stretch between APD, DVR, and the employer: if there is a job available, APD needs DVR to place the individual in order to connect the person with the job. She said it is challenging to serve many of these clients due to the severity of some of the disabilities. Ms. Wysocki said it requires a lot of resources from DVR staff to place some of these individuals. She said there needs to be an educational piece with the employers. Ms. Wysocki said her office tried to establish a Project SEARCH at Universal Orlando, but they were unsuccessful. One of the problems they experienced related to job coaching. Ms. Wysocki, who has a background in job coaching, said they experience some job coaches who have to initially do the job for the individual for two reasons: 1) help the individual understand how the job is done; and 2) be able to provide on-going training to the individual to get him or her up to the quality of the position. Another problem she discussed was the need for customized employment. She said some individuals cannot perform all the tasks of the job, but may be able to do some of the tasks really well (freeing others to not do those tasks). Ms. Wysocki concluded that placement varies by the individual’s needs and the tasks required of the position. She said DVR has developed a new program called “DISCOVERY” where it is going to better match the individual’s need with the tasks required of a job.

Commissioner Hansen asked Commissioner McKinlay and the representatives of Universal Orlando if they work closely with APD and other service provider organizations in the community or (if not) does that need to be facilitated. Commissioner McKinlay said she intends to help facilitate these discussions. She said Universal Orlando has a lot of different jobs to offer, and DVR has a lot of different customers. She agreed with Commissioner Hansen that there needs to be more connectivity. She said there is no universal solution; it is going to come down to facilitating these conversations community by community.

Ms. Jackson responded to Ms. Wysocki’s comment on the scenario where an employer can offer a job opportunity to an agency to place a client into the position. She said Universal Orlando does not offer jobs to agencies; rather, the company places the individuals. She said their more successful stories are people who have come in on their own with the services and supports to help them behind the scenes. In these successful cases, Ms. Jackson said they interviewed them, determined that they are qualified, and helped them identify the accommodations. She said their support system is almost invisible to the employer. In other cases where the individual informs the company that he or she needs a special accommodation and provides the contact/resource the employer can reach out to, Ms. Jackson said the company can usually make it work because they know who to contact. She said there are various agencies with job coaches who are trying to place clients in job positions, but the job coaches that provide more of a supportive role (instead of an aggressive role) for the Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 16 client are more likely to be successful. Ms. Jackson said it is still not clear to her who to call when an applicant requests an accommodation. She said it would be helpful to have a one-stop place where she can call no matter what the disability or accommodation in order to help the individual be successful.

Ms. Wysocki said it is important to have a partnership between agencies and employers to assist the individuals with the most significant needs.

Commissioner LaFerte’ said as a large employer with a diversity inclusion team this is important for Universal Orlando to ensure it is meeting the social responsibility. In regards to the call center example, Commissioner LaFerte’ said this is a situation that is trying to create specific jobs for persons with disabilities; he emphasized that this is not what his company does (it is a for-profit organization). He said Ms. Jackson and her team have spent over a year trying to figure out the system, but her team’s main responsibility is to hire qualified candidates at Universal Orlando (over 60,000 applicants a year). Thus, Commissioner LaFerte’ said this demonstrates why it is important to have a resource like a call center or website where employers do not have to navigate the system by themselves.

Commissioner McKinlay recognized the Division of Blind Services (DBS) works closely with DVR on providing similar services. In response to Commissioner LaFerte’s remark about offering jobs that are not disability-specific, Commissioner McKinlay agreed that no employer should be expected to provide job opportunities to individuals simply because “it is the nice thing to do.” She referenced Dr. Kent-Walsh’s statement in her presentation: “A good job match + the right assistive technology = a successful employment outcome.” She said it comes down to having the ability to identify what jobs are available, and DVR can do a better job at connecting employers with qualified applicants as well as provide assistance with the necessary resources (i.e. assistive technology, etc.). She said it comes down to a community, local collaboration between the state agencies and the other organizations. She said it is complicated because the state contracts with several private vendors (employment service providers), which makes it overwhelming for employers. Commissioner McKinlay said it was their mission to figure out how to make it easier for employers.

