Judy Mark 0:03 Welcome, everyone to the Disability Voices United webinar on employment and the Coronavirus. We're just going to gather people right now and let our attendees get on, we want to let everybody know that we're going to be broadcasting live on Facebook. So as we are assembling our program assistant Ed is going to be putting us live on Facebook and we will start after that happens. So thank you all for joining us. As people join in, I want to welcome you to our webinar, and we really are happy that you are here and we are just gathering everyone right now. Okay, great. So we're now streaming live on Facebook. Welcome, everybody. To the Disability Voices United webinar on going Back to work during a time of Coronavirus. My name is Judy Mark. I'm the president of Disability Voices United and I'm a parent of a 23 year old son with who is served by a regional center. And we are really, really happy to have you here. We have some amazing speakers ahead. I'm really excited because I'm not actually hosting this webinar. I am not the emcee makes me so happy that that stress is off my back for this time, although you will hear me chiming in at times with some questions for our panelists. But before we get started, I wanted to let everyone know who requires Spanish interpretation that that is available and right now I would like to ask Lorna Silva our Spanish interpreter to tell you how you can access the Spanish interpretation. Lorna Silva 1:54 [Lorna describes how to get Spanish translation] Judy Mark 2:16 Thank you so much, Lorna. So now I would like to also mention that this webinar is being recorded. We get that question at the beginning every week. This webinar is being recorded and it will be put up hopefully by tomorrow or the next day on our Coronavirus Resources website. Our website is in case you are interested in looking at it while we're talking it's Disability Voices united.org backslash CV like Coronavirus, CV, and you will be You can also find this information in the chat and you can also see all of the webinars This I believe is our 16th webinar. We've been running these webinars since March, mid March. And we have incredible resources on our on our website about everything related to health care, to education to resources for families on how um what to do if you believe that somebody in your household has Coronavirus. We have great tool kits for you on mental health. We have tool kits for you on on creating a health passport so if you are requiring to go to the emergency room or a hospital setting, you can bring this health passport with you. So I encourage you to explore our Coronavirus website. It's got lots of great materials on it, some of which are original that we have written at Disability Voices United, some of which our partners, such as Clarissa Kripke at the University of California San Francisco has written and some of which are national resources. Today we are talking about employee But before we get started, what I wanted to do was to explain to everybody how you can ask questions because this is a webinar, which is different than a meeting. Only the only people who are able to speak are those individuals who you're seeing on your screen right now, people on this, we're presenters on this webinar. But there are a couple of different ways that you could ask questions. The best way, the very, very best way is to go down to the bottom of your screen and to click on q&a. standing for question and answer. If you click on q&a, you can ask a question related to any of the topics that we're talking about or to end or targeted to any of our speakers. If you have more of a question or want to share information about any other resources or have a question about some of the technology that we're using on on, on zoom, please put that in the chat. And Ed Hirtzel our program assistant will be monitoring the chat and she'll be able to answer it in real time. But if you have actually a specific question for our presenters, please please put it in the QA because it's the easiest way for me to get your question answered. All right, so seeing no, nothing else that I need to tell you about. I want to Oh, actually, no, I do have one more thing. Sorry about that. I wanted to promote a DVU thing. So Disability Voices United is recruiting parents for a focus group in two days on Saturday on supported decision making. So we are looking for parents of children who are teenagers or young adults who have not been conserved, who are not concerved to participate in a focus group that we are having and you will be paid with a $25 target gift card for your participation. We will have information on how to register for that focus group in the chat that Ed I can see is putting in there right now. So we really, really urge parents who might have have an interest in participating. It's this Saturday from 2 to 4pm. And we hope that you that's July 25, we hope that you'll be interested in joining us. So, without further ado, I want to introduce the emcee for this particular panel who was way more of an expert in employment than I am. It's one of DVUs fabulous board members with me, Vivian Haun, who is also an incredible sister to a man who is in the self determination program. And so thank you, Vivian, for getting this whole event together and for hosting today. So go ahead and take it away Vivian. Vivian Haun 6:42 Thank you so much, Judy. Welcome, everyone. Again, my name is Vivian and in addition to serving on the board of Disability Voices United, I am a special education attorney and policy analyst. I've worked with school districts, sofas and charter schools across the The state. And one of the things that I focused on is transition for students with disabilities with a focus on getting them pointed to opportunities for employment, and higher education beyond the K through 12 system. And as Judy mentioned, I'm also a sibling, my brother Brian, is someone who has gone through a couple of volunteer positions and one paid job. So we have been through that system and I've had that experience supporting him and cheering him on as a sister. So welcome, everyone. We're really pleased to have you with us today. I'd like to start with our first panelist, Peter, are you available? Peter Mendoza 7:45 Yes. It's good to be with all of you. Vivian Haun 7:48 Wonderful. So thank you for being here today, Peter. Everyone, this is Peter Mendoza. He is a self advocate and also he is the director of advocacy and special projets At the Marin Center for Independent Living. Thank you, Peter. Peter Mendoza 8:05 It's good to be here with you all. Vivian Haun 8:07 Wonderful. Oh, please go ahead. Peter Mendoza 8:10 I just wanted to tell everyone a little bit about myself. I'm the director of advocacy, at the Marin Center for Independent Living. For those of you who may not know what Independent Living centers are, we support with disabilities of all ages. And our main goal is to make sure that people with disabilities get to do whatever they want. it a bit of a concern for started as part of the independent living movement. The first independent living center was in 1972, through the work of a Roberts, and the rolling clods, and basically they were first to promote wheelchair access and programmatic access for people with disabilities in Berkeley and moved on to a worldwide movement, that some of the services ww Provide, we're able to help folks with disabilities, wherever they are. We provide self advocacy, training, advocacy skill building. We also support folks who need assistance with advocacy, or getting access to programs. We provide assistance with housing benefits, housing and benefits counseling, just an array of services including assistive technology, all aspects to help somebody build their journey towards independence. And I've also served on the I was the chair of the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, and I've been very active on sort of what we call both sides of the pond, the independent living center side and the the other side of the pond working a lot with regional center service advocacy, and various DDS services and programs. So it's an honor to be here with you all today. Vivian Haun 10:00 Wonderful. Thank you so much, Peter. So for our time together, I have three questions for you. Let's start with the first one. Could you speak to us about some of the concerns you may have about people with disabilities being left behind in employment, because they may be more susceptible to COVID-19? Peter Mendoza 10:20 I do have some concerns. And these are partially because of COVID-19. But also people with disabilities to be able to get real labor statistics. We're only employed 19% of us are employed as of 2019, compared to 66% of the general public without disabilities. So we experienced barriers in employment even before COVID-19. So whenever there's an economic downturn, people with disabilities are adversely affected. One of the concerns that I have with COVID-19 For all of us, I have I am lucky in a way I have privilege, I am still able to work. Our independent living center work with all of us. We went to a remote status because of COVID-19. Because one thing that's important to know about independent living centers is the majority of the employees and board are people with disabilities. So we are uniquely impacted by COVID-19, but also so are the clients we serve. So we're still providing services to people with disabilities, but we're doing it remotely. So I think some of the issues that you have to think about when you go back to work, for example, and our discussions with our office and our reopening plan, it's sort of moving slowly, one because the pandemic is still very much a part of life right now. But we have things we have to consider as people with disabilities. For example, for me, I have home health people, personal care assistants, who assist me to work with activities of daily living. And one thing that happened with COVID-19 and my own life here at home is that, you know, I had to really talk to my care team about what, how I could support them and being able to work and were they able to work? But for me, I have another concern. I have family members here who are also very susceptible to COVID-19 because of their own health conditions. So I think one of the things we have to do as, and particularly if you're supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, it's sort of a team approach with the person who is, you know, a person with a disability being in the lead within the discussion Cuz you have to look at access to public transportation, are there buses? So if the person has to take public transit and you know, the majority of folks with disabilities are very transit dependent. So in Marin County, for example, buses are running, but they're running different schedules. And not as many buses, a train system called Smart is, you know, reduce some of the routes. So you have to build a support team. It really has to be a collaborative process, with the person with a disability, leading and providing as much support as they need to help them you know, return to work and discuss what they need because there's a lot of anxiety around COVID-19 as well. Vivian Haun 14:00 Absolutely. And Peter, you started to touch on this earlier. Could you talk to us a little bit more about concerns related to transportation, assets and other modes of transit? Peter Mendoza 14:13 Well, again, some of the existing supports that people with disabilities rely on may not be available or may not be available as much. For example, not only are transit districts adjusting schedules, but many are adopting the social distancing. In Marin their buses roughly accomodate, I think between 40 to 60 people depending on the bus and now my understanding is that they're only accomodating 10 so you may have a song for this requirement. The bus may come but if it's at capacity because of COVID that's an issue. So I would recommend for people with disabilities to really, and to really reach out to the fans and have a discussion, find out how often the buses are going to be arriving what's required. A lot of transit districts are requiring masks. So that's when the you have to talk about with the person with a disability too because some folks in our community can't wear masks because their health conditions or other issues, you know, I should mention too, that my brother Michael, we're both regional center consumers, and he lives in San Odel in one of the pathway homes, and he he doesn't really do well with a mask. So causes him to, he doesn't mind a little take it off right away. So you have to look at issues like That too, that the person with a disability just like personally, disability to be as comfortable as possible. Vivian Haun 16:10 Definitely. Thank you, Peter. I wanted to ask you to about thinking about going back to work or being rehired after COVID which we hope will come