Welcome to the first issue of the quarterly Employment First Missouri newsletter. In each newsletter, we will provide the latest updates on the activities of Employment First Missouri to advance employment of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We will also provide news on national efforts and resources.

It is both an exciting and challenging time for the field of employment for people with disabilities. It is exciting in terms of the ongoing Employment First movement here in Missouri and nationally, with states and service providers prioritizing employment of people with significant disabilities in ways that we have not previously seen. It is challenging as we all deal with the impact of the current pandemic on services and supports for people with disabilities, as well as our own professional and personal lives.

The staff at Employment First Missouri, along with their colleagues at the Institute for Community Inclusion, have done extensive resource development to support individuals and service providers during the pandemic. You can find these resources of the ICI COVID-19 Resource Page.

As we slowly emerge from this challenging and very sad time for so many Americans, we should also consider the long-term implications of the lessons we have learned in terms of employment supports. One key lesson we have learned is the ability to provide services in new and different ways, including the use of remote technology. We have also learned a lot about how individuals with disabilities are able to adapt to new and different circumstances, including the ability to use technology in ways that we previously may have not thought possible. Instead of simply going back to the “way things were”, we need to consider how we can apply what we have learned to better support individuals in achieving employment success. At Employment First Missouri, we will be taking a close look at these issues, and we will work with you to apply these lessons learned.

As always, please feel free to reach out to me, or to our Missouri-based staff (Jessi Keenoy – jessica.keenoy@umb.edu or Nick Holz – nicholas.holz@umb.edu) at any time if we can assist you or your organization through our training and technical assistance services.

Employment First Missouri has launched a new website! Visit the site for news about upcoming events, a comprehensive resource library, and to learn more about how you can get involved with Employment First Missouri.

Employment First Missouri wants to thank everyone who attended our recent Community of Practice web sessions. A special thank you goes out to the presenters who shared their time and expertise. We provided satisfaction surveys after each session, and 90% of respondents agreed that the information shared in the sessions will be useful to them in their current roles.

We have archived these sessions on the Employment First Missouri Basecamp community. If you would like to be added to the online learning community to access archived sessions, please send an email request to Jessica Keenoy at Jessica.keenoy@umb.edu.

Here are archived recordings for some of the most popular sessions:

Presenter: Jennifer Sulewksi, ICI

Attendees learned about community life engagement (CLE) and its relationship to employment. The session covered why community life engagement is more important now than ever, and provided an overview of the four guideposts for CLE. Visit the Basecamp community site to access this CLE session.

Presenters: Larry Brady and Eldon Fletcher, Department of Veteran Affairs, Vocational Rehabilitation

Participants learned how Schedule A Hiring Authority can provide employment opportunities for job seekers with disabilities, how to find such opportunities, and what documentation is needed for job seekers to qualify. Visit the Basecamp community site to access this Schedule A Hiring session.

Presenter: David Hoff, ICI

This session covered federal contractor hiring initiatives, websites that can be used to find contractors, and strategies for employment providers to develop mutually beneficial relationships with federal contractors. Visit the Basecamp community site to access this Federal Contractor Hiring Initiatives session.

With special guest Peter Boardman, The Frank Olean Center Inc.

Participants discussed the benefits and challenges of creating an active and engaged Business Advisory Council. Panelists shared strategies to increase council engagement and to overcome barriers. Visit the Basecamp community website to access this session on Creating a Business Advisory Council.

Employment First Missouri had the pleasure of speaking with Colleen Himmelberg, Executive Director and Sara Gratzer, Director of Employment Services at Empac Employment Resources. As an organization, Empac has been providing community based employment services since 2012 and serves the following counties: Franklin, Sullivan, Gasconade, Phelps, Crawford, Washington, and Warren.

Employment and Employment Supports: A Guide to Ensuring Informed Choice for Individuals with Disabilities: This brief provides guidance on how to ensure individuals with disabilities make decisions about employment in a way that puts them at the center of the decision-making process, with the necessary information to make a choice about the type of job and career they would like to pursue.

In celebration of October being National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we spotlighted employment success stories in a panel discussion that included individuals sharing their journey, support systems who built the opportunity, and model employers who valued inclusive workplaces. The webinar provided an opportunity to learn best case strategies to support individuals with achieving their employment outcomes. 

The recording, transcript and powerpoint are now available.

National APSE recently hosted a Facebook Live Session focused on race and Employment First. If Not Us: Why We Need to Talk About Race, featured a panel discussion with Amber Boydston, Chisa O'Quinn, and National APSE Board member, Wes Anderson. Access the full panel discussion on Facebook.

Job Accommodation Network (JAN) released the updated "Accommodation and Compliance: Low Cost, High Impact." Check it out to learn more about direct and indirect benefits employers report experiencing as a result of providing accommodations.

National Core Indicators found that in Missouri, 44% of adults with intellectual disabilities surveyed indicated that they would like to work in the community. Of those surveyed, only 9% reported having community based employment.

The Employment First Missouri initiative is a collaborative between the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston and the Missouri Division of Developmental Disabilities.