Overview of the Disability Employment Initiative
Setting the Stage for Round 5 DEI Projects
December 2014
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Disability Employment Initiative
(DEI)

According to Congress:
◦ “These funds…will improve the accessibility and accountability of
the public workforce development system for individuals with
disabilities.
◦ The Committee further expects these funds to continue
promising practices implemented by disability program
navigators, including effective deployment of staff in selected
States to:
 improve coordination and collaboration among employment
and training and asset development programs carried out at
a State and local level, including the Ticket to Work program
 and build effective community partnerships that leverage
public and private resources to better serve individuals with
disabilities.”
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Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this webinar, Round V DEI
grantees will know:
•
The Impact of the DEI and Lessons Learned to Date
•
What is the same versus what is different between Round 5
and previous Rounds of DEI Projects
•
The Challenges and Opportunities for Round 5
•
Roles and Responsibilities of local, state and federal level DEI
stakeholders
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Agenda
•
What have we done?
•
•
What have we learned?
•
•
DEI Lessons Learned from Rounds 1-- 4
What are we doing now?
•
•
What has the DEI accomplished: Rounds 1 – 4
What is the same versus what is different for Round 5
What are we hoping to accomplish?
•
Addressing challenges/embracing opportunities in Round 5 DEI
•
Defining National DEI Roles and Responsibilities
•
Resources
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What have we done?
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DEI Grantees
Since 2010, there have been 5 rounds of DEI grantees
awarded over $95 million covering 37 projects in 26 states:
1. Round one in Program Year 2010 at $22 million: Alaska, Arkansas
(youth), Delaware (youth), Illinois, Kansas, Maine, New Jersey (youth),
New York and Virginia.
2. Round two in Program Year 2011 at $21 million: California, Hawaii, Ohio,
South Dakota (youth), Tennessee, Washington, and Wisconsin.
3. Round three in Program Year 2012 at $21 million: Florida, Indiana, Iowa,
Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota (youth) and Rhode Island.
4. Round four in Program Year 2013 at 18 million: Alabama (youth), Alaska,
Connecticut, Idaho (youth), Illinois, Maine, New York and Virginia
5. Round five in Program Year 2014 at 15 million: California, Illinois (youth),
Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, South Dakota (*Note: Round V
grantees had all received previous rounds of DEI funding)
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What has the DEI accomplished: Rounds 1 - 4
Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Access
•
Established a strong foundation for increasing access to WIA
Intensive and Training at the on-set of grant implementation in Local
Areas through targeted training and technical assistance site visits
•
Significantly increased the number of job seekers with disabilities
accessing WIA Intensive and Training Level Services
•
Projects have effectively positioned customers with disabilities to not
only access but to also achieve outcomes through WIA Intensive
and Training services utilizing DEI intervention strategies
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Workforce Performance Outcomes
DEI Pilot Sites
•
The data on these charts from Round 1 DEI Projects show positive
trends indicating that adult and youth customers with disabilities who gain
access to WIA services are meeting performance outcome measures.
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DEI Round 1 Youth Pilot Sites
Youth Common Measure for Youth with Disabilities
DEI Round 1
Youth
Youth Projects
All States /
Common Measures
AR
DE
NJ
All LWIAs
Exit Rate for Older Youth
5.2
18
32.4
8.7
Exit Rate for Younger Youth
11.3 35.8
52.7
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50
75
68.4
61.5
Entered Employment Rate for Older
Youth
Collective Average
Round 1
DEI Youth
19.8
36.9
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Workforce Employment Networks
The comprehensive nature of the American Job Centers makes
them a natural service provider as an EN.
•
•
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Job Centers are employment support providers that can help Social
Security disability beneficiaries return to work.
Participation as an EN provides an additional revenue source to
leverage funding to maximize services for customers with disabilities.