someday. But what concerns do you have about people with disabilities, being rehired and going back to work once COVID once we've moved past the current COVID crisis? Peter Mendoza 16:35 Well, I think, what you have to think about in going back to work of people, you know, there may need to be accommodations made, or there may be new policies that folks may not be familiar with. Like for example, when we have our reopening, not all of us are going back to work at the same time, we're going to work different days sort of staggered so that we can maintain social distancing requirements. And for folks with disabilities, who are already dealing with isolation and other issues because of COVID 19, having their routines interrupted, there may be some insecurity, they may not see the same people they see. They may not, you know, some of my accommodations while I have personal assistance services at work. I also I have a really great team who can help me do things and I'm not able to work related like make copies. Okay, and I am sweating policy guy, but dexterity isn't my forte, but my hands really good if I need something, you know, we, we all help each other out. So there may be some supports that may not be there, or it's a little different and I think It's important too and this makes everyone Well, I'll speak for myself. I've been having a disability all my life, and I'm a pretty strong advocate. But even when I have to go in and talk to an employer about reasonable accommodation, is everyone familiar with the term? reasonable accommodation? Okay. Well, I should say for those who are not reasonable accommodation is a modification or alteration to a job, so that you're able to do it, you can discuss, you know, for example, I'm not able to do copies. So I talked to my employer, and we worked out a way that I can do copies or other tasks. I have a hard time. I use voice activated software to do my correspondence. While my office is too noisy, but even before COVID I would Work one or two days a week at home, so I could do all my correspondence. That way I could have a quiet work environment. I need to take an extra break periodically because I have to take a comfort break and, And reasonable accommodation is both. That's a California law and also Title One of the Americans with Disabilities Act. And it basically allows, it's starting to direct the process between you and a person with a disability to discuss your modifications or accommodation. So a person with a disability is able to do their job. And employees are really supposed to participate in this interactive process. And they for the most part, have to grant the accommodation unless it's financially basic, It's really expensive, or modifies so centrally modifies their program. And as always, they have to do something that they would normally have to do it all through their program. And there's a standard. So it has to be a discussion. Vivian Haun 20:26 Thank you, Peter. There's just so much here that we could get into, Judy, I know you've been keeping an eye on the questions. Are there questions that have come in? for Peter or questions that anyone else may have for him? Judy Mark 20:37 Um, not yet there's a few unrelated questions. So I think we can keep going and then I'm sure there'll be a bunch of questions Peter can answer. Vivian Haun 20:47 Okay, great. So any of our panelists, I've seen some of you nodding your heads as Peter has been speaking. Do any of you have any questions or any? Any questions for Peter or things you might like to add? Peter Mendoza 21:07 I would like to mention that there's time. This is where, you know, for folks that are, you know, active or they're involved with their regional center or Department of Rehabilitation. The primary rehabilitation is a stage is needed to work with people with disabilities, and either being in terms of supports to be able to go to work or to return to employment after they've experienced disability. And there's State Department rehab offices throughout the state. They're a terrific resource. Also, the regional center system, as we know is supposed to be supporting people with disability to employment under the workplace disabiltiy act. We know that. So it's really important that regional centers have. And this is why rehabilitation when there's an issue, they can help provide technical assistance. Also the ERC, published back in March, guidance and interpretation for COVID-19 as it relates to the American Disabilities Act, and they have a list of questions and answers. It's a terrific guide. And you can also get more information. If you go to this Job Accommodation Network, and click on COVID-19. There's many resources out there. Vivian Haun 22:44 Yes, I see that Deborah has a question. Debra Jorgensen 22:46 I do have a question for Peter. What was your first job? And how did you get your current job? Peter Mendoza 22:53 Well, let's see. My first job was when I was like, 16. I was in the Cedar program at that time and I should say I'm 54. So I was a lot different back then. And Cedar was a program to support people with disabilities and other marginalized communities and getting work experience. So I My first job was working at a daycare center with kids, I loved it. And it was for the summer. my first job after that, began working for veterans agency, and then how I got my current job. Well, I worked at Marin Center for Independent Living and many years ago and have always been involved with disability rights and independent living. And so I've moved on from Marin Center for Independent Living after a few years back in the late 80s, early 90s went to work in public safety and served on boards and was still advocating people with disabilities. And then around 2010, I took the job as a client, race advocate for folks that are having disputes with US State Department vocational rehabilitation, that I was a program manager. Then I went to another ILC. And when my wife and I, as we were married for years, we decided to move back to Marin. And there was an opening as a renter for independent living, working with folks that I've been talking to for the last 20 years. So I got hired back. So I've been back for about six years now. Judy Mark 24:54 Thanks, Peter. And I should really I meant to say this at the beginning is that this week is The 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Happy anniversary, everybody. It is so wonderful to be doing this topic this week, since the ADA really was so much about employment when it was first conceived and so and discrimination in employment and accommodations and employment. So I'm so glad that you brought that up. Peter, that was a really critical piece. Peter Mendoza 25:23 Thank you. And it's really been an honor to be here. Judy Mark 25:27 Thank you, Peter. You've been such a good friend to all of us. I can I take Kevin as the next speaker Vivian. Vivian Haun 25:37 Absolutely. Judy Mark 25:37 All right, cuz Kevin's my buddy. Hi, Kevin. Kevin Bath 25:41 Hello. Judy Mark 25:42 Hi. So Kevin, I see you have a very cool background, to talk about. But um, Kevin is a self advocate in San Diego. And I was wondering if you could talk about you're not going to give away where you work because you'll tell everybody based on your background. talk about the job that you had before the Coronavirus hit and what you miss about working? Have you heard from them? Are you going to get your job back? Are you concerned about that? That kind of stuff? So go Go ahead, Kevin. We're so happy Kevin Bath 26:17 So I work at the Castle hotel, which is the restaurant behind me. And it's called Dragon's Den and it's I do bussing tables. I get to help any like spills that they need. Tape cleaning everything up the floor, and dust panning and make it and sometimes during dinner since I don't work dinner shifts anymore. I used to serve drinks to the tables at one point. Judy Mark 26:49 And we should clarify that this hotel is associated with which amusement park Kevin Bath 26:54 Legoland. Judy Mark 26:54 Lego Land right? Um, so what was it about this job that you were excited about when you got it. Kevin Bath 27:04 I'm seeing everybody's faces again who I used to work with. Yeah. Judy Mark 27:08 Yeah. So said you do love Legoland and like, when you were a kid. Did you grow up going there/ Kevin Bath 27:14 I went in 2000 when it actually first Oh, well 1999 the year after that after the year was open. Judy Mark 27:24 Oh, that's great. That's great. So you have this great job and when did you stop when did your job stop? Because of the Coronavirus. Kevin Bath 27:33 It stopped on the day after St. Patrick's Day. Judy Mark 27:37 Oh, so that's a bummer. And have you heard from them since Have you had any I know that they haven't been able to reopen yet but have you heard from them about anything? Kevin Bath 27:49 Um, Charlene, one of my managers was really helpful. She said The hotel is reopening, but they can't have any bussers go in yet. Judy Mark 27:58 Okay. Are you Worried about not getting your job back? Kevin Bath 28:04 As far as I know, they've been opening little by little by different stages. So I've been going there I've been I bought LEGO sets not too long ago during this week and and then I went to sea life aquarium with two friends of mine one works there one does not. So I invited him to go to sea life aquarium. So SeaLife aquarium, re closed again. And so it was like a cool learning experience to see what they're doing. And they have like, five feet apart from each other, like on the ground when you first walk into the park, which is nice to have. Judy Mark 28:36 So So have you thought about what you might do if it takes a really long time to reopen amusement parks? I mean, from what I understand amusement parks are going to be about the last thing that get reopened. Kevin Bath 28:50 Oh, yeah. Judy Mark 28:50 And so have you thought like, Are you interested in any other kinds of jobs in the meantime, until Legoland reopens? Kevin Bath 28:58 I was thinking of applying For Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, but I just kind of like, like I did, I didn't like the shift that much. And like, because they were gonna put me like from 4pm to 12am shift. And then I was like nah, can it's not work for me So Judy Mark 29:18 yeah, so but but maybe we can think we have lots of experts on this, this webinar, who may have some really cool ideas for you to think about unique ways for you to stay working and to make some money while we're waiting for things to reopen. Kevin Bath 29:34 Definitely. Judy Mark 29:35 Okay, so let's keep that. So, um, so go. I'm going to hand it back to Vivian so we can get started and then we can maybe keep talking to Kevin and have Peter weigh in as well about where we're moving forward and some advice for the community out there. Vivian Haun 29:50 Thank you, Judy. And thank you so much, Kevin, for being with us. I think some of our upcoming panelists may have some ideas like Judy said, so we will definitely Get back to I think later in this presentation, hopefully with some some suggestions for you. Thank you for joining us. So, without further ado, I'm really just thrilled to introduce some of my colleagues, in addition to being a member of the board at DVU. I'm also fortunate enough to be on the board of this next organization I'm introducing, which is California APSE. And we will talk a little bit more about that organization and what it does. But first, I would like to introduce some of our speakers today. I think the easiest thing to do might be for me to call on each of you, and if each of you could go around and just do a very quick introduction of who you are, and then we will go ahead and get started on the slides after that. So Deborah, can we start with you? Debra Jorgensen 30:56 Sure. Hi, I'm Debra Jorgensen. I'm an attorney and a consultant. I've former attorney at Disability Rights California. I've worked on employment issues for the last 10 to 15 years and, you know, been with served clients and just continue to be really passionate about our march forward with Employment First in the state of California. So thanks for having me. Vivian Haun 31:28 Thank you, Deborah. Next, can we go to Rebecca? Rebecca LaBoriel 31:32 Sure. I'm Rebecca LaBoriel. Gosh, I've been in the field for over 25 years in all various aspects of service, the service industry, just love employment, being able to advocate for folks. And just happy to be amongst everyone here. Vivian Haun 31:54 Thank you, Rebecca. How about Brittany? Brittany, I think you're still on mute. Brittany Robinson 32:02 All right, there you go. Hi, I'm Brittany Robinson. I've been in the field for about a decade. And I am currently a client coach and independent facilitator at Guidelight Group. At Guideline Group we serve California teens and adults with developmental disabilities. And we specialize in person centered planning, life coaching and