Youth With Disabilities WIB Survey

Survey of Workforce Investment Act Services Provided to Youth with Disabilities

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Introduction

The U. S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) seeks a more comprehensive understanding of practices that local workforce investment areas and their youth service providers have in place to service youth with disabilities. In particular, a study is being conducted to help policy makers and practitioners use and adopt the recommendations issued in Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL), No. 31-10, “Increasing Enrollment and Improving Services to Youth with Disabilities.”) The Survey of Workforce Investment Act Services Provided to Youth with Disabilities is one component of the study and will be used to gather information that may improve services for the clients of the public workforce investment system.

If you have any questions as you complete this online questionnaire, please contact the Solutions Desk ([email protected]) or call the Solutions Desk at (888) 239-7718 (toll-free).

For general information about the youth with disabilities study, please contact Gloria Salas-Kos, at the United States Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, at 1-202-693-3596 or [email protected].

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such a collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1205-0436. Participation in this information collection is voluntary; however this is the single point of data for each LWIA. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 50 minutes per response, including the time to review instruction, search existing data resources, gather the data needed and complete and review the information collection. Any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate or suggestions for improving this form should be submitted in writing to the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Policy Development and Research, Room N-5641, Washington, D.C. 20210.

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Instructions

Local Workforce Investment Board (LWIB) Executive Directors have one month to complete the survey. By [the deadline to be determined once the survey is sent out] 2012, please complete and submit this survey.

This survey should be completed by the individual(s) in your organization with the most knowledge about (a) state and local workforce policies and (b) your Workforce Investment Act services for youth with disabilities. We understand that as the Executive Director, you might not have the specific knowledge to respond to all of the questions. We do ask that you answer the questions that you can so that the study can benefit from your “big picture” perspective. Please then forward the survey link to your staff member(s) best suited to answer the remaining survey questions. Multiple staff can access and complete the survey. Please note that we do not expect you to do extensive research to complete the survey. We ask that you answer the questions based on your understanding of your Workforce Investment Act services for youth with disabilities in your community. When answering the survey questions, use the most recent full program year (July 1, 2011 - June 30, 2012) as the frame of reference.

To ensure confidential access to and completion of the survey, each LWIB Executive Director was sent an email with a personalized link to the survey. The web address you were sent is linked to your specific Local Workforce Investment Area (LWIA) and can be shared with staff if they are assisting with the survey. However, the link should not be shared outside of your LWIA.

The survey is estimated to take 40-60 minutes to complete, but completion time may vary from agency to agency. To review the entire survey before beginning, please use the button below ("Review Responses") to access a printable version of the survey.

In addition to contact information and individuals or data sources used to complete this survey, LWIB Executive Directors will respond to seven sections in this survey about current practices related to:

• Services to Youth with Disabilities: General questions about the characteristics of youth with disabilities and the types of organizations that provide services for youth with disabilities.

• Organizational Emphasis on Serving Youth with Disabilities: Questions about the organizational emphasis on and use of resources for serving youth with disabilities.

• Partnerships and Integration of Resources: Questions about the structure of partnerships for recruiting, assessing and serving youth with disabilities; procuring, lending, and braiding resources; and potential barriers for partnerships and leveraging funds.

• Use of Customized Assessment Tools: Questions about how the disability status of youth is identified, what customized assessment tools are used, and the kinds of accommodations provided.

• Work Experience and Employment Opportunities: Questions about employment-related services and employment opportunity for youth with disabilities are asked.

• Community Service Opportunities: These questions ask about the access to and the percentage of youth with disabilities engaged in community service.

• Staff Development and Training: The questions in this section relate to staff capacity-building efforts in the local area.

To navigate through the survey, use the navigation buttons at the bottom of each page of the survey. Do not use the browsers' navigation buttons. If, while working on the survey, you are unable to navigate to the next page, please make sure that all the required questions are answered. A required question that is not answered when the "Next" button is clicked will have a pink bar above it to indicate that the question must be answered to proceed to the next page.

The survey can be completed over multiple sessions. To complete the survey at a later time, please use the "Save and continue later" button at the bottom of each page. Your responses will be saved and you will be reminded of the web link that can be used to resume the survey. To complete the survey, use either that link or the one provided in your original email.

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Instructions (Continued)

Abt Associates may require clarification or additional information regarding your responses. Please provide your contact information below:

Name: _________________________________________________________________

Title: __________________________________________________________________

Organization: ___________________________________________________________

E-mail: ________________________________________________________________

If needed, survey respondents should consult with other staff or data sources within their LWIA in order to complete all questions.

