A NATIONAL WEBINAR ON SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS AND ABLE ACCOUNTS

Hosted by the National Association of State Treasurers' ABLE Savings Plans Network (ASPN) with guest speakers from the Social Security Administration.

You are invited to attend this special webinar on Wednesday, February 22nd @ 1:00 pm ET to hear from ABLE state program administrators and Social Security Administration (SSA) experts. During this inaugural webinar of the ABLE Savings Plans Network, participants will be equipped with the following:
• General knowledge about the benefits of owning an ABLE Account
• Knowledge of the relationship between ABLE Accounts and Social Security Disability Benefits
• Understanding of ABLE-related information that must be provided to SSA
• Resources on SSA benefits and ABLE Accounts

REGISTER TODAY!

Click here to register

Who will benefit from this webinar?

People with disabilities, their family members and legal representatives, SSA field office staff and leadership, disability advocacy and service provider organizations, and state ABLE program administrators.

The ABLE Savings Plans Network

The National Association of State Treasurers (NAST) hosts the only national working alliance for all Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Programs, called the ABLE Savings Plans Network (ASPN). ASPN is a working alliance of state ABLE program administrators and industry stakeholders substantively coordinating on industry issues, advocacy, and outreach.

Additionally, the National Association of State Treasurers Foundation launched ABLE today which supports national outreach for ABLE Programs, directly engages the disability community, and provides resources on ABLE Accounts.

Together, ASPN and ABLE today work to empower individuals with disabilities toward more independent and secure futures by offering tools and resources on the benefits of ABLE Accounts. ABLE Accounts can be used for disability-related expenses, without losing access to federal means-tested benefits.

Learn more about ABLE Accounts at abletoday.org

Community of Practice Webinar Series
Exploring Networks of Financial Support for Provider Transformation: An Update from California
Wednesday, February 15, 2023 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET

The National Employment First Community of Practice (CoP) Webinar Series augments the technical assistance areas of Employment First systems change (Capacity Building, Provider Transformation, School-to-Work Transition, Employer Engagement, and Policy/Funding Alignment). CoP participants benefit from national subject matter experts (SMEs) presenting information and resources to support Employment First efforts.

Join us to revisit Bakersfield ARC (last featured in November 2021) and their transformative efforts to end practices involving subminimum wage and closing their sheltered workshop. Learn about the actions leaders at Bakersfield ARC have taken to successfully implement changes and additional steps they plan to take to further promote Competitive Integrated Employment.

In addition, learn how Bakersfield ARC took advantage of state funding and grant opportunities to advance their transformation, and hear from California state officials about how those grants were distributed and how such efforts can be replicated with success in other states.

Webinar Objectives:
• Receive further updates from an agency that ended the practice of subminimum wages
• Learn about the funding sources that allowed Bakersfield ARC to move away from site-based services and into community employment
• Learn how state agencies develop financial support mechanisms for provider transformation
• Bring replicable know-how on developing and pursuing grants that support developing Competitive Integrated Employment solutions

***Register for the Webinar Here***

Please email any accommodation requests to [email protected]

Facilitated By
Tania Morawiec, M.Ed.,
Deputy Director of Planning and Regional Office Operations
California State Council on Developmental Disabilities

Tania serves as the Deputy Director of Planning and Regional Office Operations at the California State Council on Developmental Disabilities. Tania also works as a national consultant on disability employment policy and the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model. Prior to this role she served as Illinois Department of Human Services’ Statewide Employment First Manager. She is dedicated to innovative policy development and maximizing sequential funding options to expand vocational, self-determination and Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) programming. Her workforce development experience for persons who have disabilities spans 20 years and includes provider transformation, marketing, employer outreach/education, assessment, placement and job coaching. Tania is certified in employment facilitation and is a recipient of the National Certificate of Achievement in Employment Services. Tania is well-versed in broad stakeholder engagement and truly values the transformative power of self-advocacy.

Jeffrey Popkin
Former Senior Vice President/Director of Operations
Bakersfield ARC

Jeffrey started his professional career in 1977 working for the State of California, in Bakersfield. He has worked in several different direct service and administrative positions in the field of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities over the past 44 years. He has served on both local and statewide committees that have developed laws and policies in the disability field. Jeffrey believes that his greatest accomplishments is that he always strives to listen and understand the needs of the diverse populations of Individuals and families he serves. He works hard to creatively develop solutions that meet unique needs. Even though he has worked in the system for his entire career, he still believes that we should put people before paper. Jeffrey received his bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Southern California and a master’s in social welfare from the University of California, Los Angeles. Jeffrey is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers, and a Certified Advanced Social Work Case Manager.