Commissioner Hutcheson said the fourth player in this discussion is the community service provider. She said the key to successful employment placement is how the providers approach the placement for the individual. She said good providers find out what the business needs are and recommend candidates with skills that can meet those needs. She said the education piece on internship opportunities for providers should be on the business model that is being utilized by employers. She said there needs to be a change in mindset at the state agency/provider level: “we need to recognize that we [state agencies/providers] are not in charge anymore; we need to meet the business needs in order to ensure this happens.” She said there must to be a commitment from agencies and providers that they will to do what it takes, change their systems, and make sure the systems are more flexible to meet the business needs.

Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 17 Ms. Lagos provided the commission information about the workforce diversity inclusion initiatives at Universal Orlando, which highlights six resource groups. She said they intend to work closely with business leadership network, and will create a seventh resource called “My Ability.”

Lisa Hancock, who represents ManpowerGroup, participated in the discussion. Ms. Hancock provided a background of her company. Manpower is one of the largest workforce solution companies in the world, with over 400,000 clients. She said her company has a major hand on the pulse of the trends of employment. She said Manpower conducts employment outlook surveys. Despite the negative figures being reported, Ms. Hancock said the reality is third quarter height and trends in the State of Florida are going up 10% (the difference between the companies that Manpower serves that will be hiring and will be decreasing their headcount). Ms. Hancock said 10% is double digit growth and is the fourth consecutive hiring trend in the positive direction. She said in Orlando and Kissimmee its 18%. Ms. Hancock said this information demonstrates that hiring is happening, which means companies are searching for talent. She stated employers are fishing in a large pond looking for candidates with talent, not necessarily looking at barriers but looking for people with abilities. For her, Ms. Hancock said being a major employer in Florida and representing members the Business Leadership Network (BLN) in Orlando, employers need ease in finding talent with the least amount of resistance.

Ms. Hancock said Manpower is navigating the waters of the different resources that are available to the company. She said she works closely with Ms. Wysocki and the local APD area office. She stated the employers in the BLN collectively were able to provide 26 job opportunities through a partnership with community provider organizations (e.g. Lighthouse, Vocational Rehabilitation, etc.) in order to place their clients. They found the least resistance (the most ease) with the Veterans Administration because the agency provided effective pre-screening and strong resumes in a speedy timeframe – they were able to place six individuals through that resource.

Ms. Hancock said she is from New York, and worked closely with employer focus groups that were started by former Governor David Paterson and Cornell University. She said the focus groups served as direct feeding lines to the members of the BLN on what employers need to make this happen. She said the New York State created a technology portal within its one-stop career centers (similar to what is being done with Workforce Florida) to help employers post job opportunities faster. She stated employers want to be able to post a job like they do on Monster and Career Builder, and get feedback quickly – whether it is passive feedback (where they can scrape the boards for persons with disabilities who have skill-sets they need) or they have job advocates/resources that can help funnel the right talent as quickly as possible.

Ms. Hancock said Manpower was able place 3 million people in 2011. Although these are big numbers, she said the company needs the speed to market those positions in order to fill them as quickly as possible (and meet the employers’ immediate needs). She said there are a lot of positions available with small to mid-sized companies Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 18 (without HR departments) that make strategic hires. She said there needs to be a task force or education vehicle that can reach small to mid-sized companies to assist them in placing qualified candidates into job placements quickly.

Chair Homant said she recently saw Workforce Florida reported about 300,000 jobs available in the state, but only about 10% of those jobs are filled a month. She asked Ms. Hancock what kind of talent is missing, and is that something that the state needs to pursue in order to make sure persons with disabilities bring the needed skills into the position. Chair Homant stated the worst scenario is creating a mandate on businesses to hire persons with disabilities; she said this scenario promotes the wrong fit for the position and results in a bad experience for both the employer and individual. She asked if Ms. Hancock is finding gaps in the skills needed, and why is there a disparity between the 300,000 jobs available and 10% of positions filled per month. Ms. Hancock said Chair Homant’s reference was accurate, and explained four distinct trends causing this disparity: 1) skills mismatch; 2) demographics; 3) individual choice; and 4) technology. She said Manpower provides an annual survey of the ten skills that employers cannot seem to fill. She said skilled trades top the list (second year in a row). She provided an example of everyone’s grandfather or great grandfather was a “tool in diamond,” but those skills are no longer available. She said these skills are especially in demand in the manufacturing industry (e.g. CNC machinists, etc.). Ms. Hancock’s counterparts tour the country to talk with clients about “teachable fit” – how an employer can take an individual who has seven job skills and teach him or her three additional skills in order to do the essential functions (10 skills required) of the job. She said this is a hard message to deliver, but there are still hundreds of thousands of employers that want that perfect fit. She said the key is teaching employers that they can get someone through those avenues of finding that distinct talent in places they have never looked before.

