Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) - Partnership with Community-based Organizations (CBOs)

Interdisciplinary Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND), a Maternal and Child Bureau (MCHB)-funded program providing long-term, graduate level training to health professionals and family members

Chelsea Achieves in Mathematics: University of Massachusetts Institute for Community Inclusion, Chelsea Public Schools and Capic Head Start funded by the Board of Higher Education Improving Teacher Quality

Partners: Chelsea Achieves in Mathematics (CAM) is a partnership between the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB) and Chelsea Public Schools, Early Learning Center (ELC) and Capic Head Start (CHS). CAM will provide 15 hours of professional development on mathematics to early educators for PDP/CEU each year. Principal Objectives: CAM will increase early educators’ content knowledge in mathematics and application of pedagogy into practice. CAM will integrate the Building Blocks Mathematics (BBM) into the Opening the World of Learning (OWL) Curriculum framework. The merging of two scientifically based research curriculum will improve teachers’ effectiveness and student outcomes in mathematics, language, and literacy. 3)Major Activities- CAM educators will participate. 45 hours of (PD) will be provided over three year. and receive classroom coaching

Partnerships in Employment National Transition Systems Change Project: Building a Transition-to-Employment Agenda

The national Partnerships in Employment (PIE) National Transition Systems Change Project was established in 2011 by the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. This five-year project focuses on improving, developing, and implementing policies and practices that raise community expectations and overall employment outcomes for youth with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD). Now in the last phase of the funding cycle, the eight state projects involved in the PIE initiative (Alaska, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Tennessee, and Wisconsin) are uniquely positioned to provide youth employment recommendations to federal, state, and local agencies. In this document, we share several of the findings and recommendations. Partnerships projects are working within and across state agencies (education, vocational rehabilitation, developmental disabilities, Medicaid, and workforce development) to effect change and develop systems solutions. In addition, these projects are reaching out to youth, families, employers, and service providers to build awareness of promising practices, encourage advocacy, and promote community partnerships to create widespread change and improved employment outcomes. Early findings from PIE projects test best practices and policy changes and confirm recent research in the area of transition and youth employment. Project findings also highlight barriers to employment and inform specific recommendations across state and federal agencies and policy that can significantly improve youth outcomes

MassWorks: Developing Community Partnerships to Reach Underserved Diverse Populations

This issue of MassWorks highlights an innovative approach to enhancing services for individuals from diverse communities. The high unemployment rate and barriers to employment experienced by people with disabilities are well documented. For people from diverse communities, these barriers are compounded by factors such as language, cultural norms regarding work and disability, and difficulty accessing services. Community partnerships can provide a unique opportunity to improve services for individuals from diverse racial, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds

Data Note: What Do Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services Cost?

The VR system has the flexibility to purchase a wide array of services to support an employment outcome, including vocational evaluation, vocational training and postsecondary education, transportation, supported employment, interpreters, and adaptive equipment. VR services include core counseling and guidance provided by a VR counselor as well as services that are purchased based on an individual employment plan

Research to Practice: Grant Development and Decision-Making: Comparison of Funding Agencies and Community-Based Minority Organizations

This report compares the perspectives of government funding agencies and community-based minority organizations on grant development and decision-making, and gives recommendations on how these groups can work together effectively to fund disability programs

Research to Practice: Effective Customer Service Delivery in Employment Support: Finding a Common Ground Between Guided and Self-Directed Service Delivery

An ICI study analyzed the experiences of individuals who successfully found jobs through agencies and discovered five characteristics of effective employment services. This brief describes guided and self-directed approaches and provides recommendations for agency staff

Building the Capacity of the Massachusetts Workforce Development System in Massachusetts to Better Serve Individuals with Disabilities

Ensuring that community resources that are available to assist anyone with their job search and training needs are fully accessible and effective for individuals with disabilities

MassWorks: Massachusetts Launches the Disability Program Navigator Initiative

Welcome to MassWorks, our initiative for disability, workforce development, and employment professionals in Massachusetts. All too often, it seems, we work towards the same goals from different sides. With the many day-to day demands of our jobs, it\u27s easy to miss opportunities to share ideas and resources across agencies. The aim of MassWorks is to bring information to workforce and disability professionals who have the goal of improving employment outcomes for Mass. residents with disabilities

School for Global Inclusion and Social Development: Expanding the UMass Boston community on a regional, national, and international level

The School for Global Inclusion and Social Development (SGISD) is the newest graduate school at UMass Boston. We are the first graduate program in the world to focus on wellness, disability, and economic development from an international perspective. The first students in our master\u27s program will start classes in January 2014, with our PhD program to launch in September 2014. SGISD\u27s emphasis is on groups of people who are excluded from communities here in the U.S. and abroad, due to disability or other conditions. Instruction will be delivered on campus, online, and through international exchange programs