DELAWARE HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES Division of State Service Centers Office of Volunteerism The Corporation for National and Community Service

Toll-free hotline: (voice/TTY)

What are your burning questions and issues about disability inclusion?

WHY is disability inclusion so da-- difficult (or is it?)

~ State of the States ~ National Service and Including People with ALL Abilities!

Partnerships and Collaborations All states formed short-term and on-going partnerships with disability organizations; 42 strengthened their partnerships with University Centers on Disabilities (UCEDDs); 20 states partnered with veterans organizations; 25 State Commissions reported on strengthened efforts to include Senior Corps and all other national service programs in training and other disability inclusion activities

EXAMPLES…. …membership on a state-wide Governor’s Employability Task Force for Employing Persons with Disabilities …a requirement for each AmeriCorps program in the state to develop Disability Community Development Plans to collaborate with a minimum of 3 local disability organizations …one state’s Department of Social Services was recognized in October 2011 by the state Department of Rehabilitative Services as a 'Champion' because of efforts through AmeriCorps to engage individuals with disabilities in service and in volunteer activities. …VOC REHAB state agency now sees these opportunities as providing an excellent training ground for skill development and resume building …Program Directors reported that their Community Partners had generated 16 volunteers with disabilities for the AmeriCorps programs

NEWS BULLETIN! Disability inclusion is becoming integrated into routine grantee operations! All State Commissions engaged in various forms of outreach and promotion of national service including the development of accessible materials; ensuring Section 508 compliant web sites; using social networking; and presenting at fairs and exhibits 41 states integrated disability inclusion training in their regular program director meetings and/or State Conferences; some provided targeted stand-alone training series (face-to-face and remote) 16 states reviewed and strengthened their Reasonable Accommodation policies; many were integrated into program procedural manuals and training materials; 30 states tracked reasonable accommodation requests, approximately 185 requests were received and 176 requests were honored; numbers of requests were honored and not reported

INCLUSION TEAMS and STRATEGIC PLANNING 35 Commissions have formal State Inclusion Teams 5 new (additional) states have indicated interest in forming an inclusion team and strategic planning and/or have scheduled their first meeting Results! “c onnections made between programs on community organizations serving those with disabilities. Several products have been developed over the last year“ “conducted a 2011 Inclusion Project AmeriCorps Service shadowing week” “…because of partnerships, we have successfully enrolled two people with developmental disabilities” “increased ability to promote and provide reasonable accommodations effectively”

MEASURING HOW MANY PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ARE SERVING 25 out of 37 state commissions surveyed by NSIP responded that they have measured the number of national service members and volunteers with disabilities using a variety of surveying mechanisms. All of the 25 states reported a percentage of individuals who disclosed with disabilities, from 6% to 33%. Of the 37 respondents, 78% expressed a strong need for a standardized tool and related TA to obtain accurate and defensible data.

NSIP’s FUTURE PLANS to ASSIST the STATES

Performance Measurement Indicators for Disability Inclusion What are your goals/desired outcomes for disability inclusion? How would you know if/when you are making progress toward your goals? Can you tell how much progress you are making at any given point in time? What do you do (i.e. activities, strategies) to make your program inclusive, attractive, accessible?

Introducing a tool… “Indicators of an Inclusive Service and Volunteer Organization” Provides a framework to identify and establish elements that are essential to a comprehensively inclusive organization/program. Can be used by an organization/program to plan, develop, enhance, measure and demonstrate practices that engage and support members and volunteers with disabilities.

Quality Indicators Help you identify strengths so you can tell the story of your inclusion efforts Help you identify areas for improvement so you can target your improvement efforts Identify Strengths and Needs

Inclusion Indicators Overall structure: – Divided into six sections – Each section has a list of indicators – Legal requirements are in bold – For each indicator, mark to what extent you are currently meeting the indicator – Each section asks you to identify three strengths and three areas where you’d like to improve Identify Strengths and Needs

Please Sign Up for the Area You’re Interested In! 1.Members and Volunteers 2.Leadership and Staff 3.Policies and Procedures 4.Program Monitoring and Evaluation 5.Community Partners 6.Administration and Finance Identify Strengths and Needs

Members and Volunteers Attracting, selecting and supporting both members and volunteers of all abilities and backgrounds requires attention to many areas of program and volunteer management. Indicators in this category address outreach and marketing, recruitment and selection, training and supervision, support and evaluation. Leadership and Program and Site Staff Members and Volunteers either interact with staff and/or leadership in the roles they play or are affected by decisions that leadership and/or staff make. All leadership and staff should be aware of and educated around the legal and programmatic requirements and best practices around inclusion. The indicators in this category address those practices and procedures that can ensure all play a role in creating a diverse pool of members, volunteers, and staff. Policies, Procedures and Key Documents Having written policies, procedures, and documents that staff and leadership understand, have access to and are familiar with are important to ensuring people with or without disabilities feel welcome, supported and accommodated. The indicators in this category represent the practices that make this possible.

Program Monitoring and Evaluation Evaluating inclusion and accessibility efforts require ongoing assessment that involves a diverse group of stakeholders, both those with and without disabilities. Community Partners Creating mutually beneficial relationships with community groups, organizations and associations that work with or for people with disabilities is key to ensuring people with disabilities see service and volunteerism as an opportunity to benefit the community and themselves. Indicators in this category represent the activities and practices that are required for true partnerships to exist where both parties benefit from exposing people with disabilities to service and volunteerism. Administration and Finance Organizations that receive funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) are required to adhere to certain regulations and guidance related to people with disabilities, civil rights, and equal opportunity. Indicators in this category represent the administrative and financial practices that ensure compliance with these laws.

3 MINUTE Speed SHARING Find a person or group you don’t know… Share a promising practice, a good idea you heard today or solution to a challenge you’re trying to solve and/or Learn a promising practice, a good idea or a solution to your partner’s problem you’re trying to solve LEARN and SHARE as much as possible in three minutes SWITCH!!

THANK YOU!