Besides the skilled trades, Chair Homant asked Ms. Hancock what are the other gaps. Ms. Hancock said: 1) skilled trades, 2) engineers, 3) IT staff, 4) sales representatives, 5) accounting and finance staff, 6) drivers, 7) mechanics, 8) nurses, 9) machinists/machine operators, and 10) teachers. She said there is a need for laborers – people who do not have criminal backgrounds, can pass a drug test, and be able to work long-term. She said there are a lot of people who can do that job, but will not work in that position on a long-term basis. [NOTE: Ms. Hancock provided David Darm the results of the ManpowerGroup survey following this meeting. The survey and related information can be found at: http://press.manpower.com/press/2012/talent- shortage/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3 A+manpower_us_news_releases+%28Manpower+US+News+Releases%29].

Chair Homant thanked the employers who participated in the discussion.

Lunch/Committee Breakouts

The commission recessed for lunch. Due to the absence of two committee chairs and the convergence of the committees’ recommendations, the commissioners decided to Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 19 not convene any of the subcommittees. Instead, they decided to hold these discussions as a full commission during the afternoon session.

Students and Employees with Disabilities Discussion

The commission reconvened. Chair Homant introduced Sarah Goldman, who is a student at the University of Central Florida. Chair Homant invited Ms. Goldman to share her experiences with the commission. She provided the commission a biography of Ms. Goldman.

Ms. Goldman thanked the commission for inviting her to speak. She is a junior at UCF. She was born with quadriplegic cerebral palsy, which affects all four of her limbs. Because of her disability, she needs help with activities of daily living (i.e. showering, getting dressed, etc.). When she was growing up, Ms. Goldman’s parents were her caretakers. Throughout high school, Ms. Goldman had an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to provide her accommodations. The IEP provided Ms. Goldman with a personal care attendant (PCA) to assist her through high school. Once Ms. Goldman graduated high school, she said she was “left out in the real world.”

Ms. Goldman said she was excited to go to college. She was accepted at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. Three months before she was suppose to move to Florida Atlantic University, she was trying to find personal care attendants that would assist her in the dormitory (without this assistance, Ms. Goldman would not have been able to move away from home). Ms. Goldman said she had no choice but to use nursing students from the university because she was under 18 years old (Ms. Goldman said she could not acquire a PCA until she turned 18 years old due to the requirements of Medicaid and Social Security). The day before she was scheduled to move into her dorm, Ms. Goldman said she received a letter from the nursing school that stated the program would not provide her assistance due to liability reasons. Despite the efforts of Ms. Goldman and her family to find assistance, Ms. Goldman decided to move back home.

Ms. Goldman said it worked out for the best. She stayed home for the semester, enrolled in a community college in Tampa, and (when she turned 18) applied to Social Security and Medicaid. She was accepted in both programs in six weeks (she said it usually takes up to a year to be enrolled). Ms. Goldman’s first choice university was UCF, so she reapplied and was accepted at UCF. Ms. Goldman moved to UCF in January. She received 24-hours a day of PCA services.

During the following summer, Ms. Goldman received a notification that Medicaid would deny her hours for PCA services on the basis that her parents could take care of her (even though she was not living at home). When she asked for more formal reasoning of denial, Ms. Goldman said Medicaid informed her that “going to college is a convenience, not a necessity.” Ms. Goldman said she went to a fair hearing and won the case.

Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 20 Ms. Goldman is majoring in social work. She is interested in working with people with disabilities. Because of the challenges she experienced to become independent, Ms. Goldman wants to give back to other students to know “they can have dreams, hopes, and future careers.” Ms. Goldman shared her biggest concern: when she turns 21 years old in October, Ms. Goldman will lose all PCA services (though she will still be enrolled, Medicaid does not cover PCA services for individuals 21 years of age and older). Ms. Goldman said she will be sent home in the middle of her senior year if she cannot acquire PCA services. Ms. Goldman said she is working with DVR and her APD support coordinator to find a solution. She stated she is on the Medicaid Waiver waiting list and is trying to be declared “crisis” to get on the Waiver. Ms. Goldman said she is hoping for the best outcome, and knows that there are other students in the same situation. Ms. Goldman said her dream is to stay in Orlando or move to Tallahassee to pursue her career in social work.

