Our fourth annual Transition Summit, which this year focused on the topic of employment, was held on Saturday, April 14, at the Hoffman Estates Village Hall. We had a great turnout again this year, which speaks to the level of interest in employment options for young adults with disabilities.
We kicked off the event with international speaker and consultant, Dale DiLeo. Dale is a well-known advocate for people with disabilities and has provided training for over 150,000 people throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe. He is the Past President of the Board of the Association for Persons in Supported Employment (APSE) and is the lead author of that organization’s highly respected Ethical Guidelines in Supported Employment. Among his many publications, his book, Raymond’s Room, focuses on ending the shameful segregation of people with disabilities in community life. Dale is the President of Training Resource Network in Saint Augustine, Florida, where he provides training and technical assistance to families, non-profit agencies, and state governments on disability policy and service delivery. His specialties include Supported Employment, Supported Living, Person-Centered Planning, and School-to-Work Transition.
Dale’s keynote address, A Quality Life After School Ends: Adult Living and Career Paths for Transition, talked about the working history of people with disabilities, traditional vs. modern employment models, systematic segregation and the “readiness” barrier, portfolios and visual resumes, phases of supported employment, and most importantly, the fact that all people are employable with an appropriate job match and support. We all share a commonality in terms of quality of life: a home of our own, a job we enjoy, friends and family, a time for fun and recreation, and a place in our community. Video of Dale’s presentation can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/rNMi3NFJuh0
Our second speaker was Ron Mulvaney. Ron is the Program Director for the Illinois Assistive Technology Program-Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (IATP-WIPA), which covers 102 counties in Illinois. WIPA is a grant-funded program through the Social Security Administration whose mission is to offer the correct information concerning Social Security Work Incentives, options available to maintain healthcare while working, and the impact of employment upon other public benefits, both state and federal.
Ron discussed the two Social Security Administration disability programs, SSI (Supplemental Security Income) and SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance), and how working impacts each of them. He talked about the Student Earned Income Exclusion, which allows those in school to earn up to $7350 a year without affecting their benefits, and a Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) which allows SSI recipients to set aside income for a specific work goal. Medicare and Health Benefits for Workers with Disabilities (HBWD) were also covered along with Ticket to Work which provides job seekers with free employment services through the Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) or Employment Networks. More information regarding WIPA can be found at https://www.ssa.gov/work/WIPA.html and Ron can be reached at rmulvaney@iltech.org.
Our next presentation was an overview of the Department of Human Services, Division of Rehabilitation Services (DHS/DRS). Louis Hamer, Bureau Chief, Field Services, and Cynthia Lilburn, the Rehabilitation Services Supervisor for the Arlington Height Office, discussed the DRS mission and the location of field offices. The Bureau of Field Services aims to assist persons with disabilities in achieving independent living, self-sufficiency and employment. An overview of the vocational rehabilitation process (Application, Certification, Services, and Placement) along with eligibility requirements were presented. Information about the Bureau of Home Services, Bureau of Blind Services, the Client Assistance Program (CAP) and Centers for Independent Living (CIL) was also shared. A large amount of time was also spent answering questions from Summit attendees.
Our final presentation of the day was a panel discussion featuring area employers of young adults with disabilities: Derek Hanley, Tim Engstrom, and Mike Seebacher.
Derek Hanley is the owner of Peggy Kinnane’s in Arlington Heights, and the recipient of the 2017 Disability Employment Awareness Award from the Arlington Heights Commission for Citizens with Disabilities. Via video, Derek shared that he believes that “creating a more inclusive workplace not only makes us stronger, we feel it makes our community stronger as well”. Derek is proud to employ citizens with disabilities and to encourage other business owners to do the same. Every day you can find an employee with a disability working at Peggy Kinnane’s. Derek’s presentation can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKxQO4TBlW4
Tim Engstrom is Head of Supply Chain & Logistics for LA-CO Industries based in Elk Grove Village and an adjunct professor at Elmhurst College’s Supply Chain Management master’s program. Each year he mentors a group of graduate students in implementing a capstone project and it is here that the idea of creating The H.O.P.E Handbook – A Guide for Disability Hiring, was born, looking to solve staffing challenges by employing adults with disabilities. A video talking about the hiring program at LA-CO can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-ui2GDuLAU
Mike Seebacher has been a member of the Palatine Police Department since 1988 and is currently the Deputy Chief of Police. Mike talked about the department’s experiences hiring their first employee with a disability and how what started as a work training experience blossomed into paid employment. Mike’s insights fully support our belief that if the job is a good fit, the employee will be a valuable and welcome addition to the work place.
Videos from this event will be posted to YouTube as they become available. As mentioned above, Dale DiLeo’s presentation has already been posted at: https://youtu.be/rNMi3NFJuh0
Copies of the PowerPoints from this event are available by request, just email us at ConnectToCommunityInc@gmail.com.
This event would not have been possible without the support of the following:
- Event Co-Sponsor, the Hoffman Estates Commission for Disabled Citizens, provides our fantastic venue, morning refreshments, tech support, and helps cover speaker expenses
- Event Co-Sponsor, the Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization (NSSEO), prints all our seminar materials and helps cover speaker expenses
- Palatine Township, who provides grant funding in support of Connect to Community’s Educational Outreach series
- The Village of Hoffman Estates
- Michelle Pilafas
- Photographer Mona Morrison and Videographer Ric Signorella
- Volunteers Ali Barr and Karlee Darow
Thank you to all for another successful event. See you next year!
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