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Three-Part Webinar Series: AJC Certification & Section 188: A Window of Opportunity to Impact Equal Opportunity Policy & Practice for People with Disabilities

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LEAD Center has joined forces with the Disability Employment Initiative (DEI) to host a three-part webinar series on AJC Certification & Section 188: A Window of Opportunity to Impact Equal Opportunity Policy & Practice for People with Disabilities. The overall objective is to increase foundational knowledge of the intersection between Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) disability-related provisions, Section 188 Equal Opportunity regulations and American Job Center (AJC) Certification, especially related to programmatic accessibility. Participants in the series are learning about the need to update and align State/local Section 188 compliance procedures and AJC Certification processes to reflect the expanded role of AJC Core Partners under WIOA. The series also offers participants the opportunity to learn about replicable strategies and action steps from multiple States to support effective AJC Certification processes, with Section 188 as the framework. Finally, attendees will learn about key roles of cross-systems partners in Section 188 and AJC Certification, including Equal Opportunity Officers and Vocational Rehabilitation.

The three-part webinar series kicked off on March 7 with an overview of disability-related provisions in WIOA. Section 188 was highlighted as the framework for expanding access to individuals with disabilities, especially as it relates to the AJC Certification. The webinar highlights the expanded roles of WIOA Core Partners (Title I, II, III, and IV) in complying with WIOA provisions as a part of their shared responsibility for administering aspects of AJC service delivery. Participants also learned about critical resources and key partners that play a major role in supporting the workforce system to evaluate and improve programmatic access, leading to employment outcomes of individuals with disabilities. Access a recording of the Part I webinar, WIOA from a Disability Perspective & Section 188: A Powerful Foundation for Access.

Part II of the webinar series, State Workforce Systems that Are Making Equal Opportunity a Priority: Missouri, Virginia, California, will take place on April 4. Presenters from the three States will share their motivations, strategies, challenges, and actions in implementing effective AJC Certification procedures. Missouri’s commitment to Section 188 implementation is emphasized through the State’s increased funding, strengthened partnerships, and statewide training efforts, all designed to ensure equal opportunities for all customers. Virginia’s diverse, action-oriented WIOA taskforce is influencing policy, clarifying roles of partners, and leveraging promising practices from the State’s DEI to improve programmatic access and outcomes for individuals with disabilities. Finally, California is employing two levels of AJC Certification that motivate AJCs to more strategically evaluate programmatic accessibility and develop continuous improvement plans that demonstrate ongoing priorities and progress. Register for the April 4 webinar.

The final webinar in the series, Achieving 188 Compliance& AJC Certification: Key Strategies & Actions from Policy to Procedures, will take place on April 30 from 3:00-4:00 EDT. It will offer a snapshot of the foundation set by WIOA’s disability-related provisions and Section 188. Themost impactful strategies across all three States will be highlighted, including which partnershave been essential to each region’s Section 188 implementation and AJC Certification. Action steps will be identified to help States assess where they fall along the spectrum of implementing Section 188 as a part of AJC Certification, as well as the steps they may take to improve physical and programmatic accessibility, build partnerships, and increase employment outcomes of individuals with disabilities. Register for the April 30 webinar.

All LEAD Center webinars are captioned and presentation materials are sent to participants in advance of the webinar. For any other reasonable accommodation requests, please contact Aramide Awosika at aawosika@ndi-inc.org.