Chair Homant thanked Ms. Goldman, and said most of people have not experienced Ms. Goldman’s barriers to pursue a career. She said these issues apply to employment readiness. She stated Ms. Goldman and her parents have struggled and been able to overcome every challenge that has been thrown at their path so that she can be able to reach this stage. Chair Homant asked Ms. Goldman what kinds of barriers and challenges she anticipates when seeking employment. Ms. Goldman said the biggest barrier she will face is to have the care to live independently. She said if she does not have that care, she will not be able to have a job (unless she is living at home and gets a job in Tampa, but that is not realistic for parents who work full-time). Besides the care, she said a challenge will be to find an apartment that is wheelchair accessible. She also said finding a way to get to work will be a challenge. Although she does not drive, Ms. Goldman said she intends to get an adaptive vehicle.

Mr. Darm asked if Ms. Goldman utilized assistive resources at the university. When he was in college, Mr. Darm said he found the disability resource center at the university very helpful in providing a safety net for him. He also asked if her professors in the program have provided assistance in pursuing her career. Ms. Goldman said if she had not attended the Youth Leadership Forum (YLF) by The Able Trust, she would not have gone to college. She said the YLF offered a seminar called “Resource Round Robin,” where different service organizations connect with the students. Ms. Goldman connected with the Advocacy Center, which later provided Ms. Goldman a lawyer at her Medicaid fair hearing. She also worked as a peer mentor for the disability service office on campus. She said it has been helpful to know the director of the office, who has pointed her in the right direction. Ms. Goldman said the director of the UCF Social Work program is familiar with disability-related issues, including spinal cord injuries.

Commissioner Hansen commended Ms. Goldman for her perseverance. He said there are a lot of students with no disabilities who do not make the efforts that Ms. Goldman made to be successful in school. He said she made him proud. He said he wanted to talk with her after the meeting to learn more about her situation.

Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 21 Commissioner Hutcheson said she has met a few people who have experienced similar issues, where they were finishing college and in need of personal care. She asked if Ms. Goldman had any ideas of what could happen in that arena: “If you had your way in the world, what you would you like to see?” Ms. Goldman said she would not necessarily need PCA services on a 24-hour basis; she needed to have someone there in the morning and at night to provide partial care. She also said having a car will be a major step to being independent.

Chair Homant asked Ms. Goldman what suggestions she would have for the commission in providing its recommendations to the Governor. Ms. Goldman said when she has been in the situation to seek employment or supports from state agencies, she struggles with finding the appropriate contact (she said she gets the “runaround” where one agency will refer to another, and the other will refer her back to the original agency). She said the services have been great, but it would be helpful to have a person available for students with disabilities (particularly in high school before they prepare to go to college and/or work) to help them navigate the system. Chair Homant responded the commission has heard this same concern from employers: the system needs to be streamlined to make it easier to meet people’s needs.

Chair Homant informed the members that there is a program called the “James Patrick Memorial Personal Care Attendant Program.” She said this is a program that The Able Trust serves as a fiduciary that was created by Senators Stephen Wise and Andrew Gardiner. The program provides PCA services for people who are working. A person can qualify if the individual is employed and makes less than $90,000 a year. She said there are about 70 people that are utilizing the program, and the program pays approximately $1,100 a month (covers half to 2/3 of the cost). She said the individual has to find the attendant, and that attendant becomes the employee of the individual.

Chair Homant thanked Ms. Goldman for taking the time to speak to the commission. She asked Ms. Goldman what she wanted to do with a degree in social work. Ms. Goldman said she wanted to get a Masters degree in counseling and provide counseling to students with disabilities to help them transition into college and adulthood.