Please identify the individuals or data source(s) you consulted to complete this survey (you will have the opportunity to confirm or update this information at the end of the survey):

Individual(s) (name, title, and organization):

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Data source(s): __________________________________________________________________________

Please send any inquiries, comments or questions to the Solutions Desk at Abt Associates or call the Solutions Desk at (888) 239-7718 (toll free).

Persons are not required to respond to this collection of information unless this survey displays a currently valid OMB control number (OMB 1205-0436, expires 11/30/2013). Participation in this collection of information is voluntary. Public reporting burden is estimated to average 50 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate to U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Policy Development and Research, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210.

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TERMS USED IN THIS SURVEY

Please review the following terms that are used throughout this survey. These terms are included as a reference for this survey only. Click the button to the right to print these terms for reference to the survey questions, as needed.

• Accommodations: Accommodations are changes to standard procedures made in order to enable people with disabilities to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. Accommodations are not designed to lower expectations for performance in school or work; rather, they are designed to ensure equitable access.

• American Job Centers: Federally-funded career or workforce centers that provide a full range of assistance to job seekers free of charge. The staff at these centers helps people with training referrals, career counseling, job listings, and other employment related services. Please note, One-Stop Career Centers were recently renamed American Job Centers.

• Blending funds: Blending occurs when two or more different fund sources are used to pay for a similar activity.  For example, two or more programs with different purposes have an overlap in allowable services. A memorandum of understanding, cost allocation plan, regular communication, or meetings are used to reach agreement on how to pay for the activity.  Under these types of agreements, an activity may be jointly funded by the partners to benefit two programs or more with cost allocated on a proportional basis back to each program.

• Braiding funds: Braiding occurs when two or more fund sources are used to pay for different but complementary activities. For example, two or more programs with different purposes and either similar or distinct activities agree on a complementary approach to pay for the activities.  Memorandums of understanding, regular communication, or meetings are used to reach agreement on how to pay for the complementary activities.  The participant receives a larger array of services without knowing how each activity is funded.

• Career planning/career exploration: The process, by which an individual learns about his/her employment, identifies and explores potentially satisfying occupations, and develops an effective strategy to realize their goals.

• Community Service: Voluntary, unpaid work intended to help people in a particular career area.

• Disability Action Advisory Committee (DAC): An intra-agency or inter-agency entity which serves as a means to regularly communicate, problem solve, and work together to improve employment outcomes of youth with disabilities. A DAC’s focus is to build a support system at the local, regional, or American Job Center level. A DAC also is effective for expanding the capacity of the service delivery system to serve youth with disabilities.

• Disability Program Navigator: A staff position in an American Job Center who facilitates, coordinates and ensures various services, programs, and employment opportunities for people with disabilities. This position’s successor is the Disability Resource Coordinator.

• Disability Task Force: A group which assists individuals with disabilities at American Job Centers. It oversees access to services by American Job Center system providers, including vocational rehabilitation providers. The Disability Task Force’s mission is to assist individuals with disabilities in attaining full inclusion in society, employment opportunities, and economic independence as a result of services within the American Job Center system.

• Eligibility for Workforce Investment Act (WIA) youth services: To qualify for WIA youth services, an individual must be between the ages of 14 and 21, low income, and meet at least one barrier to employment. Barriers include being a school dropout, basic skills deficient, pregnant or parenting, homeless, runaway or foster child, offenders, and an individual who requires additional assistance to complete an educational program, or to secure and hold employment.

• Integrated resource team: A team comprised of representatives from different agencies and service systems coordinate services and leverage funding to meet the employment needs of an individual job seeker with a disability.

• Job shadowing: Occurs when an employer provides opportunities that allow an individual to learn certain functions under the close and constant supervision of regular employees. The individual in a job shadowing position performs no or minimal work.

• Local Workforce Investment Area: A geographic area in which workforce activities are administered locally by a Workforce Investment Board (WIB). A local area is designated by the Governor taking into consideration factors, such as, labor market areas and the area served by local educational agencies.

• On the job training: Occurs when training by an employer is provided to a paid participant while the participant is engaged in productive work that provides knowledge and skills for the job; the employer is reimbursed for a portion of the wages of the participant; and the training is limited in duration as appropriate to the occupation and prior work experience of the participant.

• Out-of-school youth: An eligible youth who is a school dropout or has received a secondary school diploma or its equivalent but is basic skills deficient, unemployed, or underemployed.

