Alliance for Full Participation

Recruitment strategies:

A multitude of groups are meeting around employment including workforce centers, V.R. , and DDD groups. Coordination and communication of groups is challenging, but the use of the summit format is the current organizing strategy.

Goals and Objectives:

See DDD Ad Hoc Committee on Employment recommendations on employment on the web link below.

Accomplishments:

The below link relates to the goals of the group, but was developed in 2006, prior to the AFP summit meetings. It is a 64 page document that shares recommendations of the committee in order to reach the goal of increased employment.
http://www.cdhs.state.co.us/ddd/PDFs/AdHocCommitteeOnEmpAndCommuinity_FinalReportEmployment.pdf
With the lead of APSE and other collaborators, there have been two summits to garner support to increase employment rates. The most recent summit on Oct. 22nd had 35 people in attendance. Bob Lawhead has taken the lead on the coordination of the summits in coordination with CTAT, the Council, People First, and other provider and family groups in attendance.

Challenges:

Not a priority for many groups and budget cuts. Unemployment in the state has generally subdued expectations for folks with disabilities to gain employment as well. Low expectations on many fronts. NIWS work group recently recommended to add pre-vocational category into the waiver, with some limitations on time based on benchmarks with the hope that individuals will not use supports from that category for more than three years. The composition of the work group was such that there was not consensus on getting a clear three- year limit written into the waiver itself, sadly. On the other, hand, the state will no longer bill Medicaid for NIWS supports. Estimates are that about 1300 will be effected by this change.

How can national AFP assist your state’s team?

Any strategies on coordinating local efforts that are similar in nature, but not collaborative? Some group are gathered to solve a smaller employment issue such as NIWS and Medicaid funding, then disbands. Each group is very specific in task, rarely coordinated with other efforts, and short term in nature. How to get limited time of groups and individuals focused in a single direction would be helpful.