Committee Updates/Discussion on Recommendations

Chair Homant informed the commission that the committees decided to hold a discussion as a full commission on the recommendations for the first report. Mr. Darm discussed the three recommendations being considered: 1) the important role of internships; 2) streamline information for employers; and 3) development of a communications plan. Prior to the meeting, Mr. Darm provided the commission a list of questions on each of these subjects to help the members narrow the scope of the recommendations. Mr. Darm clarified that these recommendations are not “set in stone,” and the commission can choose to further study a particular issue. He did not expect the commission to have all the answers for the first report; he wanted the members to think “big picture.” The commission discussed each recommendation. Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 22

The Important Role of Internships

Mr. Darm stated all three committees have discussed the important role of internships. During the morning session, the committee chairs and members discussed the need to define the term “internship.” Mr. Darm wanted the members to not get “caught in the weeds” of this term; rather, he encouraged the members to come up with a “universal” concept that both employers and consumers understand. He asked the members to think about what is considered an effective work experience that benefits the individual with a disability (such as Sarah Goldman, who needs a good work experience to pursue a career in social work) and the employer, who has a specific business need to fill.

Chair Homant stated Mr. Darm wanted the commissioners to discuss a definition of internships (or that concept) for the draft report. Chair Homant said she did not want to micro manage the definition; rather, she said the commission has heard expanded comments on this area (work experience, what is meaningful to the employer, what is meaningful to the employee). She asked the members how they wanted to include the concept of internships in the report: should it be called “internships” and indicate something specific, or should it be expanded and discussed as “meaningful work experiences” for a certain period of time.

Commissioner McKinlay suggested the commission use a broad term, such as “work experience,” that includes several terms (such as “internships,” “on-the-job training,” etc.). She said defining the term is one thing, but gathering information about where it exists and how individuals can access it is another. Because of the great variety of work experiences, Commissioner McKinlay said she would like to use broad terminology.

Commissioner Knab agreed with Commissioner McKinlay because the nature of internships varies by vocation, profession, and technological field. He recommended using the term “meaningful work experiences.”

Commissioner Hutcheson suggested the definition should encompass what the experience is, not necessarily what the term is. She said employers do not care about all the terms that are used in the field (internships, OJT, work experience, etc.). She said employers are more concerned about having a person who is going to be there to learn about the business, work a certain period of time, and perform specific duties. She wanted to see a definition that considers the employers’ needs, and then clarifies terms for providers (work experience, OJT, situational assessments, etc.). She said employers do not need to know how state agencies and providers are administering these programs; rather, state agencies and providers should care about how these programs are provided and ensure they are effective.

Chair Homant agreed and said the commission is approaching this term from various perspectives. Without trying to get too detailed, Chair Homant said she was trying to put herself in the Governor’s shoes and thinking “this group is telling me internships are one of the ways to go in order to create more jobs for Floridians with disabilities.” She said Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 23 he will want to see an answer why the commission feels this way. She stated The Able Trust study reported that internships do not necessarily lead to a job. She asked the members how they would explain to the Governor why they feel this belongs in the report.

Commissioner Tanck said the commission has heard numerous occasions that employers are looking for ease to hire individuals through a simple process. He said Commissioners McKinlay, Knab, and Hutcheson’s suggestions should be addressed well before an agency or provider walks into an employer’s office. Whoever is doing the placement (state agency or private provider), Commissioner Tanck said that provider should know the qualifications and benefits the individual(s) brings to the employer. The provider works with the individual, so the provider should know the benefits and incentives available to the consumer. He said this is done before the provider meets the employer and tries to convince the company to provide a job placement to the individual. Commissioner Tanck said employers only need to be informed about the incentives for the company to participate in the internship (e.g. half of the individual’s wages will be reimbursed by DVR for three months). He said it needs to be easy and simple for the employer to be willing to participate. In response to Chair Homant’s question, Commissioner Tanck said the Governor would want to see how internships remove the conscious and unconscious barriers, allow an individual a better opportunity to compete for a job by acquiring skills and abilities to fulfill the essential functions of the position, and provide ease to the employer in order to meet a business need. Commissioner Tanck said employers are not hiring in today’s economy with the expectation their workload is going to expand in the near future (end of the month, end of three months, end of six months); rather, employers are looking to meet an immediate demand: “If you can come in and provide a product that matches the employer’s needs, you will have made that match and many matches in return as the workforce expands.”

Commissioner Hutcheson said she would take the approach that research shows persons with disabilities have the highest rate of unemployment out of any group and that it has been demonstrated through a variety of areas that internships work for the general population; therefore, it is time to allow persons with disabilities be considered for those same opportunities.