• Paid Work Experience: A paid career preparation activity in which students are at a worksite performing assigned work duties and held to the same expectations as other employees in similar positions. These experiences range from regular, paid employment to subsidized employment and learning-rich work experience.

• Post-secondary institutions: Any place that offers education beyond the high school level. These include public and private colleges and universities, professional schools, community colleges, and technical, career and vocational schools.

• Secondary and/or alternative schools: Secondary schools include middle and high schools. Alternative schools are middle or high schools that use nontraditional means of teaching and are often for students who have not succeeded in traditional schools.

• Summer job: Employment that lasts for the two to three months when students are out of school, typically during the months of June through August.

• Training and Employment Guidance Letter: Policy guidance issued and disseminated by the Department of Labor to help instruct and support agencies and grantees on programs funded through the Employment and Training Administration.

• Universal design: A strategy for providing inclusive access and services that benefit job seekers with a wide range of learning styles, languages, educational levels, intelligences, and abilities.

• Unpaid work experience Occurs when an individual is assigned work activities and does not receive monetary compensation for working at an organization. Unpaid work experience is assigned to enhance or improve individual knowledge, skills, and abilities for certain types of occupations.

• Work in a community service setting: Employment or volunteer work in a non-profit business environment that helps people and community organizations.

1. Services to Youth with Disabilities

This section focuses on the general characteristics of and services provided for youth with disabilities in your Local Workforce Investment Area. Please use the most recent full program year ending on June 30, 2012 as a reference for all of the questions in this survey.

1. Thinking about all of the youth you serve, estimate the percentage that have the following disability (consider both disclosed and un-disclosed):*

• Physical [ESTIMATED PERCENTAGE]

• Sensory (blind/deaf) [ESTIMATED PERCENTAGE]

• Cognitive/Learning [ESTIMATED PERCENTAGE]

• Mental health [ESTIMATED PERCENTAGE]

• Other disability or disabilities [ESTIMATED PERCENTAGE]

*Note that if an individual has multiple disabilities, he/she can be counted more than once

2. Estimate the percentage of all youth you serve that have an undisclosed disability. [ESTIMATED PERCENTAGE]

3) This question is designed to learn more about the organizations that provide services for youth in your area. Please distribute your Local Workforce Investment Area’s youth provider(s) and American Job Center(s) across the following four categories that describe their focus on serving youth with disabilities.

	Number of Youth Service Provider(s)	Number of American Job Center(s)
Organizations that only serve youth with disabilities	[NUMBER]	[NUMBER]
Organizations that mostly serve youth with disabilities	[NUMBER]	[NUMBER]
Organizations that serve some youth with disabilities; but youth with disabilities represent less than half of the youth customers served	[NUMBER]	[NUMBER]
Organizations that do not serve youth with disabilities	[NUMBER]	[NUMBER]

4. [Programming note: If the numbers entered in the categories B, or C = > 1 in either youth service provider or American Job Center categories]

How would you broadly characterize the services provided to youth with disabilities? Check all that apply.

• Integrated into services provided for all youth

• Some special programming exists for youth with disabilities

• All/most services for youth with disabilities are provided separately

2. Organizational Emphasis on Serving Youth with Disabilities

This set of questions asks about your organization’s emphasis on serving youth with disabilities. Please use the most recent program year ending on June 30, 2012 as a reference for all of the questions in this survey unless otherwise instructed (for example in question 8 in this section).

4. Which of the following statements best characterizes the philosophy in your local workforce investment area with respect to serving youth with disabilities?

• Youth with disabilities are a natural component of our larger youth population and we generally do not make the distinction when delivering services.

• Youth with disabilities are a unique service population that requires proactive targeting and customization of program resources

4. Does your organization make use of any of the following resources to ensure that youth with disabilities are effectively served in your local workforce investment area? Check all that apply.

• Workforce Board member appointed to represent the disability community

• Disability Action Advisory Committee or Subcommittee

• Disability Program Navigator

• Disability Resource Coordinator

• Disability Task Force

• Youth Council with an appointed youth with disabilities member

• Integrated Resource Team

• None of the above

• Other ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Does your Local Workforce Investment Board use any of the following practices to encourage your youth service provider(s) and American Job Center(s) to serve youth with disabilities under Workforce Investment Act funding? Check all that apply.

