SRC Participation in Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment

1. SRC Participation in Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment state rehabilitation council discussion points June 24, 2014

2. Today’s Presentation • Review • Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment Requirements • Discuss the Role of the SRC in the Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment • Video • Initial Brainstorming of Issues and Ideas • Identifying and Agree on Next Steps

3. Get Your Picture on the Cover ofthe Needs Assessment Report

4. Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment • The basis for the State Plan goals, objectives, and strategies • VR agency and SRC are required by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, to work jointly on conducting a Needs Assessment • Conducted every three years • Attachment 4.11(a) of the State Plan

5. Needs Assessment Required Information Goals • VR service needs of individuals with the most significant disabilities, including their need for supported employment; • Individuals with disabilities who are minorities; • Individuals with disabilities who have been unserved and underserved by the VR program; and • Individuals with disabilities served through the statewide workforce investment system.

6. Attachment 4.11(a) Requirements and...an assessment of the need to: Establish, develop or improve community rehabilitation programs (CRPs) within the state

7. Needs Assessment Principles • Take advantage of existing knowledge • Build on the experience of the State Plan • Involve the Community • VR Agency/SRC/Community partnership

8. Needs Assessment Principles • Use data to focus the assessment goals • Cannot rely on data alone • Design a feasible and reasonable project • Use wide range of methods, participants • Combine quantitative & qualitative results • The process is as much an art as science

9. Needs Assessment Steps • Establish goals of the Needs Assessment • What info exists, what info do we need? Who will be involved in the process and what will the SRC role be? • Plan for information • Where can we get the needed information and how can we get it? • Gather information • Use a wide range of methods, participants • Analyze results

10. Needs Assessment Steps • Develop Conclusions • What needs have been identified? • Information for the State Plan • What needs are a priority, how will we address them and what are our goals? • Disseminate Results • How can we make this available to the public? • Can other entities make use of this information?

11. SRC Role in the Needs Assessment Process • SRC involvement may be in the form of: • Participation in the planning • Collecting data/information • Review of findings • Development of recommendations re: State Plan goals and strategies • Disseminating the results • Periodic review of the results of the Needs Assessment and other management information to determine whether the goals and strategies are responsive to the needs and to determine future actions • Recommending if the Needs Assessment should be conducted internally or contracted out?

12. Defining “Need” • What is NEED in the context of this discussion?

13. Defining “Need” • Need is defined as a gap between the real and ideal conditions – that is both acknowledged by community values and potentially amendable to change.

14. Frequently Asked Questions How do you define “unserved” and “underserved”? The Rehabilitation Act and its implementing regulations do not define these terms. The VR Needs Assessment Guide contains the following guideline: Unserved individuals are individuals who would be eligible for VR services but have not received VR services. Underserved individuals are those who do not receive equal access to VR services.

15. Frequently Asked Questions Unserved and underserved individuals can include: • racial and ethnic minorities; • specific disability populations; • people with disabilities who are low-income; • veterans; • certain age groups; and • residents of a specific geographic area.

16. Video • ChimamandaNgoziAdichie

17. BrainstormingWho is not served?Eligible but not seeking service?Emerging groups?Statewide changes that may impact?

18. Brainstorming Inequities in Service Why?

19. Existing Data • In 2012, working-age (defined as ages 21-64) people in NY were divided by race as: • 8.4 percent of persons who were White reported a disability. • 10.7 percent of persons who were Black/African American reported a disability. • 17.7 percent of persons who were Native American reported a disability. • 4.6 percent of persons who were Asian reported a disability. • 10.0 person of persons who were some other race(s) reported a disability.

20. ACCES-VR Service Data Vocational rehabilitation service needs of minorities?

21. ACCES-VR Service Data

22. Existing Reports • A report by Cornell University ILR School – 2012 Disability Status Report, New York can be accessed at: • www.disabilitystatistics.org • Recommend looking at full report, carefully reviewing all the quick statistics • A report by Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York – Disability Matters-Unequal Treatment and the Status of People with Disabilities in New York and New York State can be accessed at: • http://www.cidny.org/resources/News/Reports/Disability%20Matters.pdf • Recommend looking at full report, reading summary and carefully reviewing the information and recommendations on pages: 19, 65, 66, 67

23. How Much Priority for this Area? • Vocational rehabilitation service needs of those who have been unserved or underserved?

24. How Much Priority for this Area? • Vocational rehabilitation service needs of individuals with disabilities served through other components of the statewide workforce investment system?

25. How Much Priority for this Area? • Needs of individuals with most significant disabilities, including the need for supported employment • In NYS we have a focus on integration - - Olmstead and OPWDD transformation - - consider how those major changes impact VR. How do we assess this and determine what VR might need to do differently?

26. How Much Priority for this Area? • What is the need to establish, develop, or improve community rehabilitation programs within the state?

27. What Next?Capacity for SRC and ACCES-VR?Assistance from a Contractor?

28. The next 5 slides are for background. We may use for reference but they are not intended for discussion today.

29. What is in the State Plan? • Priority 1 – increase the employment rate and earnings for individuals with disabilities served by ACCES-VR • Goal 1.1. Increase the percentage of individuals exiting the VR program after receiving services that achieve an employment outcome and exceed the national standard of 55.8% • Goal 1.1.A Youth – Increase the percentage of youth with disabilities (applicants prior to age 22) exiting the VR Program after receiving services that achieve an employment outcome and exceed the national standard of 55.8% • Goal 1.1.B Supported Employment – Increase the percentage of individuals who achieve an employment outcome after receiving SE services – RSA standard 55.8% • Goal 1.1.C Social Security Participants – increase the percentage of individuals who are recipients of SSI, SSDI or SSI/SSDI and achieve an employment outcome that exceeds the national standard of 55.8%

30. What is in the State Plan? • Goal 1.2 – Improve earnings of individuals achieving an employment outcome by increasing the percentage who earn at least 200% of the federal poverty level. • Goal 1.3 – Increase the average hourly earnings of individuals employed after participating in postsecondary training when compared to the average hourly earnings of all employed individuals in the State and approach the national benchmark ratio of .52

31. What is in the State Plan? • Priority 2 – Increase services to unserved and underserved groups • Goal 2.1 The service rate for identified unserved and underserved populations will be commensurate with the NYS population rates for those populations based on race, ethnicity and disability • RSA performance standard >/= .80

32. What is in the State Plan? • Priority 3 – Improve the quality of ACCES-VR services • Goal 3.1 – Increase consumer satisfaction with VR program services • Goal 3.2 – Increase collaboration with community partners, particularly the State agency partners who share responsibility for achieving employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities. • Goal 3.3 – Increase collaboration with employers that may lead to employment outcomes

33. What is in the State Plan?(Supported Employment) • Develop techniques for unserved and underserved populations • Develop quality programs that could be used for replication purposes • Establish successful SE programs that will provide technical assistance to other programs

34. Thank you----This is just the beginning!