Chair Homant said the commission also discussed how internships can be a means of perception change among the employers as far as the skills that are there and the workforce that is made up of persons with disabilities. She said that is an effective argument for internships. Furthermore, she said the incentive is the employer knows that there is a beginning and an end, and the intern can learn about their career options. Theoretically, Chair Homant said that should lead to a quicker path to a career. She said these are factors that should also please the Governor: internships provide an opportunity for perception change, and help persons with disabilities transition into the workforce.

Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 24 Chair Homant asked if the members were comfortable with Mr. Darm putting these concepts into the draft report. The commissioners said yes. Commissioner Tanck asked if the report was going to discuss all the different types of modalities of work experiences. He said some may perceive internships to be only for those that want a career, yet some individuals may only need an entry-level job or supported employment. He shared concerns that the commission may give the perception that it only is taking one segment of the population; he wanted to consider all individuals who want (and have the ability) to work. He wanted to ensure that this was inclusive and expansive of all persons with disabilities. Chair Homant said those were good comments; she clarified that a “career” does not necessarily mean a person needs to have a college degree to pursue that goal. Commissioner Tanck said he understood what Chair Homant meant, but wanted to clarify this term for the general public.

Commissioner LaFerte’ asked what specifically the recommendation is. He understood the importance of internships, but he wanted to know what the commission was specifically asking of the Governor (e.g. increase funding for internships; conduct more research on the value of internships, etc.). He wanted to ensure the recommendation had some type of action. Chair Homant understood Commissioner LaFerte’s concerns. She said the commission can make an argument that the state can recommend internship opportunities to employers and employees, and provide parameters of an effective internship. She said Mr. Darm can gather the information from the minutes of the subcommittees and commission meetings, but she said he needs the feedback from the members on how the commission can make that argument. She said the commission cannot mandate internships on businesses, and discouraged the commission from asking the Governor to allocate funds for internships (she said the Governor is approached by a lot of interest groups that claim more money is the only solution). Chair Homant asked Commissioner LaFerte’ what he wanted to see in the report. Commissioner LaFerte’ said he would be interested in seeing what Mr. Darm finds in the minutes, but he was not hearing a recommendation at this time.

Mr. Darm said, knowing Governor Scott’s philosophy of the role of government, the commission should look at recommending private sector solutions as well as what steps the government can take to break down the barriers to employment. For example, Mr. Darm said the commission has identified that many of the barriers relate to perceptions, which will require creative solutions that go beyond public policy changes. He said internships can address the perception barriers by providing employers and employees direct exposure to persons with disabilities in the workplace. He stated the commission is trying to address what economists call a “market failure,” where individuals with disabilities have not been given the same opportunities as those without disabilities to compete in the workforce. Mr. Darm wanted to ensure the content in the report is language that resonates with the Governor.

Commissioner LaFerte’ asked if the recommendation would be to market the current internship opportunities available to employers. Mr. Darm said there appears to be a variety of opportunities available to employers. Chair Homant emphasized the commission is directed to find the factors that are keeping employers from hiring Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 25 persons with disabilities. She said if the commission could encourage more employers to facilitate internships for positions that have the potential of being full-time, this would give employers an opportunity to find out the skills that they were missing, and give potential employees to learn skills and determine if this is a company they want to work for. She cautioned the commission to not approach this purely from the perspective of the employee; she said it is the employer who provide the job.

In response to Commissioner LaFerte’s question, Commissioner Tanck suggested the commission begin the report with the recommendations to develop a communications plan and streamline information (which were presented as the second and third recommendations in the staff analysis) to compliment the importance of internship opportunities in the state. He said the development of a communications plan speaks to the employer on the benefits to both the business and the employee, and the need to streamline information will help the employer learn more about how to facilitate internship opportunities. He said the goal is to communicate what the state has to offer persons with disabilities in order to obtain jobs. To accomplish this effectively, Commissioner Tanck said the state needs to streamline the system to communicate that message to employers. He said internships offer employers the opportunity to make that match. Chair Homant agreed with Commissioner Tanck’s point on addressing the issues of communication because that is the perception area. She said the feedback from employers indicate that there is a disconnect between persons with disabilities (who are capable of doing the job) and perceptions of what these individuals can do.

Streamline Information for Employers

Chair Homant stated the mission document charges the commission to develop a business-to-business network, which would address the need to streamline information and develop a communications plan. She said this can flow into an active emphasis on internships and job experiences. She asked the members if they wanted to go in that direction. The commission agreed.

