Employment First: Aligning Policy, Funding and Practice Cesilee Coulson Executive Director Wise Employment First: Aligning Policy, Funding and Practice   

National Policy Trends Services should occur in non-congregated settings with people who do not have disabilities; and employment is the first and expected service option. National Policy Trends

Competitive Integrated Employment Defined CIE is full or part-time work at minimum wage or higher, with wages and benefits similar to those without disabilities performing the same work, and fully integrated with coworkers without disabilities. This is considered the optimal outcome under Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014.

WA State – Policy and Definition Supported employment means paid, competitive employment for people who have severe disabilities and a demonstrated inability to gain and maintain traditional employment. Supported employment occurs in a variety of normal, integrated business environments and includes: Minimum wage or better; Support to obtain and maintain jobs; and Promotion of career development and workplace diversity. POLICY Supports to pursue and maintain gainful employment in integrated settings in the community shall be the first service option for working age adults WA State – Policy and Definition

10 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS TO IMPLEMENT COMPETITIVE EMPLOYMENT Strong Leadership and Stakeholder Involvement Clear Mission and Values Funding 10 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS TO IMPLEMENT COMPETITIVE EMPLOYMENT Preserve Ongoing Training and Technical Assistance Data Collection Telling the Story Promoting Public and Private Employment Expand Training and Technical Assistance Partnerships Youth in Transition

Washington State is #1 for participation in and #41in funding for integrated employment services Data from SELN and ICI – statedata.info

Data, Data, Data! Incremental change over time Public data Targeted investment in capacity building based on data analysis Statewide and local goals for employment outcomes https://www.statedata.info/washington-ddd/

Goal- Double # of people in employment at minimum wage or higher People Earning Minimum Wage or Better 61% increase since 2010

Implementation Strategy Ensure People with High Acuity Have Access to Employment Services People with High Acuity, Earning Minimum Wage or Better in an Integrated Setting

Start early to build a network of services to ensure that all students with developmental disabilities have access to employment Share on STW Youth in Transition

TA and Training Strategies 1 Systems Change Technical Assistance Technical assistance and annual planning to support states with shifting policies and practices that support the vision that employment as the expected service outcome for working age adults. 2 Supported Employment Agency Capacity Building Engage annually with employment organizations who wish to increase capacity to deliver competitive integrated employment services. 3 Training and TA for Case Workers Provide training and tools that support the referral and provision of employment services. 4 Employment Learning Communities Provide support to increase knowledge within national, state and local communities in support of expanding employment opportunities. Training and TA for people with disabilities & families Provide training on employment to parents of people who are currently served, those who do not currently have services and young people who are transitioning from school to work. Training and TA for Employers Provide training on best practices in recruiting, training and retaining staff with intellectual and developmental disabilities. TA and Training Strategies

Leadership Declaration on Employment By choosing to invest in our training and technical assistance effort, we demonstrate that our state’s goal is to be among the best in the country in supporting people with IDD to be employed in regular community jobs. Paraphrased- Charles Hopkins State of Georgia Leadership Declaration on Employment