2017 Employment Matters! Conference

Join us on Wednesday May 17th to learn the latest on efforts to advance employment and economic opportunities for Massachusetts citizens with disabilities.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Jonathon Delman, PhD : Jon Delman will share his thoughts on the critical role of employment and employer responsibilities from his personal perspective as a mental health consumer as well as his professional role as an Research Assistant Professor at UMass Medical School. 

OPENING WELCOME: DMH Commissioner Joan Mikula: We are very pleased to have DMH Commissioner Joan Mikula join us to provide an opening welcome and discuss the efforts by the Department of Mental Health to advance employment.

Breakout Sessions: The conference features the following exciting breakout sessions.

Public Policy, Advocacy, and Employment: A Federal and State Update - This session will provide attendees the latest updates on public policy from the federal and state level, and the role of the Massachusetts Office of Disability in ensuring the rights of citizens of Massachusetts with disabilities.  

A Dialogue with Employers - In this interactive session, members of the Massachusetts Business Leadership Network, representing some of the state's leading employers, will share a comprehensive overview of why businesses are committed to disability diversity inclusion as well as some of the strategies and best practices companies are using to create inclusive work cultures and employment practices.  

Balance: Joy in Work and Keeping Recovery - Here the story of an individual’s successful employment journey, overcoming stigma, focusing on her strengths and joy in recovery. 

Customized Employment for Transition-Age Youth: An Action Research Project - Presenters will provide an overview of the Think College Transition Model Project, under which ICI staff and transition teachers at school districts in Western Massachusetts have created a unique action research project to attempt to reduce the problem of high unemployment for their transition-age students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The Growing Role of the Employer in Sustained Employment for People with Serious Mental Health Conditions - This workshop will discuss some of the key reasons people with serious mental health conditions have difficulty taking and retaining jobs, along with employer based best practices to support retention, with a focus on workplace culture, supervision, training and education, and assessing reasonable accommodations.. 

You Can Make it Work; An Overview of Social Security Work Incentives - This session will address common myths around work and Social Security disability benefits (SSI and SSDI), while providing an overview of work incentives that counter such myths.

Disclosure and Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation - This session will cover the basics of when to consider disclosing a disability to an employer or potential employer, how to disclose, and how to make an effective reasonable accommodation request. We will also discuss different types of accommodations that are common in the workplace.

Transportation and Employment: Finding Solutions -  This session will feature a cross-section of individuals who will provide updates and perspectives on addressing transportation needs in order to ensure employment success.

Expanding Rights and Employment Self-Direction - This presentation is a facilitator led, open discussion on Employment Rights for Individuals with disabilities. Its aim is to enlighten providers to the reality that individuals have the own ideas.

Organizational Change – Learn about practices nationally regarding organizational transformation to a focus on competitive integrated employment, and how these can be applied here in Massachusetts.

School Systems and the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission: Providing Transition Services to Support Students’ Visions - This workshop will discuss how working together in secondary transition services can support a student’s vision while providing supports to develop self-advocacy skills (including job exploration, pre-employment skills, internships, and training opportunities).

Power of 5 Presentations: We have an exciting series of 5-minute presentations, which will inform and inspire you: a) Creating Stars; b) I'm a Pampered Chef Director c) Eric: Staying the Course with the Help of Many Resources; d) The Pathway to Self-Employment; e)_ Community Life Engagement: What Is It and What Does It Have to Do With Employment?; f)I Can Do Everything!; g) Breaking Grounds - Developing a Social Enterprise; h) It’s All About the Hook! Accessible Entry Points Make All the Difference; i) What makes a REAL job for REAL people, From a Licensing and Long-Term Professional's Perspective?; j) The Critical Role of Peer Mentors for Employment Success.