aspire - national academies of sciences, …/media/files/activity files...•section 301 (section...
TRANSCRIPT
ASPIRENational Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine
February 2, 2018
PROMISE Awardees
PROMISE Outcomes
• Improved educational outcomes
• Increased employment outcomes
• Greater economic self-sufficiency and reduced dependency on public benefits.
• Common strategies and unique strategies
The ASPIRE Model
• 6 unique states, 49 American Indian Tribes
• 6 Governors and 54 required agency partners
• Enrollment goal for 18.6% of eligible youth in
each state, ranging from 50 to 1051 per state
• The foundation of existing services with
additional enhanced services to the Treatment
Group
Utah State Office of Rehabilitation
ColoradoDivision of
Rehabilitation Services
North DakotaMinot State University
UtahUtah State Office of
Rehabilitation
ArizonaGovernor’s Office of Children Youth and
Families
MontanaDisability Employment
and Transition Services
South DakotaDivision of
Rehabilitation
Office of Public Instruction
Black Hills Special Services Cooperative
Arizona Department of Education
University of Utah (PI)
University of Kansas
University of Montana
US Department of Education
44 Subcontracts
University of Arizona Extension
Uniform Intervention Delivery
• Existing services vary across the states and within a single state, including VR, DD, Medicaid and more
Overcoming Variance
• ASPIRE content and delivery descriptions
• Identical scopes of work for sub-contracts
• Training – online and live
• Discussion Forums
Challenges
The Original Plan• The foundation of existing services with additional
enhanced services• Provide additional learning opportunities in the areas of
PROMISE• Parent education and training• Financial education and capability• Benefits Counseling• Self Determination training• Career exploration and employment• Educational opportunity• Case Management
• Connect, support, encourage and more
ASPIRE Families• Busy lives
• Cultural differences
• Keeping ahead of the next bill, appointment, etc.
• Non-parents as guardians
• Frustration with the systems, the rules; regular change of staff within services
• Fear breaking rules and the consequences
• Missing community, cultural, social connectedness
• Hopelessness
Overcome the Gaps
• Transportation
• Food, clothing
• Celebrations or family events
• Fees, co-pays, costs
• Connectedness
• Time consuming
• Income stretching
• The culture of systems - More than a brochure, or note with name and phone number
• Existing services for adults rather than children
What has worked• Unresponsive means overwhelmed! Not uninterested.
• Contact - Call, mail, reach out, text, email, visit – be persistent
• Solidarity - Groups build connections, a shared sense of experience, networking – “I’m not alone.”
• Uniqueness - One on one services recognize the unique individual or family, their dreams and needs
• Accompany the youth or parents, warm handoffs, especially in-person; listen with them, take notes, discuss after; modeling builds confidence
What has worked
• Smaller caseloads – Approximately 1:35
• ASPIRE as connector
• ASPIRE as resource and process expert
• The finesse, the art of meeting a family where they are, envisioning a future different from today, and developing knowledge and skills to take the next steps to achieve their dream.
Two Examples of Process Expertise
• Student Earned Income Exclusion• It exists. Teachers, VR counselors, everyone talks
about it. But how do you apply it? What do you have to do to access this work incentive?
• Section 301 (Section 301 Payments to Individuals Participating in a Vocational Rehabilitation or Similar Program)
• The message is if you have a plan leading to employment, you can keep your SSI. But how do you apply it? What do you have to do to access this work incentive?
At the end of the day…
Youth and families can feel trapped, hopeless
But…
Parents want a better life for their children.
Teens want to fit in, and do what their friends do.
These families just want to be like everyone else.
Contact ASPIRE
Carol RuddellASPIRE Project Director
Utah State Office of Rehabilitation14203 Minuteman Drive, Suite 101
Draper, UT 84020(801) 619-3010