2016 National APSE PreConference 

National APSE is offering 6 engaging pre-conference sessions on Monday June 20th 2016. Session to include Transition, Job Development and Job Support, Transforming Federal Policies into practice.

Session #1 9am-noon:  Making Systemic Change: Lessons from Scary Broads 2.0
 

Scary Broads (a not-so-secret-society of women who are making changes in Employment First states across the country) will lead this fun and interactive session, providing strategies and techniques for creating, supporting, and sustaining meaningful changes in employment services for individuals with disabilities. Presenters will address multiple components of systemic change by sharing brief descriptions of their change efforts (successes and challenges). After each topic, session participants will work in small groups to discuss how these efforts could be implemented in their states. Together, we are better: Everyone in the room will serve as experts, sharing their successes as well as the lessons learned by work through any struggles. The strategies that are transforming employment services and supports all over the country will be compiled during the session and shared with all participants. We look forward to you joining us! You, too, can be a Scary Broad!

The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the Administrative on Community Living/Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (ACL/AIDD) will partner to offer two Pre Conference Sessions: 

The morning session will include an emphasis on strategies targeting youth and young adults with intellectual disabilities as they transition from high school to post-secondary education and entrance into the adult systems. This session will include a discussion of state policy coordination across education, developmental disabilities services, and vocational rehabilitation and highlight the importance of collaborative entities as leaders in systems change initiatives. Outcomes and strategies from various states involved in the PIE initiative and EFSLMP will be explored.  Project staff will provide recommendations on how other states can use their experiences and examples to further systems change and use the newly developed Higher Performing States in Transition Framework as a blueprint for action.

Session #3 9am-noon:  Employer Engagement with Mitch Morgan from Fifth Third and Panel of Employers
Panelists to include: Proctor and Gamble, Nielsen and Fifth Third Bank

 Corporate hiring managers will discuss the importance of a truly diverse workforce and will speak to direct experience hiring and retaining employees with disabilities and their supports (if applicable) everyday. Panelists will discuss how having a workforce that includes workers with disabilities has improved the company’s bottom line and enriched the workforce environment.

Panelists will discuss how they would like to work with disability service providers, transition personnel and potential employees with disabilities to improve the recruiting, on-boarding and retention processes. This will be an interactive session with attendees to determine what businesses need from the support providers and how to replicate disability inclusion at businesses that have not done so in the past

Session #4 1pm-4pm: Title: On the Job Support: Additional Tools & Techniques for the Toolbox

Job coaching can make or break success in the workplace. With continued budgetary issues in many states, funding of all kinds are being reduced for people with disabilities, including funding for competitive employment success. This means less time for job coaches to foster independence and success for individual placements. Tools, techniques, skills, and best practices (knows as the job coach’s toolbox) are in constant need of development to ensure optimal efficiency and the most positive impact on an individual’s employment skills development. Upgrading the Job Coach’s Toolbox provides a modern approach to assessing skills and levels of independence in the workplace. By reflecting on what tools and techniques job coaches are currently using, a plethora of solutions - that save time, and therefore, resources - can be presented for just about any job coaching situation or experience. With more creative and efficient tools in the job coach’s toolbox, an increase in independence can lead to an increase in successful employment outcomes. A focus of upgrading the job coach’s toolbox is on adaptive technology, and not just for individuals in the workplace. While apps and other adaptive technology for individuals in the workplace is important, electronic assessment tools for workplace culture, task analyses, and measuring levels of independence are available and can be implemented to save job coaches time and maximize efficiency, as well as aid in determining support needs. Overall, participation in this seminar will allow job coaches of all levels of experience to discuss what tools they currently use, challenges they have experienced, and to work together to discuss prepared job coaching scenarios for group discussion. By attending this seminar, participants will have the tools to spend less time accomplishing more goals, especially fostering success and independence for individuals with disabilities in their respective competitive jobs.

Session #5 1pm-4pm: E1st across the Life Spectrum:  Innovations in Policy & Practice 

The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the Administrative on Community Living/Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (ACL/AIDD) will partner to offer two Pre Conference Sessions.

This afternoon session will hone long term sustainability of employment supports into adulthood, including a deeper dive into strategies for leveraging the Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act and the 2014 final rule on Medicaid-financed Home and Community Based Services to promote Employment First efforts. Guided by ODEP’s Criteria for Performance Excellence in Employment First State Systems Change & Provider Transformation, topics in the afternoon session will include policy & funding alignment; employer engagement strategies; provider transformation; and capacity building in the delivery of effective practices that support and sustain competitive, integrated employment.

 Transition from school-to-work, including adult service systems can be daunting for the student, families and school personnel. With the passage of the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act 2014 (WIOA) allows for creative opportunities to work with youth and schools. In this workshop participants will develop strategies to work effectively with schools and ultimately improve employment outcomes for youth within your local community. Understanding the school’s culture, expectations and ways to enhance collaboration will be explored. Using evidence-based practices based on predictors of postschool outcomes will be identified. Ideas of what has worked and what to avoid will be shared. The learners will:

1. Identify opportunities to work with schools through WIOA
2. Identify the barriers and solutions for working with schools
3. Identify factors that influence collaboration with schools
4. Identify predictors of postschool outcomes to implement evidence-based practices

Addiotional Registration information can be found here: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=imztrvcab&oeidk=a07eccgcmg65b60112c