• Service quotas or targets

• Additional consideration in response to target population or proposed services criteria when awarding contracts

• Negotiation of performance measures

• Explicit language in Requests for Proposals for service providers that reflects the Local Workforce Investment Area’s emphasis on serving youth with disabilities

• Targeted marketing or outreach efforts to recruit youth with disabilities

• Targeted marketing or outreach efforts to recruit out-of-school youth with disabilities

4. Using a five point scale where 1 is no barrier and 5 is a significant barrier, what are the potential barriers to providing services to youth with disabilities in your local workforce investment area?

	1 No barrier	2	3	4	5 Significant barrier
Cost associated with disability assessments
Identifying eligible youth with disabilities to serve
Meeting Workforce Investment Act performance measures
Obtaining the necessary assistive technologies or specialized equipment
Identifying service providers with the necessary capacity and experience
Providing needed breadth and intensity of services available with Workforce Investment Act funding
Establishing partnerships with necessary community stakeholders
Fulfilling program accessibility requirements
Participant non-disclosure of disability or disabilities
Other (Specify)

4. Does the design of the services provided in your Local Workforce Investment Area by the youth service provider(s) or American Job Center(s) consistently incorporate any of the following elements of universal design? Check all that apply.

• Equitable Use - The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities;

• Flexibility in Use - The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities

• Simple and Intuitive - The design is easy to understand, regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration levels;

• Perceptible Information - The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user’s sensory abilities;

• Tolerance for Error - The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions;

• Low Physical Effort - The design can be used efficiently and comfortably, with a minimum of fatigue;

• Size and Space for Approach and Use - Appropriate size and spaces are provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of the user’s body size, posture, or mobility

3. Partnerships and Integration of Resources

Questions in this section refer to partnerships with other organizations associated with the services provided under Workforce Investment Act to youth with disabilities. Please use the most recent program year ending on June 30, 2012 as a reference for all of the questions in this survey.

4. Has your Local Workforce Investment Board established a working partnership with any of the following organizations in order to recruit, assess, serve and or place youth with disabilities? Check all that apply.

• Secondary and/or alternative schools

• Post-secondary institutions

• Vocational rehabilitation

• Juvenile justice agencies

• Transportation providers (local or federal)

• Human Service agencies

• Mental Health providers

• Social Security offices

• Adult education providers

• Community based organizations

4. Has your Local Workforce Investment Board procured services for youth with disabilities by blending or braiding resources from other agencies and/or organizations?

• Yes

• No

4. If you blend or braid resources, please list the funding resources that have been blended or braided: ___________________________________________________

4. Using a five point scale where 1 is no barrier and 5 is a significant barrier, how would you rate the following factors as potential barriers to forming partnerships that leverage funding or services to better serve youth with disabilities?

	1 No barrier	2	3	4	5 Significant barrier
Different reporting requirements/schedules
Different service delivery locations
Different performance measure systems
Use of different definitions of disability
Different eligibility criteria
Order of selection or priority of service (for Vocational Rehabilitation)
Issues related to customer confidentiality
Lack of staff time
Lack of transportation for youth with disabilities
Program accessibility for youth with disabilities
Lack of available accommodations at partner organization
Other:_______________________
Other: ______________________

4. Use of Customized Assessment Tools

This section focuses on assessments and the provision of accommodations during the assessment process. Please use the most recent program year ending on June 30, 2012 as a reference for all of the questions in this survey.

4. How is the disability status of your youth customers identified? Check all that apply.

• Through referral source

• Through students’ Individual Education Program from school

• Through self-identification

• Through assessments given to all youth customers seeking services

• Through assessments given to selected youth customers based on staff judgment

• Through a central case management database used across social service programs in your area

• Other ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Do the youth service provider(s) or American Job Center(s) in your area use any customized assessment tools (e.g. aptitude, interest, skills) if a youth is identified as having a disability?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

4. Do the youth service provider(s) or American Job Center(s) in your area incorporate any of the following accommodations in conducting assessments (e.g. aptitude, interest, skills)? Check all that apply.

• Allow extra time to complete assessments

• Allow for more frequent breaks

• Ensure a quiet test environment

• Provide multiple options for ways to respond (verbal, written, etc.)

• Conduct one-on-one interview

• Develop a portfolio assessment

• Selection among alternative assessments depending on the client’s individual needs

• Use assistive technology

• None

• Other (please describe)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Work Experience and Employment Opportunities

This section gathers information on employment related services provided to youth with disabilities. Please use the most recent program year ending on June 30, 2012 as a reference for all of the questions in this survey.

