Assessing Readiness For Employment NISH Conference May 23, 2011
Agenda • CEO Forum • Survey • Functional Limitations • Supports and Accommodations • Annual Evaluation Form
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CEO Forum
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CEO Forum • First meeting – July 13, 2010 • Gather the CEOs of 24 nonprofit agencies together • Form 3 teams to look at the following issues: – Definition of Disability Implementation – Business Rules • Improve allocation and management of projects through defining and responsibilities of stakeholders and procedures
– AbilityOne Enterprises • Seek business collaboration opportunities that promote mutual growth of our organizations and increase employment
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Purpose of Disability Forum • To research and identify processes that can be employed at the NPA/CRP, CNA, and Committee levels to ensure that individuals identified as having a significant disability do, in fact, have a significant (previously termed “severeâ€?) disability for purposes of employment in the AbilityOne Program, and as defined by proposed Modernization language.
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Background • Ensure that AbilityOne-participating nonprofit agencies employ the people for whom the program is intended to serve and who meet the statutory definition • Ensure continued integrity of the AbilityOne Program • Ensure better understanding of the complexity of different types of disabilities
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Explored •
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Expectation: Explore how disabilities that are not visible and cannot be determined significant by objective data can be reasonably and consistently validated for purposes of the modernized JWOD Act. Response: The team feels the key is to ensure that under the existing and proposed modernization language individuals continue to be evaluated on an individual basis. The practice should include the original documentation of disability with annual reviews. These annual reviews should include the types of supports and accommodations needed by and provided to the individual.
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Explored •
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Expectation: Explore the principles and best practices of compliance monitoring, including use of audit procedures, both relating to certified written reports and site visits, in order to ensure compliance. Develop concepts on how to affect remedies for noncompliance, remediation & reinstatement into good standing. Response: – The team: • Supports the use of NPA self audits. NPAs with compliance issues would receive additional technical assistance by the CNA. • Supports increased communication and training to NPA executives and board on the legal significance of signing the annual certifications. • Supports use of peer review processes to help augment compliance efforts. • Supports the use of a “standard progressive discipline” methodology to be used by NIB, NISH & the Committee.
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CEO Forum Survey
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Survey Background •
Survey intended to help identify supports required/used for people with significant disabilities working in the AbilityOne Program
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Three (3) question narrative survey 1) The definition requires NPAs to provide services or supports which enable people with significant disabilities to work successfully in an AbilityOne contract. Please provide examples of the services or supports your agency provides to AbilityOne workers. Note that these services and supports are above and beyond what is required of all employers under the ADA. Slide 10
Survey Background (continued) 2) The definition requires NPAs to document that the disability results in substantial limitation in two or more major life activities. The major life activities include mobility, communication, self-care, self-direction, work tolerance, and work skills. Again, from your experience, please provide examples of how the disability results in substantial limitation in the major life activities. 3) H.R. 5983 states the term “major life activities� includes mobility, communication, self-care, self-direction, work tolerance, and work skills. Please list any additional major life activities which you believe should be added
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Survey Background (continued) •
Survey deployed to 530 AbilityOne producing agencies on September 9, 2010 and closed on October 1, 2010
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136 usable responses (147 responded)
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25.6% response rate
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Functional Limitations
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Defining terms in the Definition • Functional Capability – the interaction between a disability and the environment and represents an inability to meet a standard. • Referred to on an interchangeable basis as Functional Limitations or Life Functions. • The Committee has 6: Mobility Self-Care Work Skills
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Communications Self-Direction Work Tolerance
Mobility • A person's ability to move to and from work or within a work environment, including walking, climbing, coordination, accessing and using transportation, use of spatial/perceptual relationships, and ability to perform physical functions and endure postural activities and physical environments
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Mobility • Unable to lift/carry 10 pounds • Unable to sit for 60 minutes or stand/walk for 30 minutes • Unable to climb stairs or ladders • Unable to stoop or crouch • Unable to perform fine finger manipulation • Unable to reach in all directions
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• Very Limited Ability to Tolerate extreme work Environments • Unable to travel without assistance • Spatial/Perceptual Relationships – Severe limitation of depth perception, near acuity, distance acuity, field of vision
Communications • a person’s ability to transmit and/or receive information through spoken, written or other means. (effective exchange of information)
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Communications • • • • • • • • •
Inability to acknowledge that information is understood Poor verbal communication skills / not intelligible Difficulty asking for help Difficulty expressing when hurt, sick or in pain Inability to follow simple written instructions Inability to follow simple verbal instructions Inability to hear Inability to ask or answer questions Difficulty interacting with fellow employees
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Self-Care • The ability to perform activities of daily living, to participate in training or work-related activities, including eating, toileting, grooming, dressing, cooking, shopping, washing, housekeeping, money management and health and safety needs.
