Maine's CHOICES CEO Project
Working Together News
A newsletter about Maine's efforts to increase work opportunities for people with disabilities
In Focus
Governor Proclaims October "Disability Employment Awareness Month"
Governor Baldacci issued a proclamation designating October "Disability Employment Awareness Month" in Maine. At the October 13 event, the governor cited his commitment to expanding opportunities for workers with disabilities, saying, "this priority runs across every department of my administration."
The proclamation made note of an executive order issued by the Governor earlier this year promoting Maine state government as a model employer of workers with disabilities. This is also a top priority of the CHOICES CEO project.
At the federal level, Congress has named October "National Disability Employment Awareness Month," both to recognize the contributions of workers with disabilities and to encourage equal opportunity.
Denise Bissonette Speaks in Augusta
Hundreds of people attended the “Future of Maine’s Economy” conference in September. The conference was hosted by the Governor's Workforce Cabinet and focused on the state’s economic and employment outlook.
A conference highlight was keynote speaker Denise Bissonette of Vancouver, Canada. She spoke of connecting all workers — and particularly workers with disabilities — with work that they are good at and that leads to satisfaction and success.
Bissonette offered practical and innovative approaches to job development. She challenged those providing vocational services to look beyond traditional methods to achieve placement results. Delivered with real-life examples, her presentation was as mind-opening as it was timely to the needs of today’s employment professionals.
We hope Denise Bissonette will return to Maine. In the meantime, you can learn more about her work at www.diversityworld.com.
Making a Difference: Disability Mentoring Day 2006
Reports are in on a successful Disability Mentoring Day (DMD). On October 18, job seekers with disabilities, employers and vocational service providers were involved in events around the state that encouraged both job-shadowing and education about workplace adaptive technology. Coastal Enterprises, Alpha One, Maine Mentoring Partnership, and Maine's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation played significant roles in the organization of activities.
Some highlights included a presentation at the Portland Career Center by Gerard Salvo of Coastal Enterprises Inc. Staffing Services. He spoke about recruiting almost 20 companies to act as mentors. After his presentation, three people signed up as mentees. In South Portland, Alpha One held a DMD open house that covered assistive technologies and Social Security work incentives. Attendees got hands-on demonstrations of tools such as the Jaws computer program, interpret-type, video phone and vehicles adapted with hand controls.
DMD is sponsored by the American Association of People with Disabilities. Participating employers help young people with disabilities build confidence about their own employability, and employers gain access to a new pool of emerging talent. Remember, disability mentoring activities can occur year round. Updates about disability mentoring activities, particularly plans for DMD 2007, will be posted on our web page at www.choicesceo.org/dmd.
Conference News
Mainers Attend MIG Conference
Mainers Attend MIG Conference Staff and consultants from the CHOICES CEO project represented Maine at the annual conference of Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (MIG) recipients. This year's conference took place in Chicago on November 8 - 10, 2006.
Carolyn Gray presented survey results about workers with disabilities who are enrolled in MaineCare and also have Medicare coverage. Participants were asked about their experiences transitioning to the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, and findings were compared with a similar survey done in Kansas. Larry Glantz spoke about how the MIG grant has been a strong partner in efforts to improve Maine's benefits counseling system. And finally, Frank O'Hara offered insight for understanding and responding to attitudes about disability and employment held by business people, people with disabilities, and others.
For more information on-line:
JAN Conference 2006
Empowering Employers to Build an Inclusive Workforce was the theme of this year's Job Accommodation Network (JAN) conference. JAN, a free consulting service that increases the employability of people with disabilities, held their conference in Boston on September 18 - 19 and CHOICES CEO staff was in attendance.
The conference offered three training tracks. The Accommodations track presented practical means for accommodating workers with all types of disabilities. Innovative Employment Practices provided a forum for employers to share their accommodation success stories and to network. And finally, the ADA/Legal track offered strategies to prevent expensive and time-consuming litigation.
JAN can be contacted at (800) 526-7234 (voice), (877) 781-9403 (TTY) or at www.jan.wvu.edu. Presentation materials from the conference are also available online.
Cornell Conference on Disability Statistics
In early October, three people represented Maine at a Washington, D.C. conference on disability statistics. The conference, titled, "The Future of Disability Statistics: What We Know and Need to Know," was hosted by Cornell University.
The characteristics and employment status of working-age people with disabilities received a lot of attention. As part of these discussions, presenters reviewed what additional data is required to better understand the issues affecting full integration of people with disabilities in work and community.
