NISH National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation & Design

1. NISH National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation & Design Reengineering the workplace for people with severe disabilities Therese Stein NISH Workforce Development May 24, 2007

2. What is NISH? • NISH, formerly the National Industries for the Severely Handicapped, is the national nonprofit agency designated through the Javits-Wagner-O’Day Act, to create employment opportunities for people with severe disabilities through the AbilityOne Program (formerly the Javits-Wagner O’Day Program).

3. What is the Javits-Wagner O’Day (JWOD) Act? • Began as the Wagner O’Day Act in 1938 • Permitted agencies serving people who are blind to sell products to the government • Expanded in 1971 by Senator Jacob Javits to include people with other severe disabilities • Javits amendment included sale of services to the federal government

4. What is the Javits-Wagner O’Day (JWOD) Act? • Provides employment opportunities for more than 47,000 Americans who are blind or who have other severe disabilities • Largest single source of employment for people with severe disabilities in the US • State and private nonprofit organizations employ these individuals to provide quality services and goods to the federal government

5. National Nonprofit Agencies • Helped to expand the Wagner-O’Day Act and formed NISH • Six national nonprofit associations: • Goodwill Industries International • The Arc (Association of Retarded Citizens) • UCP (United Cerebral Palsy) • National Easter Seal Society • IAJVS (International Association of Jewish Vocational Services) • ACCSES (American Congress of Community Supports and Employment Services)

6. Where is NISH?

7. NISH Mission • NISH creates employment opportunities for people with severe disabilities. NISH Vision • Employment for every person with a severe disability.

8. NISH National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation & Design • Purpose is to cultivate the development of technology to help people with disabilities use their own unique abilities to reach employment goals • Encourage college students to design creative technological solutions to barriers that prevent people with disabilities from entering or advancing in the workplace • Application compliments requirements for a college student’s design class or masters/doctoral project

9. NISH National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation & Design NISH is looking for workplace technology designs that address employment for people with disabilities in the following areas: • Computer Access • Environmental Accommodations • Functional Control and Access • Transportation/Mobility • Communication Assistance

10. NISH National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation & Design • Three monetary awards given annually: • $10,000 • $5,000 • $3,000 • Matching monetary grant to sponsoring department and collaborating nonprofit • NISH pays for a student rep from each award winning design to attend/present and exhibit at a NISH Conference

11. NISH National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation & Design • Special consideration given to those designs that are developed in collaboration with a NISH affiliated Nonprofit Agency (NPA) • To locate NISH affiliated Nonprofit go to NISH website: www.nish.org • (select NPA Locator ) or… • Contact NISH directly to connect to a NPA in your community (tstein@nish.org)

12. University–Nonprofit Agency-NISH Partnerships • Partnerships (here with Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology) provide engineering students a service learning opportunity • Work one on one with people with severe disabilities and design assistive devices to improve their work ability

13. NISH National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation & Design • 13 designs awarded as of this year – • 3 more to be awarded at the NISH Advocacy Conference in June 2007

14. Figure 1: The three positions (stored, upright, and functional) of the desk are shown from the front view of the wheelchair. NISH National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation & Design • Powered Wheelchair Desk

15. NISH National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation & Design • Envelope Inserting Aids

16. NISH National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation & Design • Audible Counter For People with Cognitive and Physical Disabilities

17. NISH National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation & Design • Design Application for Farm Tractor Accessibility

18. NISH National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation & Design • Farm Tractor Accessibility

19. NISH National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation & Design • EdgeWrite - Accessible Handheld and Desktop Text Entry for People with Motor Impairments

20. 1 2 8 4 NISH National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation & Design • Need tolerance to wiggle, tremor • “Path” recognizers can become confused • Simple approach • Record the order that corners are hit • Match corner sequences to letters

21. NISH National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation & Design • EdgeWrite

22. NISH National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation & Design • EdgeWrite for Power Wheelchairs

23. NISH National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation & Design • One Handed Nail & Chisel Set

24. NISH National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation & Design • Tag Stamping Device to Aid Persons with Disabilities

25. NISH National Scholar Award for Workplace Innovation & Design • Additional information available on the NISH website www.nish.org. • Email us at scholarship@nish.org. • Due date for 2008: April 11, 2008

26. JWOD/JETS NEDC National FinalsFebruary 16, 2007

27. Thank You! • Therese Stein • tstein@nish.org • scholarship@nish.org