3.7.1 New Beacons of Excellence (Miller)
Project Description:
Texas was one of the first 6 Employment First states. Although Texas passed Employment First legislation in 2013, our state continues to have 30 subminimum wage providers, employing over 2,500 Texans with disabilities. As the APSE statement on Employment First reminds us, "Employment in the general workforce is the first and preferred outcome in the provision of publicly funded services for all working age citizens with disabilities, regardless of level of disability."
To address this issue, the University of North Texas Workplace Inclusion and Sustainable Employment (UNT WISE) partnered with the Texas Workforce Commission to address this issue through the Texas Beacons of Excellence project. Texas Beacons of Excellence is a pilot project addressing subminimum wage employment through training, technical assistance, and collaboration with school districts, subminimum wage providers, community agencies, students, families, and other stakeholders. As a Beacons of Excellence subcontractor, TAMU's Center on Disability and Development provides expertise in person-centered employment practices, work-based learning, post-secondary opportunities, pre-employment transition services, and school-VR collaboration.
Funded by the Texas Workforce Commission through a grant from the US Dept. of Education's Rehabilitation Services Administration, this 5-year project uses a three-pronged approach to move workers from subminimum wage to competitive, integrated employment:
-- Improving local employers' abilities to hire, train, and retain workers with disabilities
-- Working with subminimum wage providers to create customized and supported employment in integrated, competitive workplaces
-- Creating a school pipeline to competitive, integrated employment through career guidance, training, and work experiences.
The CDD's role in the project has included:
-- Providing continuing education to Amarillo ISD's staff
-- Providing a half-day preconference session at the Texas Transition Conference
-- Consulting with classroom teachers
-- Assisting with project planning and site recruitment
-- Conducting outreach through a transition conference at the region's Education Service Center
-- Developing project materials
-- Providing person-centered planning training
-- Working with the project's data analysis team
Keyword(s):
capacity building; technical assistance; transition; employment
Core Function(s):
Performing Research or Evaluation, Developing & Disseminating Information, Continuing Education/Community Training, Other Direct/Model Services
Area of Emphasis
Employment-Related Activities, Other - Leadership
Target Audience:
Community Trainees / Short term trainees, Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Disadvantaged Circumstances, Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote, Urban, Specific Groups
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
Single-County, State
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
