OR Governor Issues Executive Order to Freeze Sheltered Work

In response to a lawsuit, Oregon Governor Kitzhaber has issued an Executive Order to:

(1) stop funding work assessments in sheltered workshops and;

(2) to stop funding sheltered workshop placements for those coming out of school or not already in one by July, 2015. This action will effectively freeze new placements in sheltered workshops, ending their continued growth. The freeze applies to:
-- transition-age youth with I/DD;
-- any working age adult with I/DD newly eligible for state or VR services;
-- any working age adult with I/DD who is already utilizing state or VR services who is not already working in a sheltered workshop.

According to the order, employment services shall be "evidence-based and individualized."

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Posted Apri 29, 2013

Nicholas Chauvin, a young boy with autism from Jefferson Parish, recently completed a half-day training on how to develop a successful business plan to be ready for Lemonade Day Louisiana on Saturday, May 4, 2013. His mother shared that she had never left him by himself at an event similar to this one and was very nervous. The volunteers and staff at both the Junior League of New Orleans and Lemonade Day Louisiana were patient and provided Nicholas with some additional attention and support to successfully complete the training with his same age peers from surrounding parishes. Nicholas’s mother was so excited to hear how Nicholas was included and about his successes of the day, which included learning about starting a business, developing a business plan, marketing to customers, donating some of the proceeds to charity, and planning for future ventures. Mrs. Chauvin noted that she is now trying to keep her eyes open for other community events that Nicholas can participate in with typical same aged peers. She stated that this small community event was such a mile marker in the life of Nicholas and she is so thankful to the ladies of the Junior League of New Orleans and Lemonade Day University for allowing him to participate. The best part of this success story is that not only Nicholas learned something new in an inclusive environment, but he also provided a shining example to his peers and the volunteers of how easy it is to include individuals with disabilities into community events.

Posted Apri 30, 2013

"Nadia Johnson, HDC LEND Trainee and Occupational Therapy faculty member, completed her LEND Leadership Project on April 5th, 2013. ” Read More

Public Hearings Notice: PART C

EarlySteps is hosting three regional public hearings to receive comments from the public on proposed policy revisions and the 2012-2013 Federal Application. The document is posted to the EarlySteps website for review in the Important Information box at http://www.earlysteps.dhh.louisiana.gov

The document will be available on the website and comments will be received until April 22, 2013.
More Information Download Federal Application

Impact of March 1st Cuts on Middle Class Families, Jobs and Economic Security: Louisiana

The White House released state-by-state reports on the impact the sequester will have on jobs and middle class families. Below is the link to how the sequester could impact Louisianans.
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The Long, Winding Road to Employment First
By Dale DiLeo

Advocating for real jobs for people with significant disabilities has been around for over 30 years…Remarkably, though, despite all the advocacy and advancement, we haven’t seen any improvement over time in employment rates for the people whom we represent. The system has not really changed. What we have done is to painstakingly demonstrate a wonderful framework of what is possible and what can work in just about every region of the country.
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Workforce Recruitment Program Database Now Open for Employers and College Students

The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense's Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity, has launched the 2013 Workforce Recruitment Program database, a recruitment resource for employers seeking a diverse workforce that includes employees with disabilities. The database contains profiles of postsecondary students and recent graduates with disabilities, including veterans, representing a wide variety of academic backgrounds and degree levels. Candidates have been interviewed and pre-screened by federal recruiters.To learn more, click here.

New agency ready to take over southwest La. health, disabilities programs

LAKE CHARLES -- The head of a new agency to run behavioral health and developmental disabilities services in southwest Louisiana says the Imperial Calcasieu Human Service Authority will be able to tailor programs to local needs. Read the entire article.

Louisiana Returns $18 million of Federal Funds:Employment Services for People with Disabilities Restricted

Since 2009 Louisiana has given up over $89 million in federal Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) funding that could have been used to prepare individuals with disabilities for employment and help them find jobs. Click here to get more information.

Moving Beyond Subminimum Wages!!
Free Informational Webinar!!!

On August 23, 2012, President Obama’s National Council on Disability (NCD) released a report calling for the phase-out of the 14(c) program that allows employers to pay less than federal minimum wage to workers with disabilities.

The National Autism Resource and Information Center is hosting this FREE webinar opportunity with Chester Finn, Special Assistant, New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (NYSOPWDD) and Clyde E. Terry, Chief Executive Officer of Granite State Independent Living in Concord, NH.

To learn more and to register for the webinar.

NCD Calls for the Phase-Out of Subminimum Wages for People with Disabilities

WASHINGTON, DC -- The National Council on Disability (NCD) - an independent federal agency - released a report calling for the phase-out of a provision in the Fair Labor Standards Act, known as 14(c),that allows employers who receive a certificate from the U.S. Department of Labor, to pay less than federal minimum wage to workers with disabilities for work performed.

The full report can be read at:
http://www.ncd.gov/publications/2012/August232012/

IACC/OARC Autism Spectrum Disorder Research Publications Analysis Report: The Global Landscape of Autism Research

The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) and the Office of Autism Research Coordination (OARC) in collaboration with Thomson Reuters, Inc. are pleased to announce the release of the final IACC/OARC Autism Spectrum Disorder Research Publications Analysis Report: The Global Landscape of Autism Research.This final report replaces the pre-publication draft, which was released on July 9, 2012. The final report contains all final content, including high resolution figures and supplementary appendix information.If you have a hard copy of the pre-publication draft and would like to replace it with a hard copy of the final report, or if you would like to order a free copy of the final report, please send a note to IACCPublicInquiries@mail.nih.gov.

This inaugural report describes several key aspects of worldwide ASD research publications, which can be used to inform autism research strategic planning efforts.The report includes data encompassing biomedical, biological, behavioral, clinical, educational, social sciences, and health services research. ASD-related research articles published between 1980 and 2010 were analyzed to identify historical trends and publication outputs across the seven critical research areas of the 2011 IACC Strategic Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorder Research.

Information found in research publications was also used to assess the institutions conducting ASD research, funding organizations supporting the research publications, and the extent of collaboration between authors from different countries and research institutions.dditionally, measures such as citation counts were used as an assessment of the impact of this published research.By analyzing publications as a major output of the autism research field, this report complements the annual IACC Autism Spectrum Disorder Research Portfolio Analysis Report, which tracks major US inputs or investments into autism research, and highlights trends that can provide a useful perspective on the development and current state of ASD research.A fully formatted, downloadable PDF of the IACC/OARC Publications Analysis is available on the IACC website at http://iacc.hhs.gov/publications-analysis/july2012/index.shtml.

OSEP Guidance on Community-Based Transition Services

Two Wisconsin advocacy groups, Disability Rights Wisconsin and BPDD wrote a letter to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) asking for more guidance on least restrictive environment for youth receiving community-based transition services. OSEP responded with a favorable letter on June 22, 2012. BPDD and DRW believe the letter provides more guidance to states on how to apply LRE to work placements. To read more, please click here.

Charter Schools Fall Short on Disabled

A new government report shows that charter schools are not enrolling as high a portion of special-education students as traditional public schools, despite federal laws mandating that publicly financed schools run by private entities take almost every disabled student seeking to enroll.

Read the complete article on charter schools falling short on disabled.

Information from National APSE

The concept of “Employment First�? is one that has gained attention over the past few years in terms of services and supports for individuals with disabilities. In an effort to ensure that this concept is utilized and applied in a consistent fashion, on October 11, 2010, APSE’s Executive Board approved APSE’s Statement on Employment First. This statement outlines both the underlying principles and characteristics of successful implementation of Employment First.