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VCU-RRTC-Transition
RRTC on Employment of Transition-Age Youth with Disabilities
The VCU-RRTC on Employment of Transition-Age Youth with Disabilities focuses on pre-employment training for younger adolescents, postsecondary and supported college education training for universities that are serving students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as internships for youth with emotional, learning and behavioral disorders.
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VCU-RRTC-IDD
RRTC on Employment of Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
The VCU-RRTC on Employment of Persons with IDD will conduct multiphase studies that examine the critical variables that have the potential to improve the competitive integrated employment (CIE) outcomes for individuals with IDD and enhance rehabilitation professionals and other stakeholders' capacity to provide employment opportunities and supports.
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VCU-RRTC-EP
Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employer Practices for Individuals with Disabilities
The RRTC-EP investigates the most successful business practices which companies utilize to hire and retain workers with disabilities. The project includes four studies, the largest takes place in partnership with Bon Secours Virginia Health System, a long term leader in diversity and hiring of persons with disabilities.
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VCU-DRRP
Disability and Rehabilitation Research Project on Customized Employment
The VCU-DRRP helps young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, to achieve competitive employment based on the individual's choices, interests and skills. The project's overall objective is to test the effectiveness of customized employment as an intervention to facilitate employment for youth with disabilities.
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VCU-ACE
VCU Autism Center for Excellence
VCU-ACE is a university-based technical assistance, professional development, and educational research center for Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Commonwealth of Virginia. VCU-ACE improves services and supports for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by promoting the implementation of research-based practices in schools and the community through training, technical assistance, research, and collaboration.
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VCU-CTI
Center on Transition Innovations
The Center on Transition Innovations (CTI) at Virginia Commonwealth University is a centralized statewide portal for information, resources, demonstration, and research for educators and other stakeholders in the transition of youth with disabilities. CTI provides evidence-based resources and information along with emerging practices in the field. The results of research studies and demonstration projects conducted here in Virginia help us shape the ongoing work of CTI.
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WIPA-NTDC
Work Incentives Planning & Assistance National Training and Data Center
The Virginia Commonwealth University National Training and Data Center (NTDC) provides comprehensive training and technical assistance to Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) projects, the Ticket to Work Help Line, and community partners to ensure accurate and timely support for beneficiaries on the road to employment and financial independence.
Webcast - July 8
Recruitment Strategies for Hiring Individuals with Disabilities - Before the recruitment process starts, there should be some building blocks in place. For successful strategies for hiring individuals with disabilities, there should be buy-in from the top down. In this presentation, commitment, accommodation policies, application and screening processes, training, and creative interview practices are some of the topics discussed.
COVID-19 Is Creating Telework Converts
Telecommuting is the new reality for many U.S. employees. Many are saying they want to continue working from home when the threat of COVID-19 has passed, even as companies grapple with how - and when - to safely return people to the workplace.
Webcast - July 20
Stories from the Field: Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services (Part I) Join Steven Faulkner, Bureau Chief of the Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services in this two-part series to see self-employment implementation at the leadership level and the counselor level.
California bill to end subminimum wage for workers with disabilities passes Senate
BY DANIELA PARDO LOS ANGELES -- In 2022, California is set to raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour. As of now, not all workers in the state will qualify for the raise. Since 1938, employers in California have been able to apply for a certificate that has allowed them to pay employees with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage.
‘A remarkable person with a bright future’: How Isaiah Young made the most of his opportunities
The ACE-IT in College graduate gained confidence and refined his career goal through VCU classes and several jobs and internships.
Remembering Lou Brown
We regret to inform you that Lou Brown, one of TASH’s co-founders, passed away on May 1, 2021. We mourn his loss, we are grateful for his vision and we honor his legacy by continuing to fight for equity, opportunity, and inclusion.
What is a PASS?
A Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) is a written plan of action for pursuing and getting a particular type of job. A PASS describes the steps you will take, and the items and services you will need to reach your work goal. When you have an approved PASS, Social Security does not count the money you set aside to help you reach your work goal, when determining your eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
Research Brief
Research Brief: The Voice of Families: Exploring Perspectives on the Pathways to Integrated Employment Like anyone else, youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) want to participate fully in the life of their community. Although there are many different avenues for community inclusion, finding a good job may be among the most impactful. A satisfying job provides opportunities to develop new friendships, share one’s talents, meet the needs of others, learn new skills, and assume valued roles. Moreover, a regular paycheck provides resources for meeting personal needs and makes involvement in other community activities possible. A good job can make a powerful difference in the lives of individuals with IDD!
Defining Customized Employment: Evidenced-Based Practices for Positive Outcomes
To better understand customized employment practices, researchers conducted five focus groups with 28 professionals, including national experts and people who implement customized employment for people with disabilities. The research revealed the best practices for employment specialists to follow while assisting individuals with disabilities in obtaining employment
Scoping Review of Cost Analyses of Employment Services for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
When we evaluate the outcomes for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in achieving competitive integrated employment, it is important to consider the cost-benefit of those services. Cost-benefit is an analysis of how much it costs to achieve a certain beneficial outcome. For CIE, we can calculate this in terms of how much it costs and benefits the individual worker or we can think about it in terms of the overall return on investment from the perspective of a taxpayer. The purpose of this scoping review was to analyze and synthesize the research on these cost-benefit analyses and what they tell us about different types of vocational services provided to individuals with IDD. This review looked at not only research articles, but also “grey literature” or reports, policy documents, and other ways that these cost-benefit analyses might have been published that might not have been published in a research journal. The review resulted in a total of 26 studies in addition to those other reports and documents. The main findings of the review were that services that were integrated in community businesses had the most benefit for how much they cost (from both the worker and the tax payer perspective) and lower benefits for sheltered workshops and services that segregated individuals with IDD.
Project Achieve Services to Women with TBI & SCI in Postsecondary Education
Project Achieve - Project Achieve is a demonstration research project which provides specialized services to women veterans and civilian women with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and/or Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) who are pursuing higher education or training. Specialized services consist of using Cognitive Support Technology through iPads and individualized apps, peer mentoring, individualized case management and vocational rehabilitation, and assistance with job placement and maintenance. Participants receive compensation upon enrollment and completion of the project, and may keep their iPads upon completion.