Webinar series: Spring 2023
Rhode Island's Community of Practice for Engaging Businesses​
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Facilitator: Doug Crandell, IHDD, Advancing Employment
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Speakers: Sue Babin, Rhode Island DD Council, Danna Spencer, Associate Director of Client Services for Inclusion Skills for Rhode Island’s Future, Brittany Dorrance, Client Services Associate for Inclusion Skills for Rhode Island's Future.
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Join us for a fun and invigorating discussion about the innovative tools Rhode Island’s ID/DD partners are deploying to improve business engagement. The session will focus on training, using a platform to communicate with all job developers, and the momentum necessary to create and customize jobs that are long-lasting. Participants will be able to learn from how one state is fundamentally changing the way it interfaces with businesses. You don’t want to miss this one!
Quality Improvement with Purpose: Intentional Learning and Different Approaches
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Facilitator: Doug Crandell, IHDD, Advancing Employment
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Speakers: Debbie Ball, VP Employment Services, Easterseals Southern California, Maureen Carasiti, Director of Employment Services, Easterseals Southern California
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This session will demonstrate how an organization can embrace a model of continuous quality improvement with purpose. What is a culture of intentional learning? Do adults require different approaches to learning and improving performance? Why is this important? These questions and more will be answered as presenters will provide concrete tools to boost learning, engagement, and excitement. This will be an interactive session, with opportunities for questions throughout.
What is DB101 and is it the Best Thing Since Sliced Bread?
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Facilitator: Doug Crandell, IHDD, Advancing Employment
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Speakers: Nicholas Love, Community Inclusion Director, World Institute on Disability, Gina Griffiths, Assistant Director for Community Inclusion, World Institute on Disability
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During this webinar, participants will learn about www.DB101.org. Many people with disabilities fear that if they go to work, they'll lose needed health care and other disability benefits. DB101 helps people with disabilities and service providers understand the connections between work and benefits. DB101 will help you make informed choices and show you how you can make work part of your plan.
DB101 provides:
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Information: Learn about benefits programs and rules around work. Get answers to frequently asked questions. Find out how to avoid common pitfalls.
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Estimators: Get results tailored just for you that help you plan and set goals for work. Get tips for success for your individual situation.
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Expert Help: Find answers to your questions. Connect to community resources. Get help understanding your next steps.
Get to know DB101 for yourself! Check out the webpage at:
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Soon, you will find Georgia listed there!
Supporting the Mental Health of Georgia Job Seekers and Employees with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) During the Pandemic and Post-Pandemic
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Speaker: Tracy Rackensperger, Ph.D., Public Service Faculty, Project Director, Supporting Coalition-Building to Phase-Out Subminimum Wage in Georgia, Project Director, Preparing for Employment, and Outreach and Resources Manager, Advancing Employment at IHDD, UGA
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Description: This webinar will focus on conclusions from a white paper written by the speaker entitled Supporting the Mental Health of Georgia Job Seekers and Employees with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) During the Pandemic and Post-Pandemic: A Focus on Encouraging Good Mental Health Through Reintegration and Continued Integration of Georgians with I/DD into Their Communities. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected life for everyone. In this session, participants will learn the context for how individuals with I/DD have managed in terms of their employment, mental health, and community inclusion during these challenging times. We will examine how we must do better to aid individuals to reintegrate and continue to integrate into their communities. Since competitive integrated employment is an essential part of being fully participatory in their communities, supporting the mental health of Georgia job seekers and employees with I/DD during the pandemic and post-pandemic must be conducted. We will discuss action plans with steps we must take to ensure the mental needs of Georgia job seekers and employees with I/DD during the pandemic and post-pandemic are met.
From Segregated Employment to Competitive Integrated Employment: One Georgian’s Story
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Speaker(s): Kathy Tilley, Employee at the YMCA and Ruthie Tilley, Parent of Kathy Tilley
Description: After decades of being in a sheltered workshop and receiving subminimum wages, Kathy Tilley is currently working at her local YMCA in South Georgia. She receives competitive wages and is supported by a provider dedicated to ending 14c employment. This interview-style webinar will allow attendees to learn how Ms. Tilley was supported to transition into competitive integrated employment. We will discuss how she continues to be supported. Ms. Tilley will explain how competitively working has transformed her life. Her mother, Ruth Tilley, will also share her initial concerns about her daughter leaving the workshop. These concerns are shared among many families. Ruth Tilley will explain how her concerns were addressed and how she became comfortable with her daughter working in a competitive integrated setting at the YMCA.