transition planning and of course, employment services. So that's what I'm currently doing, and I'm really happy to be here. Thank you. Vivian Haun 32:37 Great. And last, but certainly not least, Katherine. Katherine Sanders 32:43 Hi, everyone. I'm Katherine Sanders. I'm the employment specialist for San Andreas regional center. I'm also California APSE's board president and we are so excited to be here today to share with you a little bit more about employment and really what that looks like during COVID and hopefully be able to answer some of your Questions. So I'm going to go ahead and let the rest of our board of directors take over. Vivian Haun 33:06 Thank you, Katherine. So let me go ahead and start sharing my screen. We have some slides for you today. And in case any of you are wondering, we will make these slides available to everyone later. We will give these over to Judy and Ed and they can help us get that up on the DVU website. Ed, I am trying to share my screen but it looks like you might need to enable that for me. Ed Hirtzel 33:36 one second that'll... There you go. You should be able to do it now. Sorry about that Vivian. Vivian Haun 33:43 try No problem. Okay, not what I want. Katherine Sanders 34:06 Vivian while you're getting that set up, I just wanted to jump in and say a huge thank you to all of our speakers today, both Kevin and Peter and talking about the importance of discussion. I think that's such an important part of when we talk about employment first and person centered planning. It really comes back to the discussion of employment and what people want and their their goals and making sure that the individual we're talking about really is at the center of that discussion and part of the discussion. So we're really excited to bring in that idea of tying in what you both have talked about, into what we're going to share a little bit more and maybe some ways of how to do that today. So we kind of we did our introductions of our team again, we're so excited. We're going to have some of our Judy Mark 34:55 Sorry, can you just explain what APSE is and what it stands for? Because Most people have never heard of it I'm sure. Katherine Sanders 35:02 Yes, I'll finish the agenda. And we have a couple of slides that will go over really who APSE is because that's a good question. Judy Mark 35:09 I don't even know what it stands for. So the acronym would be helpful to, Katherine Sanders 35:13 of course, of course. And so we'll I'll finish the agenda. So we're going to talk about what Employment First is. And then we're going to go into the best practices for customized employment with individualized employment is and why it's important. And then we're going to jump into how to approach employment during COVID. I think something that everybody's really excited to hear about, because things have changed so vastly. And then we're going to share some different resources and tips that you guys can really walk away from this presentation with. Debra Jorgensen 35:46 Okay, hi. I'm going to start to talk kind of give the lay of the land define a few things talk about who we are. So what is Employment First, so it's a movement to deliver news meaningful employment, fair wages and career advancement for people with disabilities. It's really a grassroots movement. And the point of employment for first is that employment should happen, you know, in the general work for force being the first and preferred outcome for all working age people with disabilities regardless of the severity of the disability. What we're really talking about with when we say Employment First or competitive integrated employment is real jobs with real wages in the real world. It's the jobs that Peter and Kevin have. And we are working hard and the Employment First movement is working hard to make that available for everyone. Everyone with disabilities and particularly people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. So let's go to the next slide. So APSE is the Association for people supporting Employment First. There's a national APSE organization that was created 30 years ago right about the time that the ADA came into law. And then there are and so people is a very general term because it includes like a huge cross section of professionals of individuals with disabilities, families, it could be service providers, it's regional center staff, Department of rehab staff, State Council. I mean, there's just a huge variety of people who are part of this movement and share this ideal about Employment First being being important and being the thing that we want to encourage and the DD system. So California APSE we're one of 40 state chapters, and we're really a community network, we collaborate, we try to find ways to impact policy and you know, how systems work, how funding works. We're focused on advocacy and education. So we will weigh in on things that have to do with employment where we really want to see the system change and for education, you know, over the years, we've done in person conferences, and those are always really successful, wonderful opportunities to meet people face to face. But in this new era, you know, I think before COVID really hit we we decided to do kind of a quarterly learning opportunity, we call it a lunch and learn so we've already done two of them this year, and we're planning our third one for next in August, so we'll talk about that at the end. But education is a huge piece of this and that's why we're so thankful that we're on to the DVU audience and that we're live on Facebook and all of that, because we really just have to get the word out that Employment First is so important. We are an employment first state. In 2013, we passed a law that says it's the policy of the state that opportunities for competitive integrated employment should be given the highest priority for working age individuals with developmental disabilities, regardless of the severity of their disability. So that's been on the books for six or seven years now. What this really means and the way I advocate for it, if a person is 16 years of age or older, with an intellectual or developmental disability and they ask for CIE, they should not be told no, we are an Employment First state. Okay, next thing. So that's the Employment First policy and law is on that the state level. So going up to the Federal level we we have this really important home and community based services waiver that's issued through the Medicaid system. And there were final rules put in place many years ago that are really pushing pushing the bill on on individualized support. So this HCBS rule applies to both residential and day program and employment settings. The rule really dictates it tells the states what they can do with the federal money that they get. So, the law, when rule finally came, initially came out sorry, it was supposed to be fully implemented by 2019. In the last few years that has been pushed back now twice. So by 2023 States cannot use this money to pay for any kind of segregated site or service. So when this all finally happens in 2023 providers and states will have had close to a decade to make these changes. And I just want to underscore that because this didn't happen yesterday. The HCBS rule requires that states offer individuals a choice of a non disability specific setting. What that means is a job at Lego Land. What that means is, you know, opportunities to work in competitive integrated employment. And those are all based on person centered, person driven principles. This rule is really a game changer for increasing opportunities for employment. And I ask for it and demand it because sometimes people say, nobody really nobody tells us they want to work. You got to make your voice heard. We know that these servants, services and you know, it's it's not available everywhere in the state. But to this last point, all states must assess their current capacity of non disability specific settings and develop a plan to increase capacity so that all individuals have a real and meaningful choice for CIE. So the rule is very clear in terms of what the state needs to do in that respect. Okay, individualized employment support. So what about So traditionally employment supports had been provided through programs that are at segregated settings, and I'm talking about things like workshops, you know, work activity programs, sheltered workshops, sometimes they're called, or even like work crews or groups that go around to different settings, but they may not be integrated, and they're not necessarily employed by the business. So progressive employment providers utilize a very person centered and personal driven model that's tailored to really, you know, look at the person's wants and needs and you know, how they want to live their life. And so much of that involves choice, which is a really important concept. So the need to transform. So what's happening at this point is, you know, providers that have done kind of the typical, like segregated sites, they either need to transform or they're not going to have funding come 2023. And I would argue, by my lawyer self that, you know, the ADA has been around for 30 years and the Olmstead decision has been around for, you know, 20 some years. And there is already and like need for all providers to be providing these types of services. So, don't you know, don't wait for 2022 to start this process. It's hard work. And we'll hear from some of the providers who are doing this work on our board in just a minute. So anyway, these these individuals, individualized employment supports are definitely, they're driven by best practices, there's evidence of better outcomes with these types of supports, and and I also want to just point out in the slide, there's a really great publication that talks about what choice is and what informed choice is and kind of walks through. It's not just saying to somebody who's worked in one setting for 20 years, do you want to go work somewhere else? Because they may not even understand what something else even means. So, you know, there, there's the Institute for Community Inclusion put out this really nice five steps you need to go through to really call it informed choice. So I'm going to hand it off now to talk about what best practice employment supports look. And Brittany, take it away. Brittany Robinson 44:46 So the process that we use in modern employment services is called customized employment. Customized Employment allows us to recognize a few things and it allows us to recognize that everyone has something valuable to offer. Different types of workplaces are best for different types of people. And your job should match your personality and how you like to live your life. So, here's how it works. There are three steps. And I'm going to explain each step in more detail in a minute. But I'd first like to look at this flowchart just so you can see overall what it looks like. The first, The process starts with discovery. Okay, so the first step is called discovery, it's all about you. So, this is getting to know your strengths, interests, talents, preferences, skills, values, personality traits, goals and more. Also in this, in this phase, you will identify your ideal conditions of employment. So of course, that is your, your job developer, or your provider helping you do that to discover all those things about you, the job seeker, and really figure out what your ideal condition of employment is. Second is field research and informational interviews. So this means learning about possible businesses in your community, local businesses, where your ideal conditions of employment might exist, and understanding the needs of these businesses and how you as a job seeker might be able to add value. So, lastly, once you gather all of that information about yourself as a job seeker and the different businesses in your community, how you can add value, that's when we can finally make a match and what that looks like is actually proposing or creating a customized job that fits your strengths, interests, talents, preferences, etc. and fills a need for the business. Okay? So it has to make business sense, which means it's truly a win win. So it's a win, of course for the job seeker and the business itself. So it's it's a real relationship. It's not a job that existed before. And it's not a response to a job posting. It's a truly individualized process that leads to a customized job. So that's an overview. And now let's get into a little bit more detail. So step one, as I mentioned before, is called discovery. Goal of discovery is to identify your ideal conditions of employment like I mentioned before. So you're your your provider will gather a lot of very important information about you. Just some of those things will include your dreams and goals, talents, skills, interests. What are your values, personality traits and environmental preferences? What