Project Description:
Texas was one of the first 6 states to adopt Employment First legislation. 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. The CDD's work focuses on school and family support.
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 supported employment in workplaces
-- Creating a school pipeline to employment through career guidance, training, and work experiences.
This pilot project began in Amarillo ISD and expanded to include Klein ISD this fiscal year. The program plans to expand to Dallas and Fort Worth ISDs in FY 26.
The CDD's role in the project has included:
-- Providing continuing education to Amarillo ISD and Klein ISD staff
-- Providing half-day pre-conference sessions at the 2024 and 2025 Texas Transition Conferences
-- Providing full-day training sessions through the local Educational Service Center
-- Consulting with classroom teachers
-- Assisting with project planning and site recruitment
-- Conducting outreach through two transition conferences at the region's Education Service Center
--Conducting outreach through exhibitor booths at conferences
-- Developing training materials for Amarillo ISD and the Panhandle Independent Living Center
-- Developing project materials
-- Providing person-centered planning training
-- Serving on the project's parent support team
-- Working with the project's data analysis team
Core Function(s):
Performing Research or Evaluation, Developing & Disseminating Information, Continuing Education/Community Training, Other Direct/Model Services
Target Audience:
Community Trainees / Short term trainees, Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN
