Category: Agency Profiles

Description of the practice:

Supporting people with disabilities to work in jobs in the community is a high priority at the Arc of the Bay in Lynn Haven, Florida. Many individuals who participate in services at the Arc of the Bay are interested in the culinary industry. However, when adults attempted to access existing culinary training programs in their community, they frequently experienced barriers, such as lacking a Graduation Equivalency Diploma (GED), high school diploma, or driver’s license. To address these barriers, the Arc of the Bay worked to develop a high-quality culinary training program that would operate without those requirements.

In July of 2019, the ARC of the Bay began a partnership with Gulf Coast CareerSource and Gulf Coast State College to explore the needs of the community’s employers and the types of culinary training and certifications those employers required. They created an advisory board to oversee the development of the program and hired a team of instructors led by a professional chef and alumnus of the Gulf Coast State College culinary program. The Culinary Institute program offers training and certification to people seeking either full- or part-time employment.

Continue reading “ARC of the Bay’s Culinary Institute: Preparing People with Disabilities for Employment in a High-Demand Industry” →

Project Search is an internship employment model for job seekers with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) whose goal is competitive integrated employment. Project Search participants learn workplace skills and tasks in a combination of classroom and workplace settings at a community employment site.

Continue reading “Collaborating to Support Project Search for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities” →

Description of the Practice

Florida’s Division of Blind Services (DBS) and Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) use multiple resources to meet their employment placement goals. One resource that each agency uses is the Talent Acquisition Portal (TAP). Nationally, the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) oversees TAP. CSAVR includes 80 agencies, staffed by about 25,000 people, serving approximately 1 million customers with disabilities each year.

TAP is an online platform where employers can identify job candidates with disabilities. The purpose of TAP is to address the wide disparity in employment rates for people with and without disabilities. TAP supports employers who want to increase the diversity of their workforce, including individuals with disabilities.

Continue reading “TAP Equals Talent: Agency Partnership Introduces Employers and Job Seekers Through the Talent Acquisition Portal” →

The Division of Blind Services (DBS) is under the Department of Education and includes 15 district offices throughout the state that provide a full range of services to Floridians who are blind and visually impaired. Staff at the state level ensure that each of the 15 district offices has the information and skills to meet its employment placement goals. Over the past five years, including during the COVID-19 public health emergency in 2020-21, DBS has met or exceeded its annual goals.

At the beginning of the most recent fiscal year on July 1, 2020, the COVID-19 public health emergency brought a new set of challenges to job seekers supported by DBS. However, the public health emergency did not stop DBS clients from obtaining employment and it did not stop the district offices from meeting or exceeding their goals. In fact, the combined total of successful employment closures for all the district offices for FY 2021 was 788, 33 more than the annual total goal of 75

“This was a great accomplishment for our DBS team due to the uncertainty that the pandemic brought to each district office area, where COVID numbers and safety measures were affected differently by higher numbers in some areas more than others,” DBS’s business program consultant Stacy Smith shared.

Continue reading “Division of Blind Services: Supporting Employment Staff to Meet District Service Goals during Challenging Times” →

When a student is at risk for poor educational outcomes because of a significant disability, medical issue, or emotional or behavioral problem, a mentor may be able to provide a unique, invaluable form of support different from the support teachers, other professionals, or family members provide. This is what mentors in the Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resource System (FDLRS) provide to students in school and students transitioning to work or postsecondary education: www.fdlrs.org/.

The FDLRS is made up of six regional multidisciplinary centers (MDCs), each connected to a local university. When educational professionals identify students who may benefit from assessment and support, they can arrange for these services through the center closest to them.

Continue reading “Mentors offer Support and Connection to Students Navigating Educational Challenges” →

Description of the practice:

EmployU is a one-stop career service provider that began its work in 2012 and now serves 40 Florida counties from 20 regional offices. Its customers are youth and adults with disabilities referred through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR), the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD), and the American Dream Employment Network (ADEN).

EmployU’s services include assessments, employment skills training, support with resume development and interviewing, and paid work experiences. Students access many of these services through EmployU’s virtual pre-placement training program. The week-long class offers access to extensive, convenient training to help individuals prepare for or return to the world of work. The class combines instruction with interaction through learning exercises, discussions, and quizzes.

Continue reading “EmployU Prepares Adults for Success at Work” →

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EMPLOYMENT FIRST SUCCESS STORIES: EMPLOYMENT SERVICES

 The Arc of the Bay’s board of directors developed and implemented a plan to transform the agency’s ADT to support employment in the community as a priority outcome. “We decided to play offense and lead the way,” said Ron Sharpe, the Arc of the Bay’s executive director during a recent presentation about this transformation for Employment First Florida.

They framed ADT and employment services around supporting adults with IDD to build employment skills and find employment in the community. This led to the development of organizational goals and objectives to achieve this mission.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 requires that state vocational rehabilitation (VR) departments create local partnerships with school districts. These partnerships have led to improvements in the transition from school to work for youth in Florida with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).  

Many students with IDD aged 14–21 are accessing VR services before completing school through a work-based learning experience, or WBLE. While participating in a WBLE, students spend their time in a real work environment, taking on workplace responsibilities, acquiring skills, and gaining insight into their own work interests and the requirements of careers.

Continue reading “BRICK by BRICK: Building a Talent Pipeline through Work-Based Learning Experiences for Students with Disabilities” →