are your dislikes and possible challenges? What solutions or accommodations work for you? Right? And in which ways are you best supported in the community, in the workplace. So in order to gather this information, the employment specialist will spend time with you in different settings and situations, interviews and conversations with family, friends and other people who know you really, really well and like you. And also observations of you at home, school, work, day program, community, right? Some things that you enjoy and things that you might want to do for work. This you know, during COVID this may look different. But you know, you can conduct virtual activities around the home using zoom or something similar. You know, this might look like giving a tour of your house and your favorite rooms in the house and your favorite belongings in those rooms. And that can easily be done via zoom or Skype or whatever you're familiar with. And also career assessments. That includes formal, informal, and situational experiences, including job shadowing, volunteering, again informational interviews and visiting real, real work settings. And then after gathering all of that information about you as a job seeker that's compiled into what's called a vocational profile and once your job develop employment specialist has compiled all of that information and it's in one beautiful, sometimes even a one page, personal profile, then it's time to really start brainstorming some different possibilities and ideas. And that leads us to step two, which is called field research and informational interviews. So the goal of this step is to identify businesses in your community that match your ideal conditions, and understand how your skills might add value to them. So your job developer or employment specialist will research research research. Research new industries based on your interests and goals. Also research specific businesses in your area. Network network network to get connected to people who can help us learn more about those businesses and potential jobs. Conduct informational interviews with employers To learn even more, and I do want to highlight that we are not expecting the job to come from these informational interviews. It's purely just for us to learn more. And also, you know, during COVID, right, this may look like you can have an informational interview, you know, can be done over the phone with someone in a field or job that you might want to explore. It could be a virtual coffee break with interviewees via FaceTime, Skype or zoom. So there are definitely virtual options here. And also spending time at the business to truly understand what happens there, how they operate and to look for opportunities where the job seeker can add value. There are lots of places to look for opportunities to add value, some of which are, if there are customer or employee complaints, room for improvement there. backlogs, long wait times, unassigned but critical tasks. And often times in many businesses, there are things that need to get done, but they are not assigned to any one person in particular, and they tend to get kind of put on the back burner. And that's a really great place to potentially add value, wasted resources or personnel, high turnover and workload fluctuations. So also in most businesses, there are busier busier times of the day, and slower times of the day. So, you know, there's there's always opportunity to add value during those busier times, to kind of help, you know, manage that workflow. And finally, the third and last step to customize employment is making that match. So the goal here is to propose and negotiate a customized job. So what this looks like is exactly this Venn diagram. It's when your skills, talents, personality, interests, and ideal conditions of employment--so all of that wonderful, juicy information that we got from the discovery process-- overlaps or matches up with the employers values, interests and business needs. And once that match is found, then that is when we can go ahead and propose that customized job. Vivian Haun 53:35 Great, thank you so much, Brittany. Rebecca? Rebecca LaBoriel 53:38 Yes, I just want to say I'm really excited that these slides are going to be offered we've got probably a good 20 resources embedded into the, into the slides. So it's a good way to also be able to go back and use this as a resource guide. You know, as as questions come up, so all great information. And this now we're switching to employment during COVID. How can we do it? How do we how do we continue how you continue in your job? You know, how do we look virtually online prep for employment? For those that want to continue, I've got a number of folks that are essential workers that are continuing to work in the community that are needed in the community. How do you work with the necessary precautions that all of us must have to take, and then a lot of folks are turning to self employment. So we'll kind of explore some of those opportunities. Next slide. So employment during COVID I think it was brought up before about making sure that you really got informed choice and making sure that you may want to work but you know, as Peter I think stated that, you know, if you've got other underlying health issues, that it may just not be safe for you to work out the community right now. I mean, all of us have to take a look at that within our own lives. And with, you know, who we're at home with, as potential. Also, we talked about approaching employment and consulting your circle. And when we talk about circle, that simply is your circle of support. So I think as Brittany mentioned, it's all about you know, folks in your corner that are your team that want to you know, rah rah, Sis, boom, bah. Vivian Haun 55:37 Uh oh, sorry about that. Rebecca LaBoriel 55:42 That's it, I can go I've got notes here. Vivian Haun 55:45 There we go. Rebecca LaBoriel 55:47 That and that too that, that could happen too um, you know, they're all in your corner to want the best for you and then are going to, you know, just really contribute To what are the possibilities, right? That you could explore. Next slide. Using teamwork to identify the possibilities, right, so this is the fun stuff. This is where you can get really creative. Hold virtual brainstorming meetings with your family, I think like Brittany mentioned, I know that there I've had a lot of folks that get, jump on zoom, that are having kind of like parties to kind of figure out what really works for them. They kind of make a list of things that they're interested in, and then their circle of support. Of course, those that they've invited to participate will weigh in and say, Well, what do you think about this and what do you think about that? I know that I always kind of have this saying is like you don't know until you really know And so I think making sure that the folks that you have in the room they have, you know, they just , if you have an idea, they may too then know somebody and it's like that piece of what Brittany was saying about making sure that you've got that networking piece because you just don't know who you're connected to. Right, or who your family member friends or friends are connected to. Um, next slide. Let's see. So the vocational profile, Brittany mentioned as well. I put in there this resource, visual resume, which is great. That link is actually Elon Musk from Tesla, and his visual resume out there. And what I've noticed is that I just saw I think, on NBC this morning, where you've got folks, I think it's in southern california, that are having out of work photographers that are doing kind of like headshots for folks that are putting them into their resumes. So that's pretty cool as an idea. Also what we've done as well as that we've just simply taken like an iPad and the job coach or somebody in their support circle can go and kind of go with you and and take video of what you're doing and the jobs that you've done before so that you can go into the to the interview or show through zoom, what your skills are, who doesn't get nervous during the interview or presentation for that matter? So you know, it's all, it's always good for the other person then to be able to see what you can, what you can do and which is it's always been welcome in my experience with open arms, people, interviewers have always been really taken aback. They've been really excited about the fact that they've been able to actually see that happen. So financial needs that's always something right to remember and to make sure that you take into consideration. I've, we've embedded several links there. You can run a BPQY, that's just your benefits, benefits inquiry. Just see what kinds of benefits that you're getting. How will they be impacted if they will be impacted. dB 101 is great. You can it's very interactive, the website and you can go in and just plug your numbers into the website and it'll kind of spit out this plan for you to say if you work and you earn this much money, this is how much money you'll still get. And it also talks about things to consider. If you're one of those folks that have to have or keep your money around that $2,000 mark, Cal Able is a great way to take and use that as an account is a savings account. And as you can see there, you can contribute up to $15,000 per year. So and there's also investment opportunities as well within cal Able IRWEs, IRWEs which are Impairment Related work expenses, once you are working, that benefit right there will help you kind of take a look at what are the things that you need to use or purchase in order to make sure that you continue working successfully, and you can go ahead and, you know, deduct those expenses, which will then take down how much money then you're going to have to how much money like social security will, you know, take from you. So next slide. I think Peter, you mentioned JAN and JAN is the Job Accommodation Network. It's great. It's a wealth of knowledge. You can go in there into their search bar and any questions you have on any disability or any, any question related to work accommodations, they, they'll answer, it's great. So that's a good resource. Legal Aid at work is mentioned by Deborah and that is if you're at work and you do have concerns regarding say, policies or, you know, other colleagues, you know, not adhering to social distancing, making sure that your work provides you with PPE. That's a resource to tap into. And as we mentioned, I think Peter mentioned again, transportation, right. So, right now my experiences of providers that there hasn't been the typical ways for folks to, to get transported to and from work. I put this resource in there. This is just for Sacramento area. Although I did some advocating yesterday for the Southern California as well. Area UCP has a transportation service that's offering door to door transportation, and that's up just in Northern California, but we're Again, hoping to get that down into southern California as well, that again, transportation is also something that you have to consider when considering employment, how are you going to get to and from work? Right? So if the typical modes in which you would typically get to and from work aren't available right now due to COVID? Who do you ask a family member, a friend, we do have a number of folks that have become suddenly interested in going to the DMV and trying to figure out how to get their own driver's license, which is great. So it's kind of moving I think people more into kind of that self reliant way of life. So and then again, anything by Griffin Hamis. We do a lot all of us on the board, do a lot of work and utilize their curriculum. So definitely tapping into the service delivery, the guidance is, is always good. I highly recommend that. Vivian Haun 1:04:13 Right. And before we move on to the next slide, Deborah, I have a quick question for you. Because the first bullet point on this slide is a resource that you pointed us to. Could you tell us a little bit about this resource from the Institute for Community Inclusion? Debra Jorgensen 1:04:29 Sure, yeah. So this is a really nice, two page, really short read. But it just takes you through a bunch of questions around how you feel about your health and safety during this time of covid. I mean, what we're really finding is there's a huge range, there's people who really don't want to leave the house and, you know, they might be able to work on some like employment preparation or some of the things and the Griffin hamis material which is very laid out and explicit, and there's tons of stuff that You can do from home. But you know, this is a really nice guide to help pose the questions that you should answer to kind of figure out like, where am I right now? Like, check in with yourself and decide if you know how you want to move forward. So. Vivian Haun 1:05:17 okay, thank you. Now we're moving on to self