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Self-Care • • • • • • • • •
Requires assistance with medical issues or medications Prone to self-injurious behaviors Inability to safely use tools Inability to manage bodily functions Inability to recognize environmental hazards. Inability to live independently Requires community protection Inability to handle or understand finances or money Needs assistance / reminders / prompting with personal hygiene and dressing appropriately
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Self-Direction • An individual's ability to independently plan, learn, reason, problem solve, memorize, initiate, organize, and make decisions. These processes allow individuals to assimilate information and learn specific skills related to job functions.
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Self-Direction • Inability to make simple • • • • •
decisions Inability to cope with or solve problems Inability to remember sequence of tasks Easily Influenced Inability to understand boundaries Inability to self-motivate
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• Lack of organizational skills • Poor judgment • Inability to understand consequences • Lack of initiative to move from one task to another • Easily confused • Inability to work without supervision • Need for extensive prompting
Work Skills • The ability to demonstrate specific tasks and work-related behaviors, to carry out job functions as well as the capacity to benefit from training necessary to obtain and maintain appropriate employment.
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Work Skills • Extensive job coaching needed to master the job • • • • •
Need for extensive re-training Requires pictorial aids / references Inability to do multi-step tasks Inability to carry out previously learned tasks Inability to perform tasks in correct sequence
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Work Tolerance • A person's capacity to meet the demands of the work place regardless of the work skills already possessed by the individual. Limitations may be due to physical disability, stamina/fatigue, effects of medication, or psychological factors.
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Work Tolerance • Inability to physically or emotionally withstand a work week • Excessive absenteeism / poor attendance • Frequent need for time off for therapy, hospitalizations • Substandard work productivity • Inability to tolerate distractions • Needs Frequent breaks
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• Easily distracted • Easily overwhelmed • Inconsistent work performance • Difficulty accepting constructive criticism • Inability to deal with changes • Inability to Focus • Issues with Stamina, Fatigue
Supports and Accommodations Page 27
S&A Question Responses • Categories – – – – – – – –
Assistive Technology Workplace Flexibility Increased Supervision and Support Specialized Training Support Services Person-centered Planning Job Design Other Accommodations
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Assistive Technology Examples • Adjust work stations and equipment to accommodate individual’s ability • Adapt foot controls to hand controls • Associate the letter on computer keyboards with an identifiable object to help those with limited reading abilities • Color-code cleaning supplies with pictures that explain usage and danger warnings
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Increased Supervision and Support Examples • Case Managers • Job Coaches • Specially trained Vocational Rehab Staff • Provide frequent, direct supervision and monitoring • Daily or more frequent job re-instruction • Advocacy with supervisor as necessary in conflict resolution
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Reasonable Accommodations • Reasonable accommodation does not include removing essential job functions, creating new jobs, and providing personal need items such as eye glasses and mobility aids. Nothing in the ADA prohibits employers from providing these types of accommodations; they simply are not required accommodations. • What is reasonable depends on who is asking the question. Page 31
Supports and Accommodations Mobility Reasonable or Not
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Beyond Reasonable Supports Transportation Travel Training (O&M) Assistive Technology Ergonomic equipment Flexible work schedules More frequent breaks Extra time off for medical appointments
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• • • • • • •
Acceptable Supports Transportation Bus passes Ergonomic equipment Car loan assistance Flexible work schedules Can’t get drivers license Can’t walk more than a mile
Job Accommodation Network
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Evaluation Form
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Evaluation Form • Background Section • Section for people who are blind • Section for people who are severely disabled • Evaluator information
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Background Information • Date of Hire _____
Current Job Title ______
• Information considered pertinent to or supporting the evaluation – Work History – Current living situation – Education – How came to work for agency – Productivity
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For People who are Blind • Medical Documentation – Signed eye exam with individual’s visual acuity or field of vision specified ______ – Signed letter from Government Agency stating that individual is Blind _____ • Is individual capable of competitive employment?
Yes ____ No ____
• If individual is capable of competitive employment does he or she wish competitive placement? Yes ____ No ____ • If the individual wishes placement in a job in the community what steps are being taken to place the individual
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For people who are severely disabled • Medical Documentation Documentation is signed by physician, psychiatrist, or psychologist ______ Signed letter from Government Agency stating the individual’s diagnoses _____ • Synopsis of severe disabilities (This individual has the following disabilities)
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For people who are severely disabled • Synopsis of functional limitations (This individual has the following limitations in self-care, self-direction, work skills, work tolerance, communication and or mobility as a direct result of the documented impairment) Disabilities (list individual disabilities) Impaired Major Life Function Communications Mobility Self-Care Self-Direction Work Tolerance Work Skills
• Explanation of Limitations
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For people who are severely disabled • Competitively employability • Is this individual currently capable of competitive employment (obtaining and maintaining a job without supports from the nonprofit agency)? YES _____ NO ____ • Supports and Accommodations • If the answer above is no, what accommodations or supports not normally provided in typical community employment are being provided:
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Evaluator Information • Name of individual performing the evaluation • Title of individual • Date of evaluation • Signature of the evaluator
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Questions
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