Project Description:
Project Context:
Since 2000, the Utah Department of Health (UDOH), in collaboration with the State Office of Rehabilitation, the Department of Workforce Services, the State Office of Education, the Division of Services for People with Disabilities, and the Center for Person with Disabilities has worked to increase the employment and health care outcomes for people with disabilities in Utah.
The overall goal of the Work Ability Utah project is to create a comprehensive, consumer-responsive system of work supports that will increase employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities in Utah. This program strives to link employers in the business community with a qualified workforce. Their goals include increased communication, reduction of barriers, and creation of a comprehensive system of work incentives and supports for both the employer and the individual with disabilities.
Project Focus:
The new 2009-2010 Work Ability project has a goal to enable 800 more people with disabilities to find and retain competitive employment over the next four years. With resources from a new grant, the Work Ability project will continue the process of creating a strategic plan that will guide the future development of a comprehensive system of employment support for people with disabilities in Utah.
This strategic plan includes the following components:
1) Public agencies will work to improve and sustain the infrastructure of employment supports including benefits planning, personal assistance, and health care benefits for people with disabilities who work.
2) Employers will employ more individuals with disabilities through the creation and growth of Utah Business Employer Team (UBET). Job seekers with disabilities will connect to Utah's labor market through new information technology with a special focus on youth transitioning from school to work.
3) A research and demonstration project will examine the effectiveness of gradual reduction of benefits for SSDI beneficiaries who work in cooperation with the Social Security Administration.
4) The State of Utah will develop an integrated data system to permit agencies to track the effectiveness of publicly-funded employment programs for people with disabilities. A communications plan will expand upon the public awareness campaign of Work Ability: Opening Doors to Work.
The Utah Department of Health will administer the Work Ability project. A four-person management team will be responsible for oversight of the grant, comprised of top level managers in the Utah Department of Health, Department of Workforce Services, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation, and State Office of Education. The Utah Department of Health has sub-contracted with the CPD to provide technical assistance for the Work Ability Utah project participants.
FY 2010 Focus:
The purpose of the CPD's FY 2010 contract is to continue to:
1) Provide technical assistance in the following ways:
- Develop materials and deliver training and technical assistance to staff of agencies that serve individuals with disabilities, such as Independent Living Centers, Mental Health agencies, Rehabilitation counselors, Services for People with Disabilities, and Workforce Services.
- Participate on assigned Work Ability work groups to assess needs for specific training and technical assistance activities and deliver requested technical assistance.
- Maintain and update the workabilityutah.org website as directed by designated DOH staff liaison.
- Deliverables: Training materials, presentations, surveys, focus groups, written reports, website.
2) Design and implement program evaluation and research activities including the following:
- Design and implement program evaluation for the Work Ability project.
- Analyze administrative data made available from agencies involved with the Work Ability project. Work directly with Agency contacts to obtain data to conduct statistical analyses.
- Work with work groups to refine research and evaluation questions and identify data sources.
- Use appropriate methods for data gathering, such as survey, focus groups, interviews, and administrative data.
- Write reports describing data analysis and results.
- Design protocols for protecting human subjects in research and obtain IRB approval from relevant institutions.
- Write proposals for research and/or demonstration activities at the request and under the direction of the Work Ability project director that are identified to further project objectives.
- Deliverables: Evaluation reports, data will be made available upon request for audit, evaluation protocols will be reviewed by Utah State University's Institutional Review Board (IRB), written project proposals will be submitted to project director.
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Limited English, Geographic Areas, Reservation, Rural/Remote, Urban
