Category: DRTC

By James Helm, MPA, CPACC

As much as the conversation about innovating Oklahoma’s workforce should include people with disabilities, policy makers must also recognize the need for more specialized vocational learning opportunities for teenagers with disabilities. Transition services, which refer to students with disabilities transitioning from school to the workforce, are a key component to improving Oklahoma’s labor market.

Current programs designed to introduce basic skills and knowledge of work opportunities provide a solid foundation for this population entering the workforce. However, a noticeable gap in services between high school and employment exists that can and should be closed to strengthen Oklahoma’s pool of job candidates. Differences between available services in urban and rural areas also highlight the need for more community support to connect future job seekers with opportunities in their area. Focusing efforts on this group can yield big dividends for the state and community but not without making crucial adjustments first.

Background

Every year, tens of thousands of teenagers in Oklahoma begin the transition from high school to the next step in life.[i] According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 85% of students in Oklahoma graduated high school on time, compared to 79% of students with disabilities.[ii] This latter group may take longer to graduate, seek an alternative diploma, or do not graduate at all.[iii]

In high school, students with disabilities may participate in Transition School-to-Work programs offered in conjunction with the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services. Within these programs, students may develop work goals, participate in career exploration by visiting different job sites, and even receive assistance in applying for work, among other services.[iv]

Beyond high school, society generally expects graduates to either seek higher education or leap into the job market. Fewer than half of new high school graduates attended post-secondary education in 2016, leaving the remainder to decide how they would enter the workforce.[v] This can be a particularly daunting experience for teenagers with disabilities, especially if they are ill-prepared to navigate the challenges of employment.

DRTC (Dale Rogers Training Center), a nonprofit agency that promotes a more disability-inclusive workplace and community, is on the front lines of connecting students with resources and meaningful career exploration prior to full employment.[vi] Originally formed as an educational center, the agency has transitioned to an entrepreneurial business model with the expectation of competitive integrated employment in the community. Through expanded partnerships with nonprofit agencies, state agencies, schools and businesses, these programs have the ability to take Oklahoma to new heights and serve as a model for others.

Existing Services

Pre-ETS

One existing program currently serving high school students with disabilities is Pre-Employment Transition Service (Pre-ETS), offered through the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services. Pre-ETS serves approximately 8,500 students in 140 schools throughout Oklahoma. Through various activities, students explore different components of work such as: job exploration, work-based learning, workplace readiness, self-advocacy, and post-secondary counseling.[vii] Pre-ETS, which is designed to supplement but not replace transition services, largely introduces students and families/caregivers to the world of employment beyond high school. Current funding does not allow for Pre-ETS to assist with on-the-job training, creating a gap in services.

Project SEARCH

After high school, qualifying young adults with disabilities may participate in Project SEARCH, an unpaid internship-based program providing on-the-job skills training.[viii] This nine-month-long program offers real work experience in a variety of businesses, rotating every 10-weeks. However, one glaring issue with Project SEARCH is its limited scope. This program is only offered in Oklahoma City, Moore, Edmond and Enid. Other towns, notably in rural areas, are not included, creating a division of employment opportunity.

Re-imagining Services

Prior to COVID-19, DRTC operated an in-person Transition School-to-Work program through DRS, working with 17 schools in the Oklahoma City metro. Over time, however, participation and outcomes dropped, causing the agency to refocus efforts to better serve youth with disabilities. DRTC is now working with DRS to implement a new career exploration contract that would focus on transitioning into the workforce, pairing an employment training specialist with a single student or small group. Piloting a successful career exploration program would prove scalable in cities and towns throughout Oklahoma, helping connect students with disabilities to previously unconsidered career opportunities.

An added benefit of career exploration is that it places more emphasis on early intervention—as young as 16 years old. Students can apply for transition services as early as 15.5 years old, but Project SEARCH starts at 18. By providing job discovery opportunities at 16, teenagers with disabilities can have extra time to build skills needed to be successful at work.

Conclusion

Existing services offered in Oklahoma provide a baseline of job exploration for teenagers and young adults with disabilities. Improvements can certainly be made from the lengthy application process, to offering focused career exploration at an earlier age, allowing the necessary time for teenagers to begin laying a foundation that will lead to successful employment. The state’s flexibility with innovative programs such as career exploration should continue, focusing on job development to further close the gap in current services.