Cornell's Employment and Disability Institute offers extensive disability data at www.disabilitystatistics.org. The site includes 2005 Disability Status Reports for both Maine and the country as a whole; and statistics on disability prevalence, labor market activity, employment, income, and poverty.
Ideas for Stories
Please help us… we are seeking stories! Do you know of a worker or employer that we can feature in our newsletter? Please contact Leslie Pohl.
Spotlight on Workers
Lisa McLeod is well on her way to operating her own business raising goats and making goat cheese. McLeod, who has a disability, took a moment to share her experiences starting a business.
McLeod said the inspiration for her business came from her rural Maine setting and her infant daughter's dairy allergy. The benefits of running her own business include being her own boss, staying home with her daughter, and the pride of saying, "I made that cheese and people like it." Thinking about this last point, McLeod added, "I love to feed people."
Support programs and personal drive are making McLeod's dream a reality. Her first stop was the Career Center in Oxford, where she received a list of people who could offer assistance. She then met with counselors from SCORE, a not-for-profit that works with people interested in starting a small business. Shirley Hamilton, from one of the Maine Centers for Women, Work and Community, proved to be a big asset to McLeod. Hamilton helped her develop a business plan. Finally, Bob Kasputes, of the Small Business Development Center, assisted McLeod in putting the finishing touches on her plan and budget.
McLeod did encounter some challenges along the way. The Maine Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) had only one person in her region. "There was just not enough of her to go around," McLeod remembers. McLeod also found herself on two waiting lists — one, for DVR funding, and the other for an assessment from the Social Security Administration Plan to Achieve Self Sufficiency program (PASS). With McLeod's characteristic persistence and the encouragement of disability rights advocates, Social Security agreed to pay for a private vocational rehabilitation counselor to do the assessment. A year's delay was avoided.
With the financial support of DVR, a private loan backed by PASS, and 18 months of hard work, Lisa McLeod has purchased equipment and prepared her facility for licensing.
She has advice for other people with a disability who are thinking of starting their own business: Be patient; good things come to people who wait. The resources are out there, but you have to ask for help. And finally, these programs are not just for people starting their own business; they are for anyone who wants to work.
Updates
Just Released! Snapshot 2006
How many workers in Maine have a disability? Has the number of workers with disabilities increased in recent years? What services are being used by Maine workers with disabilities? Snapshot 2006: Maine Workers with Disabilities, a new annual publication by the Maine Commission on Disability and Employment and the CHOICES CEO project, answers these questions and more.
Charts, graphs and narrative discussion on employment participation, economic well-being, and use of employment services are all presented in Snapshot 2006, along with a detailed discussion of data sources. The booklet is available online at www.choicesceo.org or by calling (207) 228-8031; TTY (207) 780-5646.
State Affairs
New Task Force Focused on Youth
The CHOICES CEO project is proud to be part of a new effort to help young people at risk of not obtaining diplomas or who are not engaged in school or work: the Governor's Task Force to Engage Maine's Youth.
Currently, there is an inconsistent approach to transferring or awarding credit to students who receive instruction in non-traditional educational settings and/or who experience disruption in their education. This can result in students not receiving diplomas. Also, there is an increase in youth, ages 16 to 19, who are not in school or working.
The task group has drafted legislation to facilitate awarding of credit and competency of standards for students whose education is interrupted. The group is also developing a plan that would result in a higher rate of success for those who are experiencing disruption in school or are not engaged in their school or work.
New Staff Update
The CHOICES CEO project welcomes two new staff members to the team: Vanessa Pelzer Bell and Jifka McCarthy.
Vanessa, a Project Specialist, has worked as a Vocational Resource Specialist, Job Coach and state Individual Support Coordinator for adults with disabilities in Maine. In addition to her work with CHOICES, she is also working with the Office of Cognitive and Physical Disabilities on the development of a new Medicaid waiver program that will give some adults more choice and control over their service dollars; and with Maine DHHS to enhance individual choice and control by addressing guardianship issues. Vanessa is passionate about helping adults in Maine achieve independence in their lives.
Jifka McCarthy is a graduate student who has an interest in mental health and employment issues. She is in the Masters of Public Policy program at the Muskie School of Public Service.
Mark Your Calendar
Perspectives on Employment of Persons with Disabilities Conference
December 6 - 8, 2006
Hyatt Regency, Bethesda, Maryland
The Perspectives on Employment of Persons with
Disabilities Conference gives federal managers an edge in recruiting, hiring and retaining qualified employees with disabilities.