employment. Rebecca LaBoriel 1:05:23 So with self employment micro enterprise I've seen as a provider, a number of folks that are just kind of going I need to figure out something to do for myself and how can I contribute to society and so it's really taking a look at what your talents and interests are. I've got a gentleman that, who is, that I'm supporting who's blind and he is very interested in has his Baker's certificate and but just got really discouraged because he wasn't able to land any interviews or anybody that was willing to take a chance with him. And so he came to me probably about three weeks ago and said, You know, I'm tired of getting all the rejections and so he said, I think I'd like to start my own business and I said, Okay, I let's do it. I'm, you know, here and willing to get on that journey with you. So he has that interest of baking, and we're starting to explore what that means for him. Right? And so where does he need support? What Who does he know? Right? Kind of like let's we're in that phase of, let's gather our information. And let's get together Let's start throwing some brainstorming parties and kind of figure out who people know and You know, who and then also, I think, as Brittany mentioned with the informational interviews is that I really encouraged him to start interviewing, you know, being able to interview folks. So through through zoom, type media. And one, actually, one of his coaches said, Hey, I know somebody that runs their own catering business. And it's like, there it is. Right? So I mean, that's just as an example is still Wow. So let's get you to do an informational interview with that person, see if it's something that you even want to do, because you have the idea, but it may, it may be that you're like, oh, wait a minute, this is just way too much work. So again, testing the idea. Make a plan, right, look for resources. So and again, Griffin hamis has their resources there. It's an entire book there. I think it's great. It's good probably to purchase it if you're really interested in doing self employment micro enterprise, because it is a business that you are going to be running. And so that resource will walk you through, you know, agency. And again, just to kind of piggyback some of what related businesses, or delivery services, cleaning assistance. I know right now, we've been able to support folks to get jobs during this time on, like COVID cleaning jobs that are really, folks are really interested in making sure like, the doorknobs of businesses are, you know, checked or cleaned and, you know, different areas. You know, because of the CDC guidelines, especially when it comes to businesses. There's specific areas that businesses have to document and outline as to if they aren't going to be open to the public that they have to make sure that they have a plan for and so we've been able to come in and provide that need for the individual business and then the person gets employed. So takeout and curbside, obviously PPE. Lots of folks making masks. tons of new Etsy sites showing up these days, table and chair rentals. Printing Services, signage, takeout menus, maybe not so much right now. But once we reopen. Working from home and recreation needs, web services and technology assistance. That's if you have that niche right now, that's definitely needed with all of us jumping on zoom and WebEx and all of those other good media sources. So, these are our resources. Definitely with an option for micro enterprises that past plan, and you know, plan to achieve self support. There's the full PDF that's there contacting your Department of Rehabilitation and regional center for support to get funding for coaching, or for somebody to be able to help and support you during the time. Also, obviously, SBA, the Small Business Administration, because it is, again to emphasize that this is a business that you will be running. So you got to think about that, too, if that's something that you want to take on, because it's a big responsibility. It's not that it can't be done, but it's definitely a responsibility. Score is great. I've used that with some of our folks. It's retired executives who just offer their time and mentorship That have run businesses in the past. So they'll be able to give you even tips about how to look for funding for your business. Obviously, there's the micro Enterprise Center networks and again, how are you going to raise capital or startup money for your business? and it could be that you look for family and friends to get to get a loan. There are other places that if you're looking for small loans that you could look into, but definitely going back to score. There's a number of ideas there with actual folks that have worked in the, have their own business. So that's all I have. I think I'm going to throw it either to Deborah or to Katherine. Katherine Sanders 1:11:48 Yeah, so we included this slide for just some additional resources. The National APSE organization is actually holding their their first virtual conference. It's been going on for many years, but they had to shift to a more virtual world. And through some of the presentations, they've shared some of these great opportunities and resources for individuals to access. A couple of them include career path exploration, that's the first couple of ones. And it really allows individuals to get a glimpse into different and unique jobs that are out there without actually having to go into the physical location. It's a three to five minute video of what that industry looks like. And they start to interview individuals from that industry for how they got there, the credentials it took to get there and what that journey looks like. So now is a great time I think to utilize some of these resources. If you're not comfortable going back to work right now. This is a great time to just start exploring and seeing what's out there. I know on the 50 videos for career path exploration, they had all types of jobs including botanist, beatboxer, breakdancer, water researcher. So they've got a vast number of different types of jobs. And now's really the perfect time to start exploring and seeing what else is out there and what starts to pique your interest so that when things do open back up, those are the areas that you can start to explore in person. So we wanted to share these, these will be available, linked in the PowerPoint that we'll be sharing. Vivian Haun 1:13:37 Katherine, thank you so much. So one of the things that we wanted to leave you with at the end of this presentation was a sense of what you can do if you are interested in focusing on employment. Maybe you've thought about employment before, if you're not working currently, but you would love to and you're not really sure how you might be able to do it during COVID. Hopefully this is giving you some ideas about some ways to start diving into that. So, on a very practical level, if you do want to start focusing on employment and you haven't already, one of the things that you might want to do is to talk to people on your circle, talk to your service coordinator at your regional center. Ask for a provider who uses some of these best practices and approaches that we've been describing today. Ask for someone who uses a customized employment approach. As you can see, they're all, these are all very person centered principles, many of which may be very familiar to you. If for those of you who have gone through a person centered planning process, it's a very similar process just applied to your employment interests, goals and strengths. But customized employment is a term that really describes what that process is, so you may want to talk to your service coordinator or other people on your team about that. To find someone, a provider or a staff member at an agency who was well trained in customized employment practices, you might be wondering how do I find someone who I know has experience with these approaches and has has done it and has received a certain level of training and education? You can ask for someone who is either ACRE certified, and ACRE training is I would say it's sort of the gold standard of training for professionals who are practicing customized employment. You can see that ACRE stands for the Association of Community rehabilitation and Education. The website there will tell you a little bit more about ACRE training. You can also go there to find a list of individuals and other providers who have this particular training. There is also an exam that similarly can give you some confidence if someone has taken and passed this exam, they have studied and worked very hard and gone through a lot of training to essentially be certified. This, if you've passed the exam, this is someone who has a certain level of competency and training and a lot of these practices that we've talked about today. And last, I know that we have covered this point. But in talking with I think, especially with younger individuals, since my experience has been with transition aged young adults, I found that many of them don't even, may not realize that self employment is something that you can get job coaching for it is certainly something that you would want to do. Just because it's something that you do on your own, it doesn't mean that you are on your own for figuring it all out, as I hope we have demonstrated today, there are many people, many agencies that are out there, ready and available to help you take your idea or your interest and really develop it into something that you can do. You can get support for that. So you can also ask for job coaching, if that's an approach that interests you. So we've reached the point where we are thinking about questions, brainstorming and feedback. First, Judy, before I get to questions from the audience, I wanted to circle back to Kevin because we learned a little bit more about Kevin and his work experience and it must have been really disappointing for him when COVID hit and he wasn't able to continue the work that he was clearly enjoying so much. I wanted to ask our panelists if they have any comments or suggestions or ideas for Kevin? After learning more about him in his situation. Anyone? feel free to jump in. Debra Jorgensen 1:18:12 So I, this is Debra, I have a few ideas. I mean it's not impossible to find jobs right now. In fact, now is a good time to put yourself out there. And I wanted to make kind of a more general comment about kind of really talking with different employers and businesses it can be places you go to, you know, get your haircut, it can be the store you always go to, I mean talking to businesses and people you know about what are you know, what are the needs here? What are, what are you guys missing? What do you need? I think those are really good questions to be asking and not just you but your circle of support your family members. You know, anybody who can kind of, you know, gather information about where employers are right now, where businesses are right now in what they need. And I'll just give you an example. So I had a real estate firm here in San Diego, reach out to me yesterday and say, Hey, so like, we had to layoff half of our staff when this all hit, but now, like, things are suddenly picking back up and we have this need, I need, you know, we need to hire a temp person. And it's important to us to hire a person with a disability. Well, this is a place where I know some of the people and I've literally been talking to them about hiring people with disabilities for probably five or 10 years. And you know, I just keep kind of beating. I just keep talking about it. And I keep underscoring I mean, there's resources you can find to like comfortably talk to businesses. This is not about charity. This is not about a social project. This is because you have a business need that the person I'm suggesting could fill. And so I was really excited when I got that inquiry because I could, you know, I put out some, I put out some information to some people locally, within 24 hours, those folks have already sent their resumes. And so yeah, maybe this is just a temp job for, you know, a month or two, but you've got your foot in the door and you've got something going on. And, you know, there's, there's all that negotiation around, you know, most places are trying to do as much remotely as they possibly can. So this is kind of a perfect time to, you know, make sure you've got your technology needs set up, make sure you know that you have some, you know, adaptability that you can do things remotely if you have to. So, I just wanted to throw that out there that just talk with businesses, this is about their needs. This is about, like, even in that situation. That's not a customized employment approach and customized employment is not necessary or needed by everybody. It's for some people who maybe have not had success in kind of the typical, like, put your resume in