LifeCourse and Adult Employment Outcomes Erin Slide Presenter Duration 1-7 Erin 10 minutes 8-10 Michelle 5 minutes 11-12 Erin 5 minutes 13 Alison 5 minutes 14 Rhonda 3 minutes 15-18 Joan 10 minutes 19-20 Rhonda 5 minutes 21-23 Joan 5 minutes 24 Erin 3 minutes 25 Michelle 3 minutes 26-27 Erin 1 minute   55 minutes total

About Us Emily Price DC Department on Disability Services No Wrong Door Person Centered Lead Person Centered Thinking Trainer erin.leveton@dc.gov Joan Christopher Research Instructor / Advocacy Self-Determination Coordinator Georgetown University Center for Child & Human Development Parent, Person Centered Thinking & Family Planning Together Trainer jj485@georgetown.edu Kevin Wright DC Department on Disability Services Intern, State Office of Disability Administration kevinwrght8@gmail.com

DC Supporting Families CoP Core Team Members

Foundations of Systems Change to Support Employment First in DC Pathways to Employment Discovery LifeCourse Framework Person Centered Thinking Year 5 of Supporting Families & PCT -- We started because: Antiquated medical model system struggling with concepts of HCBS choice and control (HCBS waiver not well utilized until 2007) Self-advocates and families developed a strong voice and relationship with DDA leadership Years of court oversight and battles emphasized a compliance mentality Needed to infuse and immerse the system with value based principles and practices to move systems change to the next level. PCT and Supporting Families principles have become the foundation of all of our systems change activities

Pathway to Employment Assessment & Exploration Training & Education Active Job Search Employment & Job Retention Advancing In Job We also wanted to reframe the conversation to assume that everyone of working age is on the pathway to competitive, integrated employment. As art of service planning, our service coordinators have guided conversations with each person – at intake and annually at the ISP -- to talk about interest in employment and doing more meaningful activities in the community. For people who are not working age, we are working with people and their families to try options for a more integrated retirement, like going to the senior center and doing volunteer work. + way for the system to track progress over time.

Redesigning the Front Door Person-Centered Planning & Discovery starting at DDA intake Like and Admire to determine strengths Trajectory to identify goals Guided conversation on Employment Working towards joint application with Vocational Rehabilitation An important part of the journey for DDA to become a PCO is to engage in a critical self-examination of our policies and practices to see where we are being person-centered and where we are creating a barrier to people having a good life. We took a hard look at our Intake process recently – We wanted to reframe the front door to DDA supports – and eventually all DC LTSS – to make them person-centered and strength based, with a goal to connect people to community-based supports as quickly as possible. We created a new guided conversation at DDA that starts by talking with people and their families about their strengths, using the PCT Like and Admire Tool and the Trajectory to think about big picture goals. We have a guided conversation on employment and offer benefits counseling to everyone applying for DDA supports. If a person is interested in employment, we refer them immediately to Vocational Rehabilitation, so that while their DDA application is pending, they can get started on their employment search. Now, we are working with DDA and RSA to have a joint intake, so that if a person is found eligible for DDA and expresses interest in employment, it is also an application to VR, reducing a barrier and keeping people from having to tell their story over again.

https://dds.dc.gov/page/dc-learners-and-earners DC Learners & Earners DC Learners and Earners initiative is aimed at improving employment outcomes for young people, ages 14 – 30 years old, with intellectual disabilities.  Recognizing that to be successful this will require change at every level, DC is working with people with disabilities and families to build high expectations for employment and share tips for success; with neighborhoods throughout the District of Columbia to build community-based networks of support for young people; and examining where our government policies and practices must change.  Finally, we are pleased that DC is one of 6 states to receive a Partners in Employment grant from ACL. We hear all the time at Project ACTION! and at our Supporting Families CoP that we have to do better at getting people jobs, and making sure people who have jobs have an opportunity for advancement. Through this project we will be working with young people, their families, providers, employers, and the community to raise expectations for employment, do deep discovery combined with community mapping, and apply our learning throughout the system. Next, Kevin, a young man with developmental disabiltiies who is working with us on this project, will demonstrate how we are using the Trajectory tool with young people to capture their employment successes and share their journeys, tips, and successes with other people with disabilities. https://dds.dc.gov/page/dc-learners-and-earners

Kevin Talks about Employment Note: Need to link video

Helping Families Get Started Must accept that everyone who wants to work, regardless of their disability, should work. Families will have to promote and accept their loved one’s independence for them to work. The “road” to get there is a process and may have stops before getting a job. Families and people with disabilities need to learn to identify goals, resources and sort them to get a good picture of what needs to be done.

Tia’s Story The “case study” Learned to sort facts from the case study into goals, actions needed and resources Developed the final products of a Trajectory and Integrated Supports Star, after “toggling” back and forth.

Talking to Families About Employment Recognize the expertise families bring to the table. We worked with our SF CoP to talk about what their vision is for employment for their family members and asked them what they were doing to help support them. We collected their ideas and share them with others. We typically distribute this with a blank trajectory form so that families can develop their own vision and chart their own paths to employment success.

Thank you!!! Questions? Erin