Iowa UCEDD Self-Employment Publication Showcases Successful Entrepreneurs with Disabilities

September 29, 2014

The Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD), Iowa's UCEDD, recently released "Thinking Outside the Employment Box," a publication which tells the stories of 18 entrepreneurs with disabilities and the diverse businesses they have created.  Each story describes the genesis for the business, the resources brought together to support the business, and the benefits of business ownership for each entrepreneur.

Development and dissemination of "Thinking Outside the Employment Box" was funded by an Employment Development Initiative (EDI) grant from the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) to the Mental Health and Disability Services (MHDS) Division of the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS).  MHDS utilized EDI funds to contract with CDD to coordinate self-employment seminars for potential entrepreneurs, host training webinars for community employment providers, and produce the newly-released publication.

Iowa's receipt of EDI funds, and the success which Iowa entrepreneurs enjoy today, are due in large part to outcomes achieved through CDD's 10-year administration of a Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (MIG), under a Technical assistance contract with Iowa Medicaid Enterprise (IME).  Several stories featured in "Thinking Outside the Employment Box" emerged through collaborative partnerships of key self-employment stakeholders (DHS, Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Iowa Department for the Blind, Iowa Work Incentive Planning and Assistance, and business planning experts Griffin-Hammis & Associates) forged through MIG implementation.  The publication illustrates the progress which Iowa has made in the journey toward becoming an Employment First state.

A poster featuring the publication was prominently displayed at the Iowa APSE conference in late September and the Iowa Mental Health Conference in early October.  CDD staff and partners plan broad-based dissemination activities throughout October to coincide with National Disability Employment Awareness month.  To access the publication, visit http://dhs.iowa.gov/mhds/disability-services/employment.  To access a video featuring several entrepreneurs whose stories are chronicled in the publication, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG6uru_QwiU&feature=youtu.be.  For further information about the publication, contact  DHS Project Officer Lin Nibbelink, [email protected].  To learn more about the Iowa UCEDD's role in employment systems transformation, contact Tammie Amsbaugh, Employment First Program Manager, [email protected].