Welcome to the Employment First Florida Website!
People with disabilities, including intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), want to work in their community. The purpose of this website is to provide information about what the state of Florida is doing to make it easier for people with disabilities to work. Explore the other pages on this website to learn more about how the state of Florida is helping people find good jobs in their communities!
This website can help you learn about:
- What is Employment First
- Grassroots Group Meetings
- Helpful Information for Job Seekers
- Agencies and Providers who are Making a Difference
- Stories about People with Disabilities Working in the Community
Announcements:
Archives: October's Grassroots Group meeting on transportation
Recording and handouts for October's presentation on transportation are now available. During the meeting, Safee Broxton from the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council presented on Florida's transportation voucher pilot program. Safee provided findings on outcomes and also examples of individuals with disability who utilized the vouchers. Ashley Wolfe, from the ICI, introduced our new transportation video (see below!)
New Explore Work Curriculum Video: Lucy & Transportation
Lesson 3: Getting Employment Help from State Agencies
All workers need to pay attention to transportation. Getting a job is great, but if you can’t get to the job, it’s a problem. Unless you have a driver’s license and a car, you need to do some planning. Watch our video about Lucy's transportation problem and possible solutions [link to video].
New Resources: Fast Facts about Employment for People with Disabilities in Florida
Factsheet 1 looks at data from Florida’s Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD). APD supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live, learn, and work in their neighborhoods and communities. Click here to view and download the document.
Factsheet 2 looks at data from the American Community Survey and the amount of people working. Click here to view and download the document.
Florida Self-Advocacy Central: An Online Bridge Connecting Self-Advocates
Members of FL SAND (Florida Self-Advocates Network’D), a statewide network of local self-advocacy groups, wanted to develop a website for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), service professionals, and family members. They created FSACentral.org as a news hub. The site features information and resources to improve the quality of life of people with IDD, as well as policy development updates and advocacy talking points. Self-advocates can use FSACentral to become informed, educated, and motivated to make change, whether or not they are members of FL SAND. The site is useful for all Floridians with IDD and those who support them, whether or not they have a local support network. Read more.
July 18 Employment First Grassroots Group
The July 18 online meeting provided and overview of the new Explore Work curriculum. If you have any questions about the curriculum, please contact either one of them at ashley.wolfe@umb.edu or allison.hall@umb.edu.
Important links:
Online meeting recording
Explore Work curriculum
Handouts and other information
The next Grassroots Group meeting is scheduled for October 17 meeting. Registration will be available in September.
New Explore Work Curriculum Video Lesson 4: Advocating for accommodations
Accommodations are changes made to the job so that a person with a disability can have access to everything he or she needs to do the job well. Once you have a job, you may have to ask your employer for the accommodations you would need so that you can do the job effectively. So it is up to you to advocate for yourself. Watch our video to learn how Jen asked for accomodations .
Notice of Opportunity to Apply to Participate as a Pilot Site: 12-month project
Application Deadline: May 5, 2017
Participate in the Employment First Florida Interagency Collaborative Team Pilots! The application makes local entities eligible for selection as an Employment First Florida Interagency Collaborative Team Pilot Site. Pilot sites will receive technical assistance and mentoring to support local level interagency partners. We encourage applications from collaborative groups in a common geographic area. The applicants should describe and define the geographic area (i.e. region, county, metropolitan areas, or another local geographic descriptor) that their Collaborative Team will serve. Learn about the project background and download the application now. The pilots are operated by the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston (ICI) and funded by the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council (FDDC).
Human Resource Management (HRM) division of the Florida Department of Management Services
HRM provides human resource programs and services that attract, develop, retain, and reward a high-performance workforce. Among their activities, HRM offers training, roundtable discussions, and other resources that assist state agencies recruit and retain individuals with disabilities. Read about more about their programs.
Employment First Messaging Video
As part of Florida's collaborative Employment First efforts, the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council developed the Employment First Messaging Video. The video features leaders from each Employment First partner agency discussing the impact of Employment First. >