What has the DEI accomplished: Rounds 1 - 4
Sustainability (of DRC positions AND DEI strategies)
•
Developed a workable sustainability model that was anchored on
three of the service delivery strategies (EN Revenue, WIA
Performance and Partnership and Collaboration).
•
Translation of Active Resource Coordination and the Integrated
Resource Team approach beyond the DEI pilot sites and target
population of job seekers with disabilities.
•
Asset Development strategies embraced and benefiting both
individuals with and without disabilities accessing the AJCs.
•
LWIBs recognized the value of DRC positions and DEI strategies as
demonstrated by WIASRD data and welcomed income from serving
Ticket Holders through the Workforce EN.
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What have we learned?
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DEI Lessons-Learned
• The DEI is a PROJECT and NOT a program
• 3 years isn’t long enough for systems-change, but it’s a start
• DEI intervention strategies are designed to increase outcomes via WIA
and the Workforce EN
• DEI Projects that have open lines of communication with national DEI
staff and hold regular meetings with their TA Liaison create a stronger
state work plan. This practice enhances continuity while also driving
creativity among the state DEI team.
• DEI Benchmarks and Outcome Indicators tool proved a useful guide
for activities that result in improved WIA and Ticket outcomes for job
seekers with disabilities
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DEI Lessons-Learned continued
• All systems change starts with the demand created by the needs of
actual customers. DRCs are most successful when they have first
increased the number of customers with disabilities seeking WIA core,
intensive and training services.
• The flexibility of DEI Funds helped many projects facilitate access to
WIA Intensive and Training services. The DEI Training Funds
prioritized serving ticket holders (but did not limit these funds to
ticketholders). Additionally, these funds were tied to the promotion of
the IRT approach and serving individuals with more significant
challenges to employment. The use of these funds, along with
guidance and support from the DRC, provided a powerful model to
WIA on how to achieve outcomes for job seekers with disabilities.
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DEI Lessons-Learned continued
• ENs that invest in Benefits Planning training are more successful,
including those who invested in having the DRC have this skill set or a
plan with certified work incentive specialists outside of the AJC.
• There are benefits to co-enrolling Ticket Holders in WIA.
• Sustainability can take many forms. Whether its sustainability of the
DRC position, the DEI intervention strategies being integrated into the
AJCs, etc… Sustainability can be at the state level or at the local level.
• Ticket/EN funding is key for sustainability of DEI efforts and the EN
operation needs to be a priority at the beginning of the grant in order
to have it functioning during year 2 and 3 of the grant.
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What are we doing now?
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Differences between Round 5
and previous Rounds of DEI
•
Introducing Career Pathways component which represents DOL policy
direction and is aligned with the passage of WIOA in July 2014.
•
Stronger partnerships to implement job-driven strategies with other federal,
state and local partners in Education, Health and Human Services, Vocational
Rehabilitation, Community Colleges and Universities, Business and Industry
•
Major focus on job-driven strategies that emphasizes work experience, onthe-job training, apprenticeship and integration of work with learning
•
3 populations: Adult, Youth, and Individuals with Significant Disabilities
•
Ticket/Workforce EN component requires either the state or one of the
participating LWIBs to be a Workforce EN or agree to apply within 60 days
•
Elimination of random assignment that now allows for grantee selection of DEI
workforce investment areas
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Round V DEI Goals
Round V DEI goals use the services of the AJCs, in partnerships
with educational institutions, businesses, and other resources, to
achieve the following individual, program, and system level goals:
1. Improve employment outcomes of youth and adults with disabilities and
maximize their economic self-sufficiency through existing career pathways
approaches implemented in the public workforce system;
2. Build on available core, intensive, and training services provided in the AJCs and
existing successful career pathways programs to add flexible and innovative
strategies that increase the participation of individuals with disabilities in these
programs; and
3. Create systemic change by expanding the capacity of the public workforce
system to increase the participation of individuals with disabilities in existing
career pathways programs, including the necessary partnerships, policies, and
practices to sustain this capacity, and replicate these strategies throughout the
public workforce system.
