Disability Employment Event focuses on facilitating integrated work environments

Of the working- aged people with disabilities, only 34.7 percent are employed. Increasing that number was one of many topics discussed at the Association of People Supporting Employment First ( APSE) annual Regional Institute in Atlanta, Nov. 2- 3, 2017.

APSE’s theme for the institute was Organizational Change: From Workshops to Workplaces. Attendees included people with disabilities and their families, direct support professionals (DSPs), mid to upper management as well as CFOs and CEOs.

Subject matter experts and business leaders, who have successfully transformed their business models from segregated to integrated settings, brought insight on how to get people with disabilities into the competitive workforce resulting in real pay. APSE also looks to further Employment First, the view that employment in the general workforce should be the first and preferred option for individuals with disabilities receiving assistance from publicly funded systems.

“We want our attendees to walk away with a ‘ rock solid’ plan for implementing change,” said Jenny Stonemeier, interim executive director of APSE. “A step- by- step, stage- bystage plan to address the necessary changes to reach the goals. The plan will start with a vision for change, the phases of change, the steps necessary within each of those phases, the team members involved, the outcome measures, and definitions of success.”

The two- day institute was in partnership with the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and its Employment First State Leadership Mentor Program (EFSLMP). The opening keynote address was given by Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities ( GCDD) executive director Eric Jacobson.

GCDD Council members Evan Nodvin and Nandi Isaac spoke on a panel of Georgia selfadvocates who work in competitive integrated employment. Isaac is an entrepreneur, Nodvin works at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta. Amara Hazzard, a student in Georgia Tech’s Expanding Career, Education and Leadership Opportunities Program (EXCEL) was also on the panel. EXCEL is a GCDD-funded Inclusive Post- Secondary Education ( IPSE) program.

For more information on the APSE Regional Institute read the fall edition of GCDD’s Making a Difference magazine, online at http:// ow. ly/ NzXY30gy6B5.

About the Association of People Supporting Employment First: The Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE) is a 3,000 plus and growing national nonprofit membership organization. With chapters in 38 states and the District of Columbia, it focuses exclusively on integrated employment and career advancement opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

About the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities: The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities ( GCDD) is the State’s leader in advancing public policy on behalf of persons with developmental disabilities. Its mission is to bring about social and policy changes that promote opportunities for persons with developmental disabilities and their families to live, learn, work, play and worship in Georgia communities. www.gcdd.org