4. Thinking about your American Job Center(s) and youth service provider(s) as a group, how would you characterize the mix of services they offer to youth with disabilities compared to the total youth population? Use a four point scale where 1 is the service is provided more for youth with disabilities, 2 is the service is provided the same for youth with disabilities, 3 is the service is provided less for youth with disabilities, and 4 is the service is not provided to youth with disabilities.

	1 More for youth with disabilities	2 Same for youth with disabilities	3 Less for youth with disabilities	4 Not provided for youth with disabilities
Career planning/career exploration
Job shadowing
Paid work experience (e.g. a transitional or supported work job)
On the job training
Summer jobs
Unpaid work experience (e.g., internship)
Work in a community service setting

4. Either directly or through the youth service provider(s) or American Job Center(s), has your Local Workforce Investment Board addressed the following topics during training to employers to promote work experience and employment opportunities for youth with disabilities? Check all that apply.

• Sensitivity training

• Misconceptions about hiring youth with disabilities

• Learning how to prepare job postings that don’t exclude those with disabilities

• Introduction to basic assistive technologies

• Available tax credits for hiring youth with disabilities

• Universal design

• Accommodations

• Other (please specify) _____________________

4. Using a five point scale where 1 is no barrier and 5 is a significant barrier, what barriers (if any) has your Local Workforce Investment Board encountered in encouraging employers to hire youth with disabilities?

   	1 No barrier	2	3	4	5 Significant barrier
   Perceptions of lacking necessary knowledge, skills or abilities
   Perceptions of having lower productivity
   Perceptions of requiring additional resources
   Concerns about co-worker reaction
   Concerns about customer reaction
   Economic incentives are insufficient or not well-known
   Accessibility

5. How frequently are youth with disabilities co-enrolled in the adult and youth Workforce Investment Act programs?

• Less than 10% of youth with disabilities are co-enrolled in the adult and youth Workforce Investment Act programs

• 10-25% of youth with disabilities are co-enrolled in the adult and youth Workforce Investment Act programs

• More than 25% of youth with disabilities are co-enrolled in the adult and youth Workforce Investment Act programs

• Don’t know

6. Community Service Opportunities

Questions in this section ask about community service opportunities for youth with disabilities. Please use the most recent program year ending on June 30, 2012 as a reference for all of the questions in this survey.

4. Do youth with disabilities have access to community service opportunities through the service providers in your Local Workforce Investment Area?

• Yes, for all

• Yes, for some

• No, sufficient opportunities are not available

• Don’t know

4. Are these opportunities:

• Targeted specifically to youth with disabilities

• Integrated into other broader community service opportunities for youth

• Don’t know

4. What is the percentage of youth with disabilities that engaged in community service opportunities through service providers in your Local Workforce Investment Area?

• 0-33%

• 34-66%

• 67-100%

7. Staff Development and Training

Questions in this section ask about your staff capacity building for serving youth with disabilities. Please use the most recent program year ending on June 30, 2012 as a reference for all of the questions in this survey.

4. Has your Local Workforce Investment Board offered any type of training or professional development to staff in order to help them serve youth with disabilities?

• Yes, to Local Workforce Investment Board staff

• Yes, to youth service provider(s) and/or American Job Center(s) staff

• No, we did not offer training or professional development

4. Based on your experience, in which of the following areas would you like to see your youth service provider(s) and American Job Center(s) strengthen their professional capabilities better serve youth with disabilities that covers? Check all that apply.

• Disclosure procedures

• Accommodations (in the workplace or at providers)

• Federal, state and local disabilities policies and programs

• Building and maintaining partnerships

• Leveraging funding sources

• Other

• Staff would not benefit from additional training

4. What organization(s) do you think should be responsible for providing that additional training? Check all that apply.

• The State Workforce Investment Board

• Other local agencies (e.g., schools, community/advocacy organization)

• Other state agencies(e.g., social services, education)

• US Department of Labor (through regional offices)

• US Department of Labor (nationally)

• Other organizations (please specify) __________________________________

4. On June 13, 2011, the Department of Labor issued Training and Employment Guidance Letter 31-10 which intended to provide information and resources for Local Workforce Investment Areas to improve their capacity to serve youth with disabilities. Based on the information provided in the Training and Employment Guidance Letter, have you made any changes to improve the capacity of your Local Workforce Investment Area to serve youth with disabilities?

• Yes (please describe) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• No, not yet but are planning to make changes (please describe planned changes)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• No

• I was not aware of this Training and Employment Guidance Letter before receiving this survey.

Thank you for completing this survey.