Employment First Webinars are recorded, and the links are distributed to the listserv within two business days following the webinar. Please share this announcement with your colleagues! If they are not a current subscriber to ODEP's Employment First mailing list, they can register here.

Our mailing address is:
Economic Systems Inc.
3120 Fairview Park Dr
Suite 500
Falls Church, VA 22042

Job Vacancy Announcements

Blue Cross/Blue Shield has new job vacancy announcements on their website.  

Home and  Community Based Services (HCBS) Stakeholder Meeting Video

The recording of the HCBS Stakeholder Meeting in January 2023 us now available. https://youtu.be/djN8CXgZwmk

Visit us at HCBS Settings Final Rule (ks.gov) for more information regarding HCBS Settings Final Rule in Kansas.  

Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) News Brief
Driving Change | Creating Opportunity

Honoring the Impact of Mentoring

In celebration of National Mentoring Month and "Thank Your Mentor Day," which took place January 26, ODEP has published a Department of Labor blog exploring the powerful role mentors play in helping young people succeed—particularly youth with disabilities. The piece highlights five ODEP staff members and their reflections on personal mentors who made an impact on them and their careers.

• Read "Honoring the Impact of Mentoring, Today and Every Day"

• Learn more about National Mentoring Month

While mentoring relationships benefit all youth, they may positively impact youth who face barriers to education and employment—such as youth with disabilities and especially those who may have intersecting identities. CAPE-Youth’s recent blog highlights the benefits of mentorship for a young person of color who is also a disabled attorney.

• Read “Disability Mentoring: Benefits for Youth with Intersecting Identities”

How To Bridge Different Access Needs

Meeting the access needs of your employees is key to building an inclusive workplace. But what should you do if different individuals with disabilities request accessibility practices that seem to conflict with one another? Learn strategies you can use to bridge different access needs in this article from the Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT) “How to Bridge Different Access Needs.”

• Read the PEAT Article

“Mental Health at Work: What Can I Do?” PSA Workplace Resources

To complement the message of its latest “Mental Health at Work: What Can I Do?” PSA, the Campaign for Disability Employment has two resources for use in the workplace—a poster and a workplace guide—both of which are available online and for order in hard copy. The poster features the PSA’s four participants and is available in two sizes, while the workplace guide outlines concrete steps people at all levels of an organization can take to foster a mental health-friendly workplace culture.

• Download or order the “Mental Health at Work: What Can I Do?” poster

• Download or order the “Mental Health at Work: What Can I Do?” workplace guide (scroll down to find the link to the guide)

Reminder! LEAD Webinar: A Roadmap to Inclusive Career Pathways - Promoting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Through Cross-System Partnerships

People with disabilities benefit greatly from partnerships that pave the way to both careers and inclusion. Join the LEAD Center on Thursday, February 2 at 3PM ET for the webinar “A Roadmap to Inclusive Career Pathways: Promoting DEIA Through Cross-System Partnerships.” In addition to sharing valuable resources on an interactive online Roadmap to Inclusive Career Pathways, panelists from the District of Columbia will share their strategies, experiences, and resources to support inclusive career pathways, create partnerships across government agencies and with underserved communities, and promote DEIA to enable people with disabilities to succeed in the workforce.

• Register for the LEAD Webinar

In Case You Missed It! JAN Webcast: Supports and Services - Accommodations with a Heartbeat

This training hosted by the Job Accommodation Network will discuss effective methods for using supports and services provided by a person or a service animal as job accommodations. “Heartbeat accommodations” may involve using a job coach, sign language interpreter, emotional support animal, mentor or other types of supports. Hear from JAN’s experts including James Potts, Senior Consultant for the Cognitive/Neurological Team; Lisa Mathess, Lead Consultant and Americans with Disabilities Act Specialist; and Tracie DeFreitas, Program Leader and Director of Training, Services and Outreach. The webcast takes place on Thursday, February 9, 2PM ET.

• Register for the JAN Webcast

Save The Date! EARN Webinar: Organization-Wide Accessibility – Everyone Plays a Part

Join the upcoming EARN Webinar “Organization-Wide Accessibility: Everyone Plays a Part” on Wednesday, February 15, at 2PM ET. Hear from a panel of experts about effective strategies for creating a workplace culture that encourages employees at all levels to embrace a holistic view of accessibility. This approach yields benefits such as increased productivity, improved retention of employees with disabilities and strengthened diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility efforts.

• Register for the Accessibility Webinar