type of hiring process. So, so like, not only did it give me the opportunity to like, feed them some applicants who are people with disabilities, but then I also got the opportunity to talk to them about, hey, how do you guys handle reasonable accommodations? And if a person applying, can't do maybe a, you know, a zoom interview is going to be really, it's not going to work for them? You know, what are some other possibilities? How could they, you know, make sure your hiring processes are following the ADA and that you, you know, talk with your HR people make sure they know what they're doing. So, anyway, I want to throw that out there for for what it's worth. So Vivian Haun 1:21:57 thank you Deborah and Rebecca, Brittany or Catherine, do any of you have anything to add any other advice for Kevin? Brittany Robinson 1:22:08 I would just say that Yeah, even if it is something that's just temporary, you know, nothing's permanent. And if you if you come across a good opportunity for this time being, it's just it's so important to get any experience possible. And also just to the networking piece, you know, the the more relationships that you can build throughout the process, the better because it can always lead to something else in the future. So just want to say that as well. Vivian Haun 1:22:45 Excellent. Peter, do you have some suggestions or advice? Peter Mendoza 1:22:51 Everyone has given really good suggestions. Kevin, I have to say that, you know, years ago I was laid off. It wasn't because of anything like COVID-19, but there was a funding reduction where I worked, and I got laid off. And so I had to do many of the same things. I had to reach out and talk to people and utilize my connections and people in my life and do lots of work to find another position. And it takes time sometimes. So I know as people with disabilities, I'll speak for myself, sometimes it does take a little bit of time, we think there's something wrong with us. And it's not that, it's just sometimes it takes people time to find another position. But it's also a great time to be able to earn opportunity to be able to decide, what do you really want to do, and maybe find another job. And I do agree that taking a job, at least temporarily is a good step. I did that for a while. And I learned some skills I didn't have before. I worked with, in social services with seniors for a while, and I learned a lot that I didn't know before. So, with every change, there's always opportunities. So I think what's important is that you remember, you know, stay focused on what you want to do. But also, we all get down on the we all get discouraged. But remember, it's not about you. A lot of people are experiencing job loss, and that you have plenty of skills. And that it may take a little bit but you will find your niche. So it's important as people with disabilities that we build each other up. Vivian Haun 1:24:48 Peter, those are such wise words. They are so applicable to so, so many of us, in addition to Kevin, I appreciate your comments. So much. Thank you. Before we get to some of the other questions that have come up on the q&a, Katherine, I was hoping you'd be able to help us out with this. We did have one additional slide. I've stopped sharing them for now now that we've been have started more of a group discussion. But I did want to give you a chance to talk about the next event we have coming up in August for Cal APSE. Katherine Sanders 1:25:25 Yes, thank you so much, Vivian. So Cal APSE will be putting on a webinar on August 12, from 11am until 1pm. And the idea behind the webinar is to provide information resources and kind of guide people through the actual transformation of programs since we are in such a unique time and programs have vastly changed within the last five months going from in person to remote, something that we've never done before. We wanted to capitalize on this time of change and really take Look at our providers day program. And in all these different services to say if we're changing right now, and we can change that quickly to remote, let's use this time to if we're looking ahead and looking at how we're going to re entry back into the community and back into sites, let's take that time and really transform our programs to make sure that they're person centered. They're individualized, and we're really accessing the community. So that's what this webinar will be about is to help programs guiding you through that process and the different tools and resources and what that actual transformation looks like. So we'll it'll be about two hours, with some discussion and question and answering that we're going to share what that transition has looked like, we have members of our board who have actually taken their programs through that process. So we know it's doable, but we wanted to share with our provider community across California how to do that and how to use this time to truly reinvent reimagine and redesign your services, since we're already having to do that. So we wanted to put that out there, we would love for you guys to join. It's, it will be $20 for non APSE members and $10 for APSE members. And we will make sure I'll try and put the link up in the chatbox ahead of time. If not, I will send the registration link to Vivian and she can send it out to the entire DVU group. But we encourage you guys to join share with your networks. We're really excited to use this time to help programs transition into really what aligns with Employment First and HCBS and what the individuals truly need. So we're really excited to have as many people be part of that conversation as possible. Vivian Haun 1:27:48 Fantastic, Katherine, thank you so much. We are really looking forward to that event. Lastly, I wanted to give a huge thank you just to the entire Cal APSE board for collaborating on this presentation. I wanted to give a shout out to other board members, those of us who you see on the zoom screen this is not the entirety of our board. We could not have done this without some of our other members. I can't see you all but Sunny, Laura, if you are out there and you want to say hi or share your information in the chat, these are also some incredible professionals with so much experience in employment. So please say hello if you guys are there. We also have other board members Carol Witillow of progressive employment concepts. And Pam Arturi of Easter Seals. They are also really essential members of our board and helped us craft a lot of the materials that you saw today. Katherine Sanders 1:28:48 I also wanted to plug really quickly if anybody's interested in learning more about what California APSE and national APSE is all about and how to be involved, please feel free to send us an email to CAAPSE@apse.org and we'll put that out in the we'll put that out in the chat as well. But please feel free to reach out to us, you can, you can check out the National APSE website to see what it takes to be a member. But we would love to have you join Anyone is welcome. So please go ahead and check that out or email us with any questions about becoming a member. Vivian Haun 1:29:24 Perfect. And Yay, I see that that email address has made its way to the chat. It is also included on a last slide, but we didn't get a chance to put up but it will be in one of the last slides of this presentation, which will also be available on the DVU website. So Judy, have you had a chance to take a look at any questions that might come might have come in? Judy Mark 1:29:47 Yes. So many questions, so many questions for all of you. Um, so some people are seeing that they've had, there's different kinds of things that are coming across during the crisis, for example, people are saying that some regional centers are not even funding employment supports during the covid crisis, because of safety reasons. We know that that is actually not a state policy. Um, I I want to give I want to explain to folks that you can use what's called participant directed services for for work supports right now. Prior to COVID, you had to use an agency but now you can actually hire a support staff to support you in your job. Anybody who you know and is familiar to you so that you stay safe. So for example, and you can even hire your parents and your parents, one of your parents can get paid to support you in your job during the COVID crisis, it's called participant directed services. If you're, if you call your regional center, your service coordinator says, I have no idea what you're talking about, then ask to speak to their supervisor. If they have no idea what you're talking about, then ask to speak to their supervisor because regional centers are supposed to know about this. But what we what we've been finding is that a lot of regional centers, staff have not been trained on participant directed services. So if the whole reason that it exists is so that you can hire someone that you are, you know, and you feel safe with that will not bring COVID into your home or into your life. Does anybody else want to comment on participant directed services or any of that area before I move on to some of the other questions? Katherine Sanders 1:31:46 I just want to jump in. I appreciate you sharing that, Judy. Thank you. And I think that's something that's really important to know that's there as an option. And I always recommend bringing that conversation home to service coordinators to say, you know, this is the importance of my going back to work. I am an essential worker, it's my right to work, and my right to be supported in that process. And so I would say, having that conversation again with the support team and saying, you know, this is my right, how can my team support me in making that decision? And if that doesn't happen, then the participant directed services is a great option to maintain that support during this time. Judy Mark 1:32:26 Thanks, Katherine. Some people are also saying that they have been getting inadequate support from the Department of Rehabilitation and their school district. So you know, maybe somebody can talk maybe I don't know if that's Brittany, because I know You talk a lot about transition. But what should people be asking for from their school district versus asking these are for obviously young adults transitioning to adulthood? What should people be asking for from the Department of Rehabilitation and what should people be asking for from the regional center in order, especially during this time of COVID, in order to get a job. Brittany Robinson 1:33:10 So I don't know if I can answer this the best of everyone on this panel, but while your son or daughter is under 18, so, you know, under 18, I would suggest connecting with student support services from DLR. That's kind of before that transition happens. And I would just say, you know, to advocate for, for the support that you need, whatever it might be if you, I mean, oftentimes, you know, an independent facilitator can come into play there if you have questions of kind of, you know, what, what your rights are and what you should be asking for what you should be advocating for. And so I would say maybe looking to that. But I don't know if maybe someone else on the panel can chime in. But that's really okay. I'll--oh, go ahead, Peter. Peter Mendoza 1:34:13 I think, you know, one of the things you can do if you are an as a regional center, is exercise your rights and remedies. So like, for example, department relocation, they have the Client Assistance Program. And there's an 800 number that people call to connect whether the client is in program, and they help you navigate when there's a dispute, or you're not getting a service that you feel you're entitled to. And then the regional center of course, there's a voice who's a wrestler over a process, there through clients rights, advocacy, and you know, there's different levels and sometimes, it just takes a meeting with a supervisor, to say Hey, guys, I have the right to the services, and I need them and you guys need to provide them and really push and, and it's sometimes a challenge, but you connect at some spatial rates and remedies. And also, it's important that if your service needs change because of covid you bring that to their attention as well, Vivian Haun 1:35:25 definitely. And lastly, I just wanted to add the terms of trying to figure out, you know, which agency is responsible for what something that we haven't actually mentioned yet, is a sort of a structure that has been put in place or structures that have been put in place across the state that actually bring those three agencies together to really collaborate across agencies to really support adults as well as youth in schools. Those are called local partnership agreements. And that is something that should exist in every part of your state. And Katherine, could I ask you to expand a little bit more about that? Katherine Sanders 1:36:08 Of course, I was