Collaborating with Career Services Tracey Forman, Assistant Director Disability Services Texas A&M University

Presentation Outline Overview & Background Career Services for SWDs Potential Collaboration Strategies Specialized Programs / Resources

Learning Outcomes Awareness: employment rates, recent law/rule changes, challenges for PWD Identify strategies for collaborations Provide tools and resources Gather ideas for programs and initiatives

Employment Rates 2014 Employment Rates –76.8% working-age people without disabilities –34.5% working-age people with disabilities 2014 Not working but actively looking for work –22.3% working-age people without disabilities –9.2% working-age people with disabilities Reference: Erickson, W., Lee, C., & von Schrader, S. (2014) Disability Status Report: United States. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Employment and Disability Institute (EDI).

Executive Order Increasing Federal Employment Of Individuals With Disabilities –President Obama issued Executive Order in 2010 to establish the federal government as a model employer of individuals with disabilities. –Four years into that commitment, OPM reported that 57,491 workers with disabilities have entered the federal workforce, more than half of the executive order's goal. More people with disabilities are in federal service than at any time in the past 33 years.

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) In 2014 President Obama signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) into law, placing significant new responsibilities on several Cabinet-level agencies that have the responsibility for increasing the employment of individuals with disabilities, particularly the Department of Labor and the Department of Education. These agencies will take the primary lead in furthering various initiatives within their departments designed to advance employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities

New Rules under Section 503 New rules under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act have taken effect and mandate that all federal contractors must take affirmative action to recruit, hire, promote, and retain individuals with disabilities. These regulations established a 7 percent utilization goal for individuals with disabilities and also require increased data collection and record keeping to improve employer accountability.

Section 503: New Rules 7% Workforce Goal (aspirational, not quota) Voluntary Self-Identification Partnerships to Recruit PWD Data Collections and Tracking Equal Opportunity Clause OFCCP Compliance Reviews Apply the ADA Amendments Act

Career Services for SWDs Advising by Career Center staff Advising by Disability Services staff Liaison Relationships / Partnerships Specialized Programs WorkAbility Program (California State System) Reference: Links to sample college/university career resource pages (handout)

Collaboration Strategies Communication / Liaison Relationships Cross-training of DS and CCTR staff members on disability-specific topics Identifying staff members with specialized knowledge Co-programming efforts Purposeful Referrals

Communication / Liaison Relationship Designated person on each staff to facilitate communication and to aid with referrals Meet/communicate/consult regularly Coordinate cross-training efforts Co-present/co-sponsor workshops on DS- specific career topics

Cross-training of staff General awareness of each office’s services and staff. Focus on career topics of interest to SWD (disclosure, job accommodations, unique needs of specific populations, specialized programs). Address areas of interest/need/hot topics.

Staff members with specialized knowledge / focus areas Does the career center have staff that specialize in working with students with specific majors, classifications or populations? Does disability services have staff that work with specific types of disabilities?

Co-programming efforts General career workshops (resume writing, interviewing skills, etc.) –Encourage SWD to attend common workshops DS helps CCTR promote to SWD. Coaching CCTR staff on making accessible workshops/materials. Remind them to post how to request accommodations, if needed –Offering some general workshops for SWD only Pros & Cons Offering specific workshops for SWD (disclosure, job accommodations, specialized programs) –Safe space to discuss disability-specific questions/concerns

Purposeful Referrals General questions  standard referral Specific Questions/Needs  direct or assisted referral. –For example: Student with autism needing interviewing skills assistance Deaf student needing advising appointment Blind student needing resume layout assistance

Specialized Programs / Resources Job Search Tools Focused on Individuals with Disabilities –Bender Consulting –Getting Hired –Our Ability (COSD) –USAJobs Specialized Recruitment Programs –Workforce Recruitment Program –EntryPoint Internship Program –Other internships and programs

Discussion / Brainstorming Other ideas & successful strategies?

References Strategies for Better Facilitating the Recruitment of Students With Disabilities (NACE, 2014) Improving College and Career Readiness for Students with Disabilities (March 2013) 0Readiness%20for%20Students%20with%20Disabilities.pdf 0Readiness%20for%20Students%20with%20Disabilities.pdf Access to the Future: Preparing College Students With Disabilities for Careers (DO-IT) careers careers Resources for Hiring Students with Disabilities (COSD)

References A How-to Guide on Job Searching With a Disability Retrieved on 7/16/2015 from: searching-with-a-disability searching-with-a-disability Why Is It So Hard to Find Jobs for Disabled Workers? disabled-workers/388796/ disabled-workers/388796/ Workforce Innovation And Opportunity Act (WIOA) New Rules Under Section 503 Regulations Executive Order 13548, On Increasing Federal Employment of Individuals With Disabilities Erickson, W., Lee, C., & von Schrader, S. (2014) Disability Status Report: United States. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Employment and Disability Institute (EDI).

Contact Tracey Forman, Assistant Director Disability Services Texas A&M University Career Center Liaison: Michael Shehane