Community Inclusion through National Service: Building on ADA Legislation to Create Opportunities for Everyone to Serve Chad Mikado National Service Inclusion Project

The National Service Inclusion Project is a Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) Training and Technical Assistance Provider. NSIP strives to ensure the full and meaningful inclusion of people with disabilities in national service and volunteer organizations across the country. NSIP Provides: Training (face-to-face and online) Individual Technical Assistance (in-person & distance) Product and Information Dissemination Partnership Development and Ongoing Support of State- based Inclusion Teams

National Partnerships The National Service Inclusion Project partners with the following organizations to further enable all CNCS grantees to collaborate with the disability community. These disability organizations are committed to promoting national service and volunteering as a valued option for individuals with disabilities to their respective communities. Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) Denver Options CTAT Operation TBI Freedom

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Inclusion means: meaningful participation, (as defined by the member) in service and volunteer activities full access to all sites and activities and the provision supports (accommodations) to ensure successful engagement person’s strengths and experiences are matched and optimized, regardless of disability, for the type of position and activities not segregated, not “token”; not a “project or a place”

Agenda ADA and the Disability Movement An introduction to national service Identifying the intersections between national service and the disability community Locating virtual opportunities to serve

History of the Disability Movement Present Day

Introduction to National Service

Changing the paradigm… from recipients to providers and leaders in all national service and volunteer activities.

Give and Take: National Service and the Disability Community

The Corporation for National and Community Service has a mission to improve lives, strengthen communities and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering by providing opportunities for Americans with all abilities and of all ages and backgrounds to engage. Since its inception, with the 1993 National Community Service Act, CNCS has been committed to the active participation of Americans with disabilities in all of its programs and initiatives. Thousands of people with disabilities serve in CNCS’s three major programs: AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and Learn and Serve America.

Each year CNCS has, by statute, allocated funding for the active inclusion of individuals with disabilities in national service Funding has focused on three grant priority areas: –outreach –placement and reasonable accommodations –training and technical assistance Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS)

CNCS strives for full inclusion because it is the right thing to do but then there is also the LAW. Federal legislation regarding non-discrimination and inclusion: - Section 504 of the Rehab Act - Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Particular provisions in the history of Corporation for National and Community Service legislation that ensures full inclusion – a progression of progress: Domestic and Volunteer Service Act National and Community Service Act Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009

16 Structured volunteer service opportunities are provided through three major programs: Senior Corps AmeriCorps Learn and Serve America Corporation for National & Community Service (CNCS)

AmeriCorps State and National: AmeriCorps state and national supports a broad range of local service programs that engage thousands of Americans in intensive service to meet critical community needs. AmeriCorps VISTA: AmeriCorps VISTA provides full-time members to community organizations and public agencies to create and expand programs that build capacity and ultimately bring low-income individuals and communities out of poverty. AmeriCorps NCCC: The mission of the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps is to strengthen communities and develop leaders through direct, team-based national and community service at one of five nationally located campuses. Today we will focus on AmeriCorps….

AmeriCorps AmeriCorps members address critical needs communities all across America. Examples of what an AmeriCorps member can do: Tutor and mentor underserved youth Address issues related to illiteracy Improve health services Build affordable housing Teach computer skills Clean parks and streams Manage or operate after-school programs Help communities respond to disasters Build organizational capacity To be an AmeriCorps member, an individual must be: 17 years old A U.S. Citizen Interested in helping others/making a difference in your community

19 Why Volunteer Through a National Service Program? In addition to the many benefits, participants who volunteer in a National Service program are eligible to receive: –A living stipend –An education award –Health insurance, as needed –Child care benefits, as needed

A WIN – WIN Situation: People with disabilities are integral members of their communities and wish to contribute. People who volunteer are significantly more likely to be happy and satisfied with their lives. (CNCS AmeriCorps Longitudinal Study, 2008) Communities really learn about what all Americans can do!

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Virtual Volunteering in Action

Chad Mikado (Chad Gobert) To Find Service and Volunteering Options: dy/selector.asp