going to mention that. This is something that I'm really excited about the California blueprint came out about three years ago. And one of the pieces of that was the local partnership agreements. And the blueprint, along with the local partnership agreements, is a document that Department of Rehabilitation, the regional centers, and the Department of Education came together to say, We need to do something differently in order to support individuals going transitioning from high school to the adult world when it comes to employment, getting them better opportunities and placements. They recognize that these three entities were essentially operating in silos. And so the local partnership agreement was meant to bring those three partners, core partners to the table to say, How can we work better together? How can we create a more efficient systems so that individuals across the board are receiving equal and great services and have access to those services. And so three years ago, these groups started to meet. And as we've, as they've grown, and the years have gone on, we've started to include more community partners, which means service providers, community colleges, employers, individuals, families. And so each area is in their own stage of these local partnership agreements. But most of them have been continuing through this COVID doing virtual meetings, but they're really meant to bring everybody to the table and say, How can we work better together? How can we solve these barriers that we're all facing? And one of the I think great things, understanding that each of the partners understood what didn't understand what each other did. And so we've been trying to solve that barrier of really, what does everybody do? And what's our understanding of everybody so that when we're talking to families and individuals, we can explain that ourselves. And making sure that families and individuals are armed with that information, to be able to make decisions and have discussions and go to different entities and say, I know this is what you do, this is what I need. And this is how you can support me getting that and how we can work together doing that, instead of bouncing in between. And so that's really what the local partnerships agreements are for. The California Health and Human Services website, has a tab called CIE stands for competitive integrated employment. And that has all of the information about the different local partnership agreements, where they are, and what the actual agreement is, different resources. And so I'll go ahead and put that or that website in the chat, but it's a great place to look at and if you're having frustrations with either your local department of rehab and you've kind of gone up the chain and you're not getting a lot of response, or you want to be part of the group to help make those changes and have that conversation, I encourage you to reach out to the local partnership agreement. Your regional your local regional center is a part of it. Your local department of rehab is a part of it. It's required by state that each one of us is. So I encourage you to reach out and say, I would love to attend the next meeting. I want to be part of this group. I want to help move this system forward. Vivian Haun 1:39:20 Excellent and I say that some of those links have been posted in the chat for anyone who was interested in digging into this further. Judy? Judy Mark 1:39:30 was one of them the blueprint, because that was one of the recent questions. Okay, great. So I just, Katherine Sanders 1:39:36 the overarching guidance. It's a five year blueprint plan from the state of California. And within the blueprint, they have all these different goals listed. And one of the goals that is listed is the local partnership agreement. Judy Mark 1:39:48 Wonderful, thank you. Debra Jorgensen 1:39:50 This has Deborah the same site actually has the published local partnership agreement so you can see like, you might be able to see some names or know who's involved, who to contact. So just because it's not on the list doesn't mean they're not working on it. These are just the ones that are actually ready to be published. So Judy Mark 1:40:09 great, thank you. Some more questions and somebody did have a follow up on the participant directed services that we were talking about, specifically related to employment. And that the her regional center said it was going to expire on July 31. It is true that the governor and the Department of Developmental Services or DDS have been extending these what's called a directive to include this on kind of like one or two months or three months at a time and that the current one expires on July 31, but it is going to get expanded. Unless Unless you guys know something that I don't know that COVID is about to get cured between now and July 31, which would be awesome because I'd love to go on vacation. But, but since that is highly unlikely, it is my, it is my strong feeling that these these participant directed services will be will continue. But you should remember that participant directed services, there's a whole bunch of that there's there's four of them that have existed since 2011. And they're not part of the COVID issue that includes respite and independent includes respite and a three other things, three other issues that I'll try to get the directive in the chat. But anyway, it will be there. So don't let the regional center say we're not letting you apply for it because it's expiring July 31. Because that's just not the case. Okay, so we have a question for everybody. Do we anticipate in the new COVID world that these segregated placements will be transitioned out because of risk and safety, for example, sheltered workshops that have hundreds of people in a building? What do you all think? Rebecca LaBoriel 1:41:53 Yes. Judy Mark 1:41:56 At least we would hope so. Right? Rebecca LaBoriel 1:41:58 Yes. Yeah. Judy Mark 1:42:00 So for those of you who heard about, saw in the, in the slide, you were talking about the home and community based services final rule. It's a very technical term that I really hate I usually, I call it the inclusion rule, which is for short, because it is about people being included in their community and not being put into segregated programs, like a sheltered workshop, or work program or a day program. And those programs are supposed to, are required to to end very soon. Unfortunately, that's been pushed back by another year by the Trump administration just in the last couple of weeks. The however, California is still had on target to try to move forward with this, although I do believe that California was part of trying to get it extended. So I'm not sure how supportive the state is in moving us as quickly as we can, but here's my, my view on that, that there's a whole lot of really, really segregated programs who are claiming that they can reopen now, when when COVID ends and will be compliant, that I'm not sure I agree with that. So I think it's up to all of us to really be on top of those issues and make sure that people are truly getting choice and control over their lives in these programs and are not being segregated under the claim that they are actually being included. So I just ran into that this morning in a person centered plan so I just wanted to bring that up. Debra Jorgensen 1:43:38 Can I--sorry this is different, I just want to address this because I know it was in the chat also. People wanted to kind of know, what are the five steps to informed decision making and I think this is a really important time to understand what that means. So when your only Options Given are go back to your segregated day program or work activity program and you're given no other options, that's not okay, that's not informed choice. So, the link we had to the ICI, the Institute for Community Inclusion publication on informed choice, they actually took this guidance from the US Department of Justice, but the five parts are: provide information about the benefits of working in an integrated setting, number 2: facilitate visits or other experiences in integrated settings so that people even know what they are. And three: allow, you know, peer to peer discussions for both the individual and the families. That's really important to connect about, you know, other people's experiences in the in the community. Four is to identify and address concerns and objections raised by the individual or decision maker. And then five is to revisit that decision to not work in the community very regularly. So it's not enough to just ask somebody once a year, hey, do you want to go work at McDonald's? Or you don't, you want to stay here? Okay. That's not informed choice. So I, you know, it's come to my attention that there's, sometimes that's how the conversation goes. And I just want people to know their rights and know that that is not adequate. If you ask for, you know, I want to work in a real job, you don't have to use the term competitive integrated employment, like I want to work, I want to be in the community, they need to provide those supports, and you need to step back and figure out, you know, how to move forward, whether that's through customized employment, supported employment, there's other options, so I just want to add that. Judy Mark 1:45:46 Thank you. Um, somebody was asking how people get one of these superstar customized employment specialists, even if it's for after COVID but how do you find one of these customized employment specialists? How do you get somebody to pay for it? Can anybody help with that? Katherine Sanders 1:46:11 Sure. I'll try to take a stab at that question. And if anyone else on the board wants to share, please do. I think the best way is to reach out to your regional center and talk with your service coordinator. This customized employment is something that is new. And so it's not necessarily consistent across the state of California. So I think initially talking with your service coordinator, if they're not aware of it actually reached out to California APSE. We have board members across California who are very familiar with who is doing Customized Employment and will be able to connect you with that agency and the Regional Center and the funding process for that specific area. So I would say step one, talk with your case manager, service coordinator at the regional center. Step two, email us and we'll connect with you and support you through that process. Judy Mark 1:47:01 Thanks, Catherine. Um, here's a self advocate who's asking. Hi, I'm Robert. But everybody calls me Bobby. I'm a new member of your organization. Thank you, Bobby. I am an experienced Park maintenance worker, which I have been doing seasonal Park maintenance work for three years so far ever since I earned a certificate of achievement from Folsom Lake College, I have been having trouble obtaining a permanent full time job in the government field. I'm also a member of Ulta regional center. So I'm wondering if any of the experts here have any advice for Bobby? Rebecca LaBoriel 1:47:37 I guess what I would say Bobby is have you been working with an employment agency? You know, to get to, to get that position. And if you haven't, then what you can do is go back to your regional center and have that conversation that you need more support. There's plenty of us out there that would love to help you get connected and to get permanent employment, especially in the government arena. I work with a number of individuals who have just got work at Sacramento court house. So definitely and I'd be willing to put my contact information in the chat, Judy, if you if you want us to, for folks to be able to reach out but Bobby, go ahead and reach out I'd be happy to help. Judy Mark 1:48:34 Thank you. Thank you, Rebecca. I think a number of people were looking for everyone's contact information. So please put that in the chat if you could. Go ahead Peter. Peter Mendoza 1:48:42 The State of California also has the LEAP program. And that is a program that helps people with disabilities who want to get into state employment and what you, when you apply, when you get enrolled in the LEAP program there's some Civil Service testing and some modifications that you don't necessarily have to do, because of your disability, it alleviates some of the need for certain parts of the exam process. Oftentimes through the lead program, you'll stay kind of on your [uninteligable] Service, stay in your probationary period longer. Once you go through their process, you'll be permitted civil service and to become eligible for the lead program, you can reach out to the Department of Rehabilitation and they can be able to assist you. And now you don't need to be a client, you just need to go in, I would call first and make an appointment. But bring documentation that says you have a disability or whatever they need. And then they give you a letter that says you're eligible for