Mr. Darm said both the Employer Outreach and Access to Employment Subcommittees discussed the need to streamline information and provide a single-point of contact for employers to access this information. He stated the committees did not identify an entity to be responsible for streamlining information and/or serving as the single-point of contact. Mr. Darm asked the commission if it wanted to identify an entity (e.g. state agency, not-for-profit, or vendor).

Commissioner Knab said it would be overwhelming to provide that information in the initial report. He suggested the report provide the recognition that there should be something of this modality in place. Recently in Washington D.C., Commissioner Knab said he was familiar organizations, such as the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, who create websites for states on disability employment issues. He said SharedWork.org may be an option for the commission to explore as a model for this issue. He stated the report can recognize the need to streamline information, but the commission would like to take another year to answer more questions. Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 26

Commissioner Hutcheson agreed with Commissioner Knab. She said the entity responsible for these duties needs to be familiar with the needs of employers and the state system. She suggested an organization, like The Able Trust, that is not a state agency but familiar with the state system.

Chair Homant said it appears the responsibilities can be privatized, where the entity can work under contract with the state and meet certain deliverables to fulfill this role. Regardless of the entity responsible, Chair Homant emphasized the report needs to outline how this is a key problem from employers (she asked Mr. Darm to quote some of the employers who indicated this concern). She said Commissioner Julio Suárez stated this was a problem for his company (Darden Restaurants) to find individuals due to the difficulty of navigating the system. She said the goal is to make it easier for businesses.

Commissioner McKinlay said the recommendation is: the presentation of information must be streamlined for employers (not necessarily to change the operation of state government).

Development of a Communications Plan

Based on the discussions in the Employer Outreach committee, Mr. Darm said the communications plan would be developed in tandem with the effort to streamline information for employers. He stated the communications plan would promote success stories. He asked the commission what it wanted success stories to look like (he provided the example of the VR brochure on success stories). Mr. Darm added the commission could choose to research the issue.

Commissioner Tanck said he was in favor of promoting success stories, but did not know where success stories fit in the continuum of information. He said some small to mid-sized employers may not have time to read about success stories. If the state develops a website to provide employers such information, Commissioner Tanck recommended providing brochures/mailers to employers about the website and the benefits to hiring persons with disabilities (he said employers receive similar information on taxation, labor, finance, workers’ compensation, etc.). He said the website could provide the success stories, but there needs to be something provided to employers that will get their attention. He used the example where K-Mart advertised the “Blue- Light Special.” Commissioner Tanck said the message needs to be businesses can make more money by taking advantage of these opportunities.

Chair Homant recommended the commission include something significant about the whole world of communications as a comprehensive approach of increasing awareness (not simply focus on one aspect of communications, such as media, website, mailings, social media, etc.). She said the plan will be most effective if it entails the various components of communication. In regards to success stories, Chair Homant said this information must be supported by data. She said the commission could include success stories with data in the report, or inform the Governor how the state can gather data to Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 27 make this successful. Chair Homant said legislators are more willing to change laws based on the data that is presented to them (i.e. if you change this law, the state will experience a 20% increase in satisfaction). She said this can be followed-up with success stories.

Chair Homant asked Mr. Darm if the report should address the three charges in Executive Order 11-161: “The Commission shall: a) Utilize existing resources and service providers to enhance employment readiness for persons with disabilities; b) Identify barriers in state and local programs that hinder individuals with disabilities from gaining employment, and propose solutions to mitigate those barriers; and c) Develop and leverage state and community resources to advance service delivery.” Mr. Darm said he had not thought of formatting the recommendations based on the format of the Executive Order; however, he said the recommendations could address each of those charges. Commissioner McKinlay said the report should identify how each recommendation addresses the charges with the Executive Order. Mr. Darm said some of the recommendations may address more than one charge. He said he envisioned the recommendations address at least one barrier. Commissioner McKinlay said she wanted to see the recommendations connected with the charges. Chair Homant said this can be done (she used the example of how streamlining information for employers addresses the specific charge in part c of the Executive Order to “increase coordination of resources to breakdown silos and maximize funding opportunities”).

Executive Director Report/Next Steps

Mr. Darm stated the commission will convene in Tallahassee on Thursday, July 12, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to discuss the first draft of the report. He said he would provide the draft of the report during the first week of July in order to allow commissioners time to review the information. For the members that cannot attend the meeting, Mr. Darm asked those individuals to provide him their feedback before the July 12 meeting.