The other component to this equation is business buy-in. In the current labor market, companies can tap into an under-utilized workforce (see previous article by DRTC Executive Director Deborah Copeland) to fill their needs, while benefiting the local community. Simple innovations to adjust current practices can help usher in a new era of productivity statewide.

This article will be used in the Background Resource Document for the Oklahoma Academy’s 2022 Town Hall which will focus on Oklahoma’s Human Potential-Enhancing our Workforce for an Increasingly Innovative Economy.

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[i] 2016 High School to College-Going Rates.(n.d.) Retrieved June 24, 2022, from https://www.okhighered.org/studies-reports/preparation/interactive/2016-HSIR-College-Going-Rates.xlsx

[ii] Public high school 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate. (n.d.) Retrieved July 1, 2022, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d20/tables/dt20_219.46.asp

[iii] Data on disabilities. (2019, April 1). Retrieved July 1, 2022, from https://www.nsba.org/ASBJ/2019/April/Graduation-Rates-Students-Disabilities

[iv] Transition for Youth with Disabilities. (n.d.) Retrieved July 1, 2022, from https://oklahoma.gov/okdrs/students/transition.html

[v] 2016 High School to College-Going Rates.

[vi] DRTC – Home page. (n.d.) Retrieved June 24, 2022, from https://www.drtc.org/

[vii] Pre-Employment Transition Services Fact Sheet. (n.d.) Retrieved June 24, 2022, from https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/okdrs/documents/students/transition/preets/Pre%20ETS%20FACT%20SHEET%20FY22.pdf

[viii] Project SEARCH. (n.d.) Retrieved July 1, 2022, from https://oklahoma.gov/okdrs/students/transition/project-search.html

By Deborah Copeland, M.Ed.

Accounting for one billion people worldwide (about 15% of the population), people with disabilities comprise the largest minority group across the globe.[i] Despite diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts gaining significant momentum across the nation, people with disabilities are largely absent from the discussion.  According to the Harvard Business Review, while 90% of companies have prioritized diversity efforts, only 4% consider disability in their initiatives.[ii]  Employers willing to invest in building a more disability-inclusive workforce will reap benefits beyond the employment of one specific demographic. According to a 2018 study by Accenture:

There are 15.1 million people of working age living with disabilities in the U.S., so the research suggests that if companies embrace disability inclusion, they will gain access to a new talent pool of more than 10.7 million people.[iii]

People with disabilities represent a largely untapped workforce in Oklahoma and across the nation. Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) experience some of the highest levels of unemployment. In Oklahoma (2018), of the 36,100 “working age” people with cognitive disabilities, only 28% were employed in the competitive workforce.[iv] However, the landscape for one of the most marginalized populations continues to advance due to increased attention on equitable employment outcomes for people with significant disabilities.

Federal legislation (HR2373, HR603) to phase out “center-based” or “sheltered workshops” and the payment of subminimum wages (SMW) to people with disabilities looms on the horizon. Vocational providers utilize the SMW certificate for paid training to more than 1,900 individuals with developmental disabilities in Oklahoma.[v]  

Understanding the impact of eliminating the SMW paid training option begins with the individuals and their network of support. Historically, individuals with I/DD and their families depended on the stable support of the “center-based” program, which was initially intended to transition people into competitive integrated employment (CIE). However, nationally fewer than 5% of people transition from center-based to CIE.[vi] With federal initiatives advancing to CIE, options for individuals and families in Oklahoma will be limited unless a proactive statewide initiative is developed to address their specific needs for support and accessibility to the workplace.

In 2021, DRTC spearheaded a coalition of stakeholders to engage in roundtable discussions with the goal of providing resources and support for sustainable systemic change throughout Oklahoma. The coalition includes executive directors of vocational agencies across Oklahoma, representatives from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services (OKDRS), Oklahoma Community-Based Providers, the Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service at the University of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Disability Law Center, the Developmental Disabilities Council of Oklahoma, and several family advocates. The coalition intends to lead a comprehensive state plan ensuring appropriate services, supports, and accessibilities are available for people with I/DD in the workforce at large.

