Welcome to the Transformation Hub’s Featured Resources page, where you can find key items for all audiences to assist in advancing CIE for people with disabilities. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, be sure to check out our pages for individuals and family members, service providers, state agencies and employers.
The ODEP-funded National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities (LEAD Center) strives to advance systems-level change that results in CIE, living wages and economic advancement for disabled people. Below are just a few of the LEAD Center’s recent employment success stories.
- Brad Hopke & Keshawn Thomas – In 2021, the city of Collinsville, Ill., decided to create a program to place high school seniors with disabilities in Registered Apprenticeships. Notably, the city did not require separate funding or resources to establish the program. Instead, it braided existing funding streams and relied on its current educators to mentor and train the students. Among the first students to complete the one-year program were Keshawn Thomas and Brad Hopke. Keshawn was immediately offered a landscaping position with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, earning the same starting pay as all other employees. Brad also joined the Collinsville Parks and Recreation Department and is now not only a city employee but a welding school student too.
- Sara Stewart – Former U.S. Army mechanic Sara Stewart came to Nebraska Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) in an unusual way. After more than six years in the Army, she was medically discharged with a back injury. She began considering other career options, including truck driving, a well-paying position that is in demand. The job required training, a special license and a series of endorsements; this is where VR stepped in with support. It was clear that Sara had the skills to become a truck driver, but she just lacked the financial means. VR funded Sara’s training, she passed all her exams and she has now been working for several years.
- William Lumpkin – For the past 50 years, the nonprofit Melwood has created job opportunities for people with disabilities in the Washington, D.C., area. William Lumpkin recently benefited from one of Melwood’s programs, Building Paths, which prepares participants to enter competitive integrated employment in construction and other skilled trades. Through the program, William, who has a traumatic brain injury, learned how to accommodate his disability and gained a newfound appreciation for the value that people with diverse backgrounds can bring to a workplace. He recently landed a job in a carpentry apprenticeship and is excited to start.
- Larry Phillips – A few years ago, Larry Phillips began working with a vocational rehabilitation (VR) counselor in Berkeley County, S.C. Larry, who uses a manual wheelchair, wanted to become financially self-sufficient and transition fully away from disability benefits. Hailing from a family of welders, he said he, too, wished to make a career of welding. His VR counselors agreed this had never been done before, and so, Larry should be the first. With collaboration among students, instructors and employers, Larry’s counselors helped him complete nearly 300 hours of training, secure competitive integrated employment and achieve his long-held goals.
ThinkWork! Stories – ThinkWork! Stories highlight the employment successes of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and the innovative employment support practices that lead to successful, paid jobs, including through a series of videos. ThinkWork! is an initiative of the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Boston.
Stories of Successful Transition to CIE – This Employment First Community of Practice (CoP) webinar features five individuals who formerly worked in segregated subminimum wage work and now work in CIE who explain in their own voices their experiences in both work environments.
State Efforts to Phase Out Subminimum Wages – This Employment First CoP webinar features the states of Tennessee, Virginia and Washington explaining how and why they phased out subminimum wages for people with disabilities.
National Expansion of Employment Opportunities Network (NEON): Plan to Increase CIE – This NEON plan outlines recommendations and action items for increasing CIE, based on the experiences of five National Provider Organizations participating in the ODEP-funded NEON initiative and their Local Provider Organizations (LPOs). It is intended to provide information and recommendations useful to LPOs, policy makers, funding entities and in-the-field activities in the overall national effort to increase CIE.
Resource Leveraging & Service Coordination to Increase CIE for Individuals with Disabilities – This joint communication, developed by nine federal agencies, encourages state and local governments to blend, braid and sequence funding to proactively maximize resources and improve CIE for youth and adults with disabilities.
Disability-Related Resources – This U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) landing page provides links to many of its technical assistance publications and guidance and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) materials explaining core concepts, such as reasonable accommodation, and recent disability case filings and resolutions.
A Framework for Community Engagement – A Pathway to CIE – This brief presents a joint federal vision for community engagement that enables people with disabilities to expand their skills, experiences and relationships so that they may secure high-quality and personally satisfying jobs and careers along with the benefits of employment.
Compliance Assistance – Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as Amended – This U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website centralizes resources to assist federal contractors and subcontractors in complying with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. Section 503 prohibits discrimination against applicants and employees with disabilities and requires certain covered employers to take proactive steps to recruit, hire, retain and advance qualified people with disabilities. Key links include frequently asked questions (FAQs), best practices and resources and recruitment and hiring resources.
Using Individual Placement and Support (IPS) to Assist Job Seekers and Workers with Mental Health Conditions – This webinar from the ODEP-funded National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities (LEAD Center) introduces the IPS model of supported employment. It explores the role of the workforce system in its implementation, and illustrates its benefits to job seekers, workers, employers and others.