Facilitated by Vickie Vining
Guest speakers: Sherry Beamer, Jack Fagan, Camilla Bixler, Paul Nussbaum
Ground Rules Suggested by the Group:
· People should be concise and to the point when they speak
· No cross talking (interrupting, side conversations, etc.)
· All cell phones and pagers off
· We need to focus on isolating needs and finding solutions
· Everyone should be open minded
· Everybody should have the opportunity to talk
· Be respectful and courteous
« People with autism and Asperger’s syndrome have opportunities to earn adequate levels of income to support the life they want to lead.
« Young people come out of school with a means to earn income.
« People’s jobs or small businesses are high quality and meaningful to them.
« People will be more independent and not have to rely solely on the system for support.
« People with autism and Asperger’s syndrome will be active participants in the political process.
· We need to raise expectations for people’s lives: we need to believe that people with autism and Asperger’s can expect the same life quality standards as other people in society—living in their own home, earning adequate income, having meaningful relationships and community connections.
· Thinking and planning one person at a time.
· We need to speak with a clear voice and a consistent message about this issue.
· People with autism and Asperger’s need to have a voice about what they want for their lives and people need to listen.
· People need help figuring out what the next step is for them; they need places to go to get help figuring things out.
· Employers need to understand how to support people with autism and Asperger’s to be successful in a job.
· There need to be more incentives for employers to hire people who need extra support.
· We need to develop educational programs to help employers and the community understand autism and Asperger’s better.
· Teens need to have good transition plans coming out of school.
· We need to get people out of sheltered workshops.
· We need good support for real jobs. We need to assure that there are better supports for people on the job; more creative supports.
· We need to advocate to get current programs to provide more support for earning income.
· Department of Rehabilitation needs to be able to serve people with autism and Asperger’s; look at eligibility criteria. DR needs to be able to serve people with more intense support needs which may not fade over time.
· We need to think like business people if we’re going to support people to earn income.
· We should look to the community for answers and resources before we start creating a separate solution for people with autism and Asperger’s.
· Workability programs
· Counseling and vocational assessment and planning
· What are your goals; what training will you need; what social preparation will you need
· Employment training and support
· Supported Employment
· Individual placements
· Group placements
· Job coaching
· DR doing some self employment support
· Must have a good business plan to show a viable business
· TPP: Transitional Partnership Program with school systems
· Working with Long Beach Unified with 11 and 12th graders to prepare for work
· DR can also provide some things you need to be successful such as appropriate clothing and transportation
· Most DR services are meant to be faded out over time
· Service coordinators assist with referrals to vocational programs (Rehab. and regional center)
· There are job clubs at sheltered workshops
· Vocational/day programs have job developers who help you find a job.
· Regional centers also provide other kinds of supports related to the rest of your life (such as support for people to live in their own home, get out and be a part of the community, etc.)
· Regional centers advocate for and do outreach to resources related to employment.
· Regional centers assist with IEP advocacy with the schools
· Regional centers are creating new vendor categories to support microenterprise development
· RC’s are looking at creative ways to use existing programs to foster more opportunities for people to earn income
· Some areas are already participating in workgroups for microenterprise and personalized options for day supports.
· June Wilson, local area person for the Social Security Administration, is available to do presentations to groups on social security benefits and employment
· Some pointers on benefits:
· There are several ways SSA gives you some room to work toward earning more income while continuing to receive some benefits:
· Trial work period before benefits are changed
· Extended period of eligibility for up to 3 years
· Formula for gradual reduction of SSI benefits when you start working
· Ways to keep your MediCal health insurance even if you’re working (can make up to $32,499 per year and not lose health insurance)
· PASS plans (Plan for Achieving Self Support): allows you to shelter some of your income (to keep from having benefits reduced) if you have a written and approved plan to use that money toward work or business expenses.
· Ticket to Work: federal program to have more options for you to use federal dollars to get the support you need to find and keep a job.
· IRWE: Impairment Related Work Incentives also allow you to shelter some income from benefit reduction formula to use to pay work related expenses.
Individuals:
· Advocate for yourself. Find your voice. Tell people what you want for your life in relation to earning income.
· Make sure your economic goals are in any plan you have with the school system (IEP,) with regional centers (IPP) or with Department of Rehabilitation (IHP.)
· Develop a support network for yourself, made up of people who care about you and people who can help you work toward your income goals.
· Have a pizza party and invite people over to help you develop a plan for earning income.
· Figure out how to get people on your support circle who have business experience or ties to people in the business world.
· Ask to “pick someone’s brain” who is in the kind of business you would like to work in to see what advice they have.
· Find some way to support people to get over their fears about working.
· Support groups
· Getting information out to people about the things they are worried about.
· Find some ways for people to get the skills and support they need to earn income.
· Many skills are the same whether you want a regular job or to start your own business.
· Find some ways people can network with others and share ideas and resources.
System and Community:
· We need to create local workgroups that are working together to increase opportunities for people to earn adequate income. We need to invite community business people to the table as we are working on this—create alliances and partnerships with business.
· We need to share our names and contact information with each other to keep this going.
· Need a website or information and collaboration around income earning.
· Perhaps utilize the Business Leadership Networks that are in some communities.
· We need to make sure that the disability population is at the table for all kinds of planning for job support.
· Regional centers need to work with current vendors to make sure they are moving in the direction of supporting work and income generation.
· Need to create some incentives for programs to do this.
· Need to develop more flexible vendor categories and methods of funding to support this vision.
· Some of the rules need to be changed to support the vision.
· We need to find ways to get the word out.
· We need to get some positive press about hiring people with autism or Asperger’s or about people starting their own business.
· Get information out to potential employers and the community on employing people with autism and Asperger’s.
· Create more apprenticeship opportunities for people.
· Find ways to connect people who are looking for work with small business owners who may need a little help with different tasks. Small business owners may be more able to tailor work requirements to the individualized needs of people with autism and Asperger’s.
· Regional Centers need to work with parents and adults with autism and Asperger’s to raise expectations about what is possible related to earning income. Think first that everyone can work if given the right support.
· Make sure families get information early in their child’s life about working toward employment or other ways of earning income.
· Create better ways for people to get the information they need to successfully pursue opportunities to earn income.
· The system needs to find ways to simplify the rules and make them more consumer friendly.
· We need to make sure people are getting adequate training for income earning:
· We need to make sure that high schools are making vocational and occupational programs available to people with autism and Asperger’s.
· We need to make sure that schools and colleges have good job skills training programs.
· We need to ask the question, “Are we too tolerant of services that aren’t effective?”
· Develop strategies to deal with the ones that aren’t effective.
· Make sure we are evaluating programs on the right things: tracking how much people are earning, how many hours they are working, whether their jobs/businesses are satisfying to them.
· Grassroot organizations can help with identifying ineffective programs.
· Disability agencies need to actively network with employers where they regularly network – Chambers of Commerce, etc.
· Adopt an attitude of JUST DO IT!