LEAP and then you go on the basically the state website. I can put it in the chat, I'll look it up. And then you can look at different positions that are leap eligible and then you can apply. So that's, and the federal government has a similar program, although I'm getting tired and I'm drawing a blank on the name so I'll look it up really quick and put it in the chat. Judy Mark 1:50:23 Thanks, Peter. Appreciate that. We only have a few more questions. I know everybody's getting tired. Um, does anybody know what kind of documentation is needed to report work related expenses such as buying certain kinds of shoes or pants for a work dress code? Does anybody know about how that works? Rebecca LaBoriel 1:50:41 So if you, if you go ahead and click on the link, well, once you get the slides or the presentation and click on that link that we've provided, it has all that information. It's been in the past, it's been simply a letter that I've written for folks, and just outlined, what the work expense is and how much it was. And they, Social Security has taken that so it's something, could be something as simple as that. Vivian Haun 1:51:12 And Rebecca, could you just clarify which link you were referring to in our slides? Rebecca LaBoriel 1:51:18 Sure. I'll put it in the chat. I'll take a look. Vivian Haun 1:51:22 Perfect. Judy Mark 1:51:22 Thank you. Here's an interesting question. How does one get a specialized driver's training or lessons for a regional center client who could drive with specialized instruction, but the regional center says they don't offer it in their center? Even if other regional centers do? Does anybody know about drivers? I didn't know that any regional centers offered driving, drivers training, but maybe Katherine, you know? Katherine Sanders 1:51:47 I'm not familiar with, I know our regional center does not I'm not familiar with any other regional center that does so I'd be curious to know which one they're referencing. And I think maybe department of rehab might be a good option as long as it aligns with their employment goal. But Peter looks like you might have a better answer. Peter Mendoza 1:52:08 And I'm not, I don't know if this is true for the whole state but at least the regional centers that I've worked with they refer folks to DOR, the department of rehabilitation, because they are, they are more suited and have been, are more able to send them to vendors that can do their assessment because of the number of steps that you have to go through before you can get supports around driving. So there's an assessment. So I would refer, I would go to the DOR for that service, and maybe talk to the regional center and see if they can refer you over. You'll probably have to, in fact, I'll show you how to become a client of the DOR, and that takes a little bit of time but it's well worth it, especially if you're a person with a disability. And it's your wish to drive. Then go through their process for driving. It's been my experience at this department of rehabilitation really does kind of an extensive evaluation. So it won't happened right away, it's a process. But it does work. Judy Mark 1:53:20 Thanks, Peter. The other thing that I can say is if you're in the self determination program, I've seen that some people in their self determination spending plans put in specialized driving instruction or modifications to a vehicle as well in their self determination plan. So I encourage self determination for everybody, of course. So Linda is asking what is the status of the transformation to competitive employment act? Debra Jorgensen 1:53:59 This is Debra. I mean I'm on the national, National APSE Public Policy Committee. So the last time we had an update, I mean, all of that legislation, there were several different acts proposed, everything kind of stalled when COVID hit. So I'm not aware that that's moving yet, although it's absolutely a priority for Nat, you know, APSE and many other organizations. Judy Mark 1:54:22 So, great, thank you. Um, so I wanted I don't know if there's any Spanish speakers on the phone who have any questions, Lorna, if you want to ask anybody, if I'll give you a moment to ask them while I'm looking for more questions. Okay, so I, so Lorna just pop in if anybody has a question and interrupt it's fine. So, shall we, One of the things that I wanted to mention because there's a number of questions related to education, and how it's especially there's an individual on our webinar who works at a school who has a job. It's she's she's a regional center client, but who has a job working at a school and now the schools are staying closed. And what does that mean for her job as maybe an aide or doing other kinds of one to one work in a school. And so obviously, you know, each school district is different, but I wanted to let everybody know that next week, a week from today, the exact same time 2 to 4pm. We are doing another webinar, but this time, it's specifically on education, and the reopening of schools and how, how that's going to impact people with disabilities, where most schools are likely to be online only again, at least for the next several months. And what does that mean for special education services and other kinds of individuals? So Vivian is coordinating that one too. Vivian is taking over all of these things, which makes me so incredibly happy. So we, for those of you who are really interested in the education, please please please join us next week because I think it's a very hot topic now that we're hearing that all the major school districts in the state are going to remain online for the fall. Vivian Haun 1:56:19 And, Judy, I am noticing a question and one of the questions from the q&a box that I can address while we wait for Lorna to get back to us. So I see a question from Suzy, who says that, who is with the regional center of the East Bay, and she's asking if that regional center could provide a customized employment specialist for those under 18. She has mentioned that 16 year olds can and do want to work. Absolutely even if it's only a part time after school job. And of course, like an adult, they would need support with that too. She says that often the regional centers say vocational training for a student being seen served by the school district is the district's responsibility, but they won't provide a customized employment specialist or provider either. Suzy, that is an excellent point I have run into that also. And it is one something that has frustrated me tremendously, because you're absolutely right. There are some incredible specialists who could really I think, do a great job of supporting high school age students to find work and find job and find a job and really help a student develop some of their interests and identify what would be good options for them. That expertise does tend to be more in the regional center system and you're right in that school districts tend to not have that expertise, unfortunately. And so that I think barrier, as I think all of us are aware of, where regional centers will often say if you know if you're a school age of school will age, the thing that you're asking for should be provided by your school. That is something I would say a couple of things. It is a major hurdle. But there are some things that are happening to try to chip away at that. One of the things as Katherine was mentioning, if you go to your local Partnership Agreement meeting which your regional center should be able to tell you more about and you can contact your employment specialist. If you don't have Katherine, if you're not at the San Andreas regional center, they can tell you more about that. That is someplace where you can maybe go there and ask locally what some of your local partners are doing to address some of that to get some of that Customized Employment expertise to younger people, because that is definitely a real need. The other thing that I will say is that I do know of schools, school districts, or charter schools, who are actually willing to to take that on. One of our board members, Carol has actually done that she entered into a contract with a charter school to actually support high school age students with their program and began to collaborate closely with that school and those students and their families to put together a program that really helped to prepare the student for work and to actually got them jobs and supported them in those jobs using Customized Employment approaches. So though it is difficult, it's also not impossible, and we're hoping that that will start to change more in the future. Anyone else? Katherine Sanders 1:59:42 Yeah, I'll just kind of piggyback off of what you're you're sharing because I think part of it comes back to when we talk about employment in general, customized or not, that should start when, you know, I would say kids are born, we start thinking about those things, but really, when they're in the system we're talking about, 13 14 15 is when we're really starting to see employment come to the forefront. And so I think just from a personal standpoint, that it's important that teachers are trained through customized employment. So they have that understanding. Because what Brittany was talking about is that discovery piece and building that foundation and those layers happened. It's a continual process. But it starts when kids are young. And so making sure that there's, in the adult world, we're trying to get everybody to get on board with it. That's a process. But making sure that that also is happening in the school districts. And so like Vivian was saying, we're having those conversations that are LPA, so that it's not just the adult world that has access to this customized employment. It's also that the school districts and the teachers are equipped with this information and that education to be able to provide that in the school districts in case the adult world can't step in. And so we're trying to make sure that that information and training is kind of across the board. It's a big goal, but that's why we're here to continue to work on that. Judy Mark 2:01:13 Thank you so much. So I'm, the clock says a little bit past four. So I want to wrap up right now and remind everybody that next we'll be back next week with another Coronavirus issue about opening up. And that will be around education, I have a feeling that will be well attended by many a parent who is looking for some sort of support to make sure their children are receiving appropriate education. And if you're not on our mailing list, you can go to our chat or you could go to tinyURL.com/joinDVUmail to join our mailing list to make sure that you heard about it. And I want to really thank particularly our self advocates who joined us today Kevin Thank you We hope you get back to Lego Land and Disneyland and all the amusement parks. Someday we're going to go to Disneyland with you, Kevin. And you can Kevin Bath 2:02:09 That would be be awesome. Judy Mark 2:02:10 Yeah, we're going to we're going to ride we're going to ride Space Mountain with you someday, hopefully sooner rather than later. And I want to thank Peter Mendoza, you offered an incredible amount of important information. And I want to thank all the folks at Cal APSE Deborah Katherine and Rebecca and Brittany. And I also want to thank Vivian, our wonderful board member who put on who arranged almost all of this and for and for hosting it, so that this video will be available on our website hopefully by tomorrow, and it was it's also on our Facebook page because right after we get done with this, we will end it and you will get to watch the whole thing over again. So thank you everybody for being part of this. And I hope you all stay safe and have a really this is really the time to be extra safe. This is our Coronavirus website. So I will say, in a minute, what I've learned is that you must wear a mask this way over your nose not down here, not down here but over your nose to protect other people. You can get masks for free from various community agencies, including your regional center, including many community based organizations. And, you know, please please reach out to the State Council on Developmental Disability has also been handing them out. They're also handing out shields, which I recommend people to wear on top of their masks to make sure they're protecting their eyes. And if your, if your mask slips down, at least you've got that extra protection of shield. So please wear that don't hang out with your friends who are not part of your household. Just don't do it. Just like don't do it. I I've traveled to Yosemite last week and I saw lots of people hanging out together who are not in the same household and this is why we're in the situation we're in. So please, everybody, stay safe. stay within your household. Stay with your family and we will see you all next week. Take care. Bye bye Transcribed by https://otter.ai