Public Comment

Hector Del Valle, from the Disability Wellness Center, asked if the next commission meeting (July 12) would be open to the public. Chair Homant said all commission meetings are open to the public.

Wayne Jennings from the Division of Blind Services (DBS) thanked the commission for including him in the meetings. He stated DBS is willing to help in its capacity. Chair Homant thanked him for attending all the meetings and providing information on DBS.

Walter Marino, a parent of a sixteen-year-old child with a disability, thanked the individuals who participated in the commission meeting. Mr. Marino suggested the commission explore the public school system as a resource in employment readiness. He said the school system should be included in this discussion. He said the Seminole County school system provides a program called Job Education Training (JET). He also stated the loss of benefits due to employment is a very important issue, and said: “we Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 28 cannot kick that can down the road.” Although this commission may not be able to address this problem, Mr. Marino said the Governor may know who should explore this issue. He said a person like Sarah Goldman is not going to give up, but many individuals with disabilities cannot advocate for themselves to tackle these barriers. Chair Homant assured Mr. Marino that the commission was going to work very hard to make more employment opportunities available to people with disabilities. She encouraged him to come back to future meetings. Mr. Marino said he heard about this meeting through MaryJane Wysocki’s spam e-mail. He said a lot of parents would love to participate in these discussions. As the commission is looking to develop streamlined information for employers, Mr. Marino said parents are just as confused and uninformed about initiatives like this commission that are trying to fix the problem.

Eileen Diaz-Lizardo, who works with the Centers for Independent Living (CIL) and has a child with a disability, said she was not aware of the commission until recently. She stated the meeting was very informative and she related to a lot of the issues. Ms. Diaz- Lizardo state she is an employment specialist and interpreter with the CIL. She said most parents she works with are not aware of the resources that exist for persons with disabilities outside of the school system. She said parents should know about these resources when their children turn 18 in order to ensure a better transition. She asked the commission to consider developing a plan for the school system to provide better information to parents and students on these resources. Chair Homant thanked Ms. Diaz-Lizardo for her suggestions.

Bruce Blake, who works for the Center for Autism-Related Disabilities, is a researcher for a five-year longitudinal study on employment issues for adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and is a charter school principal. He said there is a disconnect between high school preparation programs and how they translate into employment. He said a lot of students go through work experiences while in high school, but many of those experiences do not turn into jobs. Mr. Blake said Publix has been effective in serving a wide array of persons with disabilities. He said there is a lot of data that can be extrapolated from these high school work preparation programs, and the state can determine if these programs are translating into jobs post-high school. He stated assistive technology resources and training should be provided at the high school level as part of the transition plan. Mr. Blake was interested in offering data on working with adults with autism, and said other organizations that serve other disability groups would be willing to participate as well. He said it is not rewarding for people (like him) who have devoted their lives to helping others see little success in these efforts. On behalf of the Center for Autism-Related Disabilities, Mr. Blake offered to assist in providing data (he stated his organization serves over 6,500 constituents in Central Florida). Mr. Blake said he was happy to hear about this meeting, but he was surprised there were not as many people attending.

Chair Homant thanked Mr. Blake and all individuals who participated in public comment. She said the commission would explore these issues as part of its charge to improve employment readiness. In regards to the attendance of the meeting, Chair Homant stated this was the largest turnout the commission has experienced thus far. She said Commission Business Meeting June 8, 2012 Page | 29 the commission intends to continue its work after the publication of the first report by meeting in other communities. Chair Homant thanked all the individuals who got the word out about this meeting.

Mr. Darm thanked Dr. Holsenbeck and his staff for hosting this event, and spreading the word about the meeting. He echoed Chair Homant’s remarks and hoped the commission will improve turnout and participation in its meetings. He thanked Commissioner Knab for assisting him in inviting employers to participate in this discussion. Overall, Mr. Darm was very satisfied with the success of this meeting.

The meeting was adjourned

Minutes compiled by David Darm.

Note: This meeting has been summarized to reduce paperwork in accordance with policies of the State government. If an accessible format or more information than is provided herein is needed, please contact David Darm at (850) 717-9433 or [email protected] for assistance. A copying or printing fee may be charged to the requesting party.

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