March 2018
Join Us. We'll Provide the Hot Chocolate!
This winter, we are offering trainings and services for teens and families:

  • Be a better advocate.
  • Learn about the essential skills employers are looking for.
  • Increase your financial confidence.
  • Get an update on your Social Security benefits . . . This is especially important if your teen will soon be 18!

Join us– We’ll provide the hot chocolate!
Or call: 1-855-480-5618
5 Things You Need to Know about Social Security Medical Reviews
Medical Reviews are often feared and neglected... Here are the 5 things you need to know:
  1. Social Security Reviews Everybody!
  2. Get Medical Conditions Reviewed Periodically!
  3. Medical Cessation
  4. Appealing a Medical Cessation
  5. Help is available
Promise Services Guide
Over the course of the project, we’ve all worked together to uncover and gather resources that will help youth and families to succeed when it comes to training for, finding, and keeping a job. Recently, we’ve compiled all that information into a single resource, so you have everything you need right at your fingertips. Grab your free copy today!
Ellie's Updates
Do you have a Promise Story? Tell us how Promise has impacted you!
Check out the Promise Services Summary and find out how Promise is helping Wisconsin Promise Youth and Families. The more impact we can have with more youth and their family members, the more we will be able to demonstrate how Wisconsin Promise Services and Supports can help to increase participants’ education, employment, and financial self-sufficiency.
Community Forums
Employing Young Adults with Barriers:
Finding Workforce Solutions
Business's have workforce needs and young adults with disabilities and other barriers have the skills and the desire to work. Join the discussion to help identify how to make these connections.

Rhinelander, WI
When: March 8, 2018
Time: 11 AM - 1 PM
Where: Hodag Lanes Banquet Center
Cost: Free

Wausau, WI
When: May 8, 2018
Time: 5 PM - 7:30 PM
Where: Great Dane Pub and Brewing Company
Cost: FREE
lessons learned text image
Wisconsin Promise's Response to SSA's Request:

If we were to do another youth demonstration, what would you recommend?

  • Promise has been a good way to test a comprehensive package of services and supports with many youth and family members. It would be helpful if future demonstration projects improved the delivery and accessibility of each service available through Promise.
  • Customized Employment and Systematic Instruction Capacity Building. Both Customized Employment and Systematic Instruction can help increase the employment outcomes of individuals with disabilities. Future grants could help states build capacity of high quality Customized Employment and Systematic Instruction providers.
  • Customized Employment. Customized Employment is a process that helps match youth's or family member's skills, interests, and assets to needs of local employers in situations where identifying these skills, interests, assets and local provider needs might be difficult. Some examples of these situations include when the youth receiving SSI or a family member is nonverbal, has behavior problems, does not engage in many activities, or has spotty employment history.
  • Systematic Instruction. There are times when on-the-job supports are needed. Systematic instruction is an evidence-based method to systematically teach on-the-job skills and identify any needed long term on-the-job supports. Systematic instruction works by maximizing independence and reducing any needed on the job supports. (This works best when there is a good job match between the youth's skills/abilities/interests and the job the employer needs done.) 
  • Improve the service delivery and accessibility of Promise services: Work Incentive Benefits Counseling, Financial Literacy, Self-Advocacy Training, Social Skills Training, Parent Training (or Family Advocacy Training) in every state.
  • Create more group interactive activities.
  • Create easier to follow one-on-one consultation guides.
  • Create more materials and activities that are accessible for youth with a variety of disabilities (including youth with cognitive limitations, youth who are nonverbal, youth with behavior problems, youth with visual or hearing limitations, youth who speak another language or have an alternative mode of communication).
  • Create more ways to share information in a variety of formats including one pagers, postcards, and short 2-5-minute video clips.
  • Develop an app (or apps) with reminders/push notifications that has all this information and a variety of information in one place.
  • Create guidance for peer to peer information sharing and networking.
  • Create materials for different cultures and regions (e.g., urban vs. rural).
Phone
Steering Committee Profile Members and Emails
Project Director
Meredith Dressel

Project Manager
Ellie Hartman

Members
Cayte Anderson
Nancy Molfenter
Sam Ninnemann
Wendy Henderson
Jenny Neugart 
Suzanne Lee