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DEI Round V Objectives
The Objectives of the Round V DEI are to:
1)
2)
3)
Improve the employment outcomes of individuals with disabilities
Provide more and diversified job-driven training opportunities
Increase the number of individuals with disabilities who earn
credentials
4) Facilitate academic and employment transitions
5) Incorporate flexible approaches to designing and providing training
6) Test customized employment services strategies within the public
workforce system
7) Build effective community partnerships and collaborations
8) Promote more active engagement with the business sector
9) Promote and document the effective blending and braiding of
resources
10) Create systemic change by establishing partnerships, processes,
policies, etc…
11) Strengthen the connection between the AJCs and Vocational
Rehabilitation (VR)
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DEI Round V Outcomes
Outcomes and Outputs for the Round V DEI are as follows:
Quantifiable measures for evaluating project success, including, but not limited to:
•
•
•
•
Number and percentage who enter training in career pathways programs;
Number and percentage who complete training in career pathways programs;
Number and percentage who attain credentials and the types of credentials;
Outcomes on the Common Performance Measures (i.e. entered employment
rate, employment retention rate, and average six months earnings).
Achievable set of anticipated outcomes for Social Security disability beneficiaries,
including an increased:
•
•
•
•
Number of State and local WIBs becoming Employment Networks;
Number of Tickets assigned;
Amount of Ticket revenue; and
Number of Social Security disability beneficiaries participating in career
pathways programs.
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What are we hoping to achieve?
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What are we hoping to achieve: Round 5
• Improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities by
increasing their participation in existing career pathways systems and
programs.
• Full access to Career Pathways at any door which they choose to
enter, but specifically, increased access and participation through AJC
programs (WIA/WIOA).
• Pioneering promising practices that can be used under WIOA both for
people with disabilities and for other populations with multiple
challenges to employment.
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What are we hoping to achieve: Round 5
continued.
• EN activity will be operational (Tickets assigned and first payment
received) by end of DEI grant year 1.
• Collaborating with community colleges and other educational
institutions on integration or enhancement of accommodations,
assistive technologies, and certification components that address the
diversity of disability needs and expands career and employment
options.
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What are we hoping to achieve: Round 5
continued.
• Improving long-term income potential and economic self-sufficiency
for youth and adults with disabilities through access to education, work
experience, apprenticeship, or on-the-job training in sectors of
regional and national economic growth.
• Facilitating and enhancing service delivery integration and
coordination across vocational rehabilitation, education, and adult
literacy program systems.
• The national and regional DEI offices and the NDI-DEI technical
assistance team will be providing support but will be LEARNING from
Round 5 who will be paving the way under this new focus.
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DEI Roles and
Responsibilities
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Defining DEI National Roles
1. National DEI Program Office
• ETA
• ODEP
2. ETA Federal Project Officers
3. Contractors
• NDI Team
• DEI Evaluation Team
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Additional Resources

DEI Technical Assistance Project (http://www.dei-ideas.org/)
 For grant implementation tools and ongoing support for state-level project
staff, go to the State Leads resources page (requires you to be logged in):
http://www.dei-ideas.org/chapter2-3/page01a_stateleads_private.cfm
 For resources, tools and information on Career Pathways programs and
systems, go to the Career Pathways resources page (Note development of
this section is in process and will require you to be logged in):
http://www.dei-ideas.org/chapter2-4/page01a_careerpathways_private.cfm

Disability and Employment Community of Practice provides disability
and employment resources for the public workforce system
http://disability.workforce3one.org

ODEP http://www.dol.gov/odep/
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Contact Information
Name Randee Chafkin, National DEI Program Office
Title
Senior Program Specialist for Disability Programs
Phone: 202-693-2723
E-mail: [email protected]
Name Laura Gleneck, DEI Technical Assistance Team
Title
Program Manager
Phone: 781-899-0139
E-mail: [email protected]
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