The Alternative State Application Program (ASAP) is a program designed to appoint qualified persons with disabilities to state jobs through an on-the-job examination period.”
Utah Executive Order 2007-0013: Model Employer for People with Disabilities
“Governor Jon M. Huntsman Jr., declares that, “Utah state government will strive to become the model employer of qualified people with disabilities…
Some programmatic components [of the executive order] include, a promotional outreach campaign to recruit qualified people with disabilities, specific programs within executive branch state agencies to recruit qualified people with disabilities, and a Task Force consisting of representatives of the Utah Department of Human Resource Management, the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation, The Governor’s Committee for Employment of People with Disabilities, the Department of Workforce Services, and the Division of Risk Management… [Agencies are] charged with reviewing and proposing additional strategies to put Utah state government on the cutting edge of employing qualified people with disabilities”
“This bill makes the pilot program for provision of supported employment services, contained in the Services to People With Disabilities Chapter of the Utah Human Services Code, into an ongoing program. The program is designed to assist individuals with the most significant disabilities to obtain and maintain competitive employment in integrated settings by providing extended services.”
Utah Benefit Offset National Demonstration (BOND)/ SSDI ‘1 for 2’ Project
“The goal of Utah’s pilot was to recruit 500 individuals who receive SSDI benefits only (not in combination with SSI) to be part of the pilot project. Participants were recruited from among SSDI-only beneficiaries who had recently been involved in one of several employment support programs in Utah. Recruitment sources for pilot participants included: The Utah Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach (BPAO) program, the Medicaid Disability program, the public Vocational Rehabilitation program, and selected employment programs administered by two community mental health agencies.”
“This bill: requires the Department of Workforce Services, the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation, and the Division of Services for People with Disabilities to, when providing services to a person with a disability, give priority to providing services that assist the person in obtaining and retaining meaningful and gainful employment; and requires the entities described in the preceding paragraph to: develop a written plan to implement the policy described in the preceding paragraph; and annually set goals to implement the policy and plan described in this bill, determine whether the goals for the previous year have been met, and modify the plan as needed.”
“The Achieving Success by Promoting Readiness for Education and Employment (ASPIRE) initiative is a project of the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation, on behalf of six western states: Arizona, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Utah. Awarded by the US Department of Education on October 1, 2013, this five-year, $32.5 million award targets enrollment of youth ages 14 to 16 who receive Supplemental Security Income and their families. Expected outcomes of this initiative include increased education and household income for the families, and reduced dependency on public benefits. ASPIRE is one of six PROMISE projects nationally funded by the US Department of Education.
The Policy Institute at the University of Utah leads formative evaluation activities for the six-state ASPIRE project. Other partners in the formative evaluation team are University of Kansas and University of Montana. The formative evaluation team provides monitoring and feedback to project staff to allow for adjustment and improvement of recruitment and enrollment procedures, training, service delivery, management, and reporting. The management information system that compiles and analyzes all operational data is housed at the University of Utah.”
“Supported Employment helps adults with disabilities obtain, maintain, and advance in competitive employment in integrated work settings paying minimum wage or more. These services are provided individually or in groups, with a job coach or co-worker supports. Supported employment is designed to be flexible enough to accommodate both the needs of the employer and the needs of the person. It can be arranged on a full or part time basis, during traditional or non-traditional workdays, or work hours and take place in settings where the person has the opportunity to work with co-workers who do not have intellectual disabilities.”
“The Supported Employment Transformation Project (SETP) uses the Individual Placement and Support evidence-based, supported employment model. A primary component of this project includes forming a multi-agency coordinating committee that will develop and implement a collaborative, sustainable funding initiative to expand and maintain robust, supported employment services in Utah. The project provides supported employment services to adults with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders. Two local mental health authorities across urban and rural communities coordinate these services.”
An Executive Director of a facility based day program and sheltered workshop in Utah discusses how the Lane v. Kitzhabersettlement, Olmstead, and CMS directives will impact his organization. The Executive Director says that the work his organization has done is "group work and is performed in a segregated environment…(and) does not reflect the individual desires and interactions with non-disabled peers outside of our centers that the law is not requiring. Customized Employment is stated as the new goal although it is recognized that "some individuals may not ever find successful employment in an integrated setting…but…the opportunity to at least try can and should be considered successful."
