Employment First Florida Staff Individuals and Families

Are you worried about losing benefit payments?

Two type of benefits that people with disabilities may receive are Supplemental Security Income (called SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (called SSDI). Both programs have rules that let you try working without worrying about losing your benefit payments. There are a lot of resources to help you figure out what benefits you may still need once you are working. It is important that you talk to someone that can get to know you and your individual situation. Below are important resources.

What You Need to Know About Your Supplemental Security Income (SSI) When You Turn 18 [PDF]
Work Incentives – General Information
Disability Benefits 101

Employment First Florida Staff Interviews, Job Stories, Videos

Self-Advocates: Chris & Christina

Chris & Christina shared thoughts on employment, marriage, and self-advocacy at the 2019 Florida Self-Advocates Network’D conference in Orlando.

Chris, an employee at Home Depot, speaks about a recent recognition he received for providing excellent costumer service. Christina is a secretary at the Conklin Center for the Blind. She talks about the accommodations they provide to her to make her job easier. They are both part of a self-advocacy group from East Volusia.

Employment First Florida Staff Agency Profiles

Division of Blind Services: Employment Placement Specialists and Counselors Meeting Regularly to Improve Employment Services

Each person served by Florida’s Division of Blind Services (DBS) works with a counselor to determine how much assistance the individual needs, and which supports and services are best for their life. Counselors have helped many DBS clients adapt to living with blindness or visual impairment and regain confidence in their abilities.

Continue reading “Division of Blind Services: Employment Placement Specialists and Counselors Meeting Regularly to Improve Employment Services” →
Employment First Florida Staff Presentations, Videos

October 2019: What does it mean to become an Employment First provider?

Provider agencies across the country are transforming to support jobs in the community for people with disabilities. This process of organizational transformation can be both exciting and challenging for provider staff and the people they serve. Jaimie Timmons and Oliver Lyons, ICI, provide joined us to help participants gain insight into the benefits of provider transformation and the work done by members of the ARC network through their membership in the Provider Transformation Network, a project of the Institute for Community Inclusion.
Watch the presentation recording.

Employment First Florida Staff Presentations, Videos

July 2019: Developing a Vision of a Good Life

On July 30, Crystal Bell, a certified trainer of  Charting the LifeCourse Framework, spoke about the Framework and the roles everyone can play in supporting employment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It is a set of tools created by families to help individuals of all ages and their families develop a vision for a good life, think about what they need to know and do, identify how to find or develop supports, and discover what it takes to live the lives they want to live. Self-advocate Ashley Wolfe, shared her thoughts about a quality life in a short video and participated in some Q&A to audience members.
Watch the presentation recording.

Employment First Florida Staff Job Stories

Fernando, guest operations host at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Fernando is thrilled with his new job as a guest operations host at the aquarium, but it was a difficult journey getting there. Fernando has vision problems due to a head injury, and he was having trouble finding a job because of it. He came to vocational rehabilitation (VR), a state agency that helps people with disabilities get or keep a job, to see if they could help.

Continuing reading Fernando’s story on the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation website.

Employment First Florida Staff Agency Profiles

Broward Behavioral Health Coalition: Raising the employment rate for people with mental health challenges

Individuals with a mental health or substance abuse diagnosis often struggle to obtain and maintain employment. Florida, like most states, has a high unemployment rate for people with mental illness. State agencies in Florida are working together to address this problem through state and local-level agency partnerships. The Broward Behavioral Health Coalition (BBHC) is working with state and local partners at the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) under the Department of Education, and the Department of Children and Families (DCF) Substance Abuse and Mental Health (SAMH) office. Continue reading “Broward Behavioral Health Coalition: Raising the employment rate for people with mental health challenges” →

Employment First Florida Staff Agency Profiles

Nassau County Schools & the Council on Aging: Supporting Independent Travel to Work

Travel to work is one of the most challenging barriers faced by Floridians with disabilities. To help overcome this obstacle, administrators in the Nassau County public schools are supporting students with significant disabilities to learn the skills they need to travel to their jobs. Collaborative discussions and planning with the local Council on Aging (COA) allowed the administrators to understand the issues, and to put supports in place to help students achieve maximum self-sufficiency in traveling.

Continue reading “Nassau County Schools & the Council on Aging: Supporting Independent Travel to Work” →
Employment First Florida Staff Presentations

April 2019: How to use Employment First Florida videos

On April 30, John Kramer from the Institute for Community Inclusion presented video clips of self-advocates talking about job creation and negotiation, career advancement, and returning to work after illness or dismissal. John shared tips and suggestions on ways to use the videos to educate and communicate the message of Employment First with individuals, families, support staff, and others.
Watch the presentation recording.