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DBHDSVirginia Department of
Behavioral Health andDevelopmental Services
WHY EMPLOYMENT FIRST?
Presentation to the DBHDS State Board
October 13, 2011
Presented by: Lee Price, Director, ODS
Adam Sass, DBHDS Employment Specialist
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DBHDSVirginia Department of
Behavioral Health andDevelopmental Services
Brief History of DD/BH Employment in Virginia
• 1970s– Vocational Rehabilitation Dept. (Now DRS)
established many sheltered workshops across the Commonwealth• This model currently exists in Virginia in both the public and
private sector• Was developed on the premise that this model would teach
work skills to individuals with disabilities • Is supported by many in Virginia because of its convenience
and its ability to provide some level of service to many people
• Is controversial nationally and in Virginia because it tends to keep people in sub-minimum wages and is a form of congregate service
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DBHDSVirginia Department of
Behavioral Health andDevelopmental Services
Brief History of DD/BH Employment in Virginia
• 1980s– Supported Employment Model was introduced
and began to grow in popularity and practice• Matches individuals with jobs and provides the support to
help them to succeed• Virginia began to emerge as a leading state in the supported
employment movement• VCU developed RRTC (Rehabilitation Research and Training
Center) as a leading promoter of supported employment nationwide
• Widespread national and state endorsement of the model• Offers more challenges to providers than alternatives
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DBHDSVirginia Department of
Behavioral Health andDevelopmental Services
Brief History of DD/BH Employment in Virginia
• 1990s– Medicaid funding provided alternatives for day
support activities• ID and DD Waiver funded Day Support and SPO funded
Club House model for individuals with behavioral health needs now offer convenient hours of day time activity
• Medicaid Transportation pays for transportation to and from Medicaid funded services
• Unintended consequence of these services was a reduction in the supported employment enrollment by individuals supported through the DBHDS and CSBs/private providers
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DBHDSVirginia Department of
Behavioral Health andDevelopmental Services
Recent Activities
• 2009 – DBHDS joined the State Employment Leadership Network (SELN) offered through NASDDDS
• Formed the Virginia SELN Advisory Committee made up of stakeholders from across Virginia and across departments
• Established, through the Creating Opportunities Employment Work Groups the goal of an “Employment First” policy for the Commonwealth
• Established a single position at DBHDS for an Employment Specialist for both DS and BH
• Governor McDonnell endorsed an “Employment First Initiative”• Held the Employment First Summit in Virginia Beach on October 4
and 5– More than 200 in attendance– Well received by all
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DBHDSVirginia Department of
Behavioral Health andDevelopmental Services
Principles of Employment First
Employment Is
• Community based, working with mostly non-disabled peers (integrated)
• Competitive Wages (minimum or better)
• Doing basically the same tasks as non disabled co-workers
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DBHDSVirginia Department of
Behavioral Health andDevelopmental Services
Principles of Employment First
• Integrated Employment is work providing a minimum or commensurate wage and related benefits in a typical work setting where the employee with a disability has opportunity to interact with non-disabled co-workers, has an opportunity for career advancement and is preferably engaged full time.
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DBHDSVirginia Department of
Behavioral Health andDevelopmental Services
Why Now?
• It is the next step on the path of a person-centered culture in our support system – People with disabilities want to work– Work provides
• Fulfillment • Meaning and purpose to one’s life experience• A means of self-support leading to
– Greater self-esteem– Less reliance on a state-funded system
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DBHDSVirginia Department of
Behavioral Health andDevelopmental Services
Why Now?
• Employment is part of the changing landscape in a national movement– Washington state maintains that, after over 10
years of an employment first policy, 80% of the individuals in their DD system have jobs
– All systems are shifting toward supporting people toward greater independence and less reliance on a lifetime of full support
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DBHDSVirginia Department of
Behavioral Health andDevelopmental Services
Benefits to the Employer
Employers choose People w/Disabilities
• People with disabilities who are supported on the job represent a rich pool of talent with a strong work ethic and stable long term employment.
• Non disabled co-workers learn that people with disabilities are just like them.
• Attendance at the job by all workers increases when a person with a disability is employed.
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DBHDSVirginia Department of
Behavioral Health andDevelopmental Services
Where We Want to Go
Virginia Employment First Policy Statementproposed by SELN 3-10
• Virginians with disabilities have the right to work. With that right, they have the responsibility to use their skills to contribute towards their own self-sufficiency to the degree that is reasonable as well as the opportunity to fully participate in their community.
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DBHDSVirginia Department of
Behavioral Health andDevelopmental Services
Summit Outcomes
• Promote Employment to Individuals• Change the way we do business• Increase Connections with Employers• Engage school age children early and
consistently on employment related issues to prepare them for employment after graduation
• Educate, talk it up
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DBHDSVirginia Department of
Behavioral Health andDevelopmental Services
Next Steps
• We would like the Board to consider a DBHDS Employment First Policy
• We will offer regional training around the Commonwealth on the cultural and practical changes we can all make now
• We will examine all funding strategies to insure maximum incentives for achieving an Employment First reality
• Continue to advance the person-centered thinking culture in Virginia through training and policy that promotes true assessment of individual desires and access to the lifestyle and opportunities of their choice