A major barrier to employment for people living with I/DD is a form of discrimination defined by low expectations, solely based on an over-generalization of their disability. Focus on the defined disability obscures the individual’s strengths, abilities, and contributions. Infantilization of people with I/DD is also a common form of ableism impacting perceptions of their place in the competitive workforce. However, employers willing to develop policies and programs designed to include people with disabilities in the workplace, end up benefiting their business and society at large.[vii]

Referred to as the “curb-cut” effect, accessibility creates pathways to inclusion for a broad spectrum of workers in the workforce. Inclusion of people with I/DD requires a coordination of efforts and an “open door” to specific supports for employment. A common curb cut for people with I/DD involves evaluating essential functions in job descriptions. By eliminating common but often unnecessary requirements such as having a driver’s license, standing up to 8 hours, or lifting 50 lbs, jobs are more accessible for people with various disabilities.

Another accommodation for people with disabilities involves services and supports provided through state and area agencies including nonprofit vocational providers. Employment Training Specialists (ETS) provide support to the person with a disability in obtaining and maintaining employment. Employers gain a valuable employee who is supported, at no cost the employer, through the interview, onboarding, and training process. DRTC helps approximately 100 people annually through this avenue, including Tammy.

Tammy, a woman with I/DD, sets a goal to work in a hospital or as a caregiver for the elderly. Personable, methodical, attentive to detail, and highly motivated to work, Tammy subsequently applies for positions with local nursing facilities and medical clinics. Tammy also has the support of an ETS, funded by OKDRS, to assist her in training and integration into the workplace. Filling a critical need in the workforce, many of the facilities are willing to train Tammy on the job.

Resources are readily available for employers interested in a more disability-inclusive workforce. State and local agencies, as well as nonprofits across Oklahoma specialize in providing expertise in accommodations and accessibility to all sectors of business and industry.

Conclusion

Workplace and community DEI discussions are incomplete unless also considering people with disabilities. While people with disabilities overall represent a largely untapped workforce, employment options for individuals with I/DD in Oklahoma are significantly limited in the wake of new federal initiatives. Modernization of services and employment outcomes for people with I/DD, to transition away from ‘sheltered’ programs into competitive integrated employment, requires a state-wide, multidisciplinary effort. Through resources providing accessibility and accommodations to business and industry, initiatives to employ persons with I/DD will be mutually beneficial. The success of these efforts is contingent on a strong commitment from business and community stakeholders.          

DRTC (Dale Rogers Training Center) is an Oklahoma-based non-profit providing vocational training and employment for people with disabilities. Across all DRTC programs, approximately 1,000 people with disabilities earn more than $5 million in annual wages. DRTC’s employment programs and services are widely available in the community (> 80%). The remaining (<20%) services include a ‘center-based’ program with community-integration for 110 individuals diagnosed with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD).

This article will be used in the Background Resource Document for the Oklahoma Academy’s 2022 Town Hall which will focus on Oklahoma’s Human Potential-Enhancing our Workforce for an Increasingly Innovative Economy.

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[i] Disability Stats and Facts. (n.d.) Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://www.disabilityfunders.org/disability-stats-and-facts

[ii] Do your D&I efforts include people with disabilities? (2021, September 13). Retrieved July 7, 2022, from https://hbr.org/2020/03/do-your-di-efforts-include-people-with-disabilities

[iii] Getting to Equal: The Disability Inclusion Advantage. (n.d.). Retrieved July 1, 2022, from https://www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/pdf-89/accenture-disability-inclusion-research-report.pdf

[iv] 2018 Disability Status Report Oklahoma (2020). Retrieved July 1, 2022, from https://www.disabilitystatistics.org/StatusReports/2018-PDF/2018-StatusReport_OK.pdf?CFID=0ecbe827-f4e3-4f54-9097-750627ee14d5&CFTOKEN=0

[v] Oklahoma Employment Outcomes for People with Disabilities. Retrieved July 7, 2022, from https://sharesync.serverdata.net/us3/s/folder?public_share=PcZk6FVAxeIKcLO00qu2oT003de098&id=Lw%3D%3D

[vi] Section 14(c) Subminimum Wage Certificate Program. (n.d.) Retrieved July 1, 2022, from https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/odep/pdf/chaptertwo14cprogram.pdf

[vii] The Curb-Cut Effect. (2017) Retrieved July 1, 2022, from https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_curb_cut_effect