“Your Dream, Your Team” Website - A Toolkit to Help Job Seekers with Disabilities
The new website was created as a result of the Disability Employment Initiative grant. The goal is to improve career pathways outcomes for youth with disabilities through career training, employment, and supportive services.
The Your Dream, Your Team website was developed as a resource to improve career exploration and employment for job seekers with disabilities, with an emphasis on outcomes for youth with disabilities (ages 14-24).
Your Dream, Your Team was developed by CDO Workforce, Hempstead Works, Tompkins County Workforce, and Change Impact with guidance from the DEI team at the New York State Department of Labor.
The website offers useful tools, guidance, forms, and other resources to support job seekers with disabilities and the individuals and organizations who support them, including community-based organizations, employment counselors, Disability Resource Coordinators, and parents who want to introduce their child to a career pathway and prepare them for a stable, long-term career.
The site also offers a variety of resources for businesses that are designed to help businesses learn how to be more inclusive and support employees with disabilities.
We invite you to explore the Your Dream, Your Team website!
We welcome your feedback to help us make improvements. Please share widely to help us get the word out about this valuable resource, and when possible please include a link to the Your Dream, Your Team on your website. We appreciate your help!
Check out: http://www.yourdreamyourteam.com
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Disclosing Your Disability Workshop
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In Demand Careers in Healthcare and manufacturing!
- Do you want to obtain the skills and credentials necessary to achieve living wage employment?
- Do you need assistance with paying for the training and credentials required to move up a career ladder?
- Can you benefit from on-going support and disability services resources including job placement, job retention, benefits counseling (Ticket to Work) and career guidance?
Developing your career shouldn’t be an insurmountable hurdle. If you have a disability, you already face daily challenges. But while the Americans with Disabilities Act protects you in many circumstances from workplace discrimination, protection doesn’t equal opportunity. And you may well be the first teacher an employer has in understanding how to accommodate a disability.
SEE CAREER PATHWAYS IN HEALTHCARE
CHENANGO COUNTY HEALTHCARE CAREERS INFORMATION SHEET (WORD Format) (PDF FORMAT)
DELAWARE COUNTY HEALTHCARE CAREERS INFORMATION SHEET (WORD Format) (PDF FORMAT)
OTSEGO COUNTY HEALTHCARE CAREERS INFORMATION SHEET (Word Format) (PDF FORMAT)
SEE CAREER PATHWAYS IN MANUFACTURING
CHENANGO COUNTY CAREERS IN MANUFACTURING (WORD Format) (PDF FORMAT)
DELAWARE COUNTY CAREERS IN MANUFACTURING (Word Format) (PDF FORMAT)
OTSEGO COUNTY CAREERS IN MANUFACTURING (Word Format) (PDF FORMAT)
Download the Career Pathways Worksheet
CDO Workforce Career System can help you. We can:
- Advise you on what questions a prospective employer can and cannot ask you about your disability.
- Suggest ways you can help an employer make your work station or situation meet your needs at minimal cost and effort to both of you.
- Suggest good interview techniques to help make sure your disability isn't an issue.
Please contact your nearest CDO Workforce Center for more information and assistance.
Disability Resource Coordinators (DRC) are available for benefit counseling and additional services.
Services for Youth with Disabilities
CDO Youth Program
CDO (Chenango-Delaware-Otsego) Youth program provides a comprehensive services that focus on assisting out-of-school youth with disabilities in the CDO area.
We provide services to help youth prepare for postsecondary education and employment opportunities, attain educational and/or skills training credentials, and secure employment with career/promotional opportunities.
To be eligible, out-of-school youth (OSY) must be between the ages of 16 to 24, not attending school, and have a disability OR have one or more barriers to employment.
Our Youth program has an emphasis on providing work experiences and career path exploration. Services include: alternative high school equivalency services; paid and unpaid work experiences, pre-apprenticeship programs, internships and job shadowing, and on-the-job training; occupational skill training; education offered concurrently with workforce preparation and training; leadership development opportunities; supportive services; mentoring; follow-up services; comprehensive guidance and counseling; financial literacy education; services that provide labor market and employment information; and postsecondary education and training preparation activities.
To learn more about our youth programs, please visit your nearest CDO Workforce Center.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.
CDO Workforce Work Incentive Practitioner Services
Work Incentive Practitioners provide confidential services to people with disabilities who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and/or Social Security Disability Income (SSDI). They educate beneficiaries on how employment will affect their public benefits such as SSI, SSDI, Medicare, Medicaid, subsidized housing and food stamps.
CDO Workforce Community Disability Resources
We have a comprehensive list of disability-related resources available in your county on our website. GO HERE and in the Community Resources section, select your County and then click Disability Related Resources.
Additional Resources
Office of Disability Employment Policy Guideposts for Success
Career Onestop
View the competencies and career pathways that are essential for workplace success.
The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and industry partners collaborate to develop career pathways and maintain dynamic models of the foundation and technical competencies that are necessary in vital industries of the American economy. The goal of the effort is to promote an understanding of the skill sets and competencies that are essential to educate and train a globally competitive workforce.
The models serve as a resource to:
- Identify specific employer skill needs
- Develop competency-based curricula and training models
- Develop industry-defined performance indicators, skill standards, and certifications
- Develop resources for career exploration and guidance
https://www.careeronestop.org/CompetencyModel/Competency-Models/pyramid-home.aspx
If You Need Transportation
A new transportation option is now available; a "Ride Sharing" website that matches drivers and riders with similar work destinations in the area. Now, for the first time ever, 511NYRideshare has information on three south central NY counties: Otsego, Delaware, and Chenango.
Whether you need a ride or are a driver in need of gas money the 511NY Rideshare website can help! Once you register you’ll have access to match with other users as well. Carpooling can be a convenient, money saving travel experience. Check out all that they have to offer for ride matching. Simply Google 511NYRideShare and log in (or register if you are not yet a member) and go to the "Find a Ridematch" page to see who your potential carpool partners are.
ABLE - Achieving a Better Life Experience Act
The ABLE Act recognizes the extra and significant costs of living with a disability. These include costs, related to raising a child with significant disabilities or a working age adult with disabilities, for accessible housing and transportation, personal assistance services, assistive technology and health care not covered by insurance, Medicaid or Medicare.
Eligible individuals and their families can establish ABLE savings accounts that will largely not affect their eligibility for SSI, Medicaid and other public benefits. The legislation explains further that an ABLE account will, with private savings, "secure funding for disability-related expenses on behalf of designated beneficiaries with disabilities that will supplement, but not supplant, benefits provided through private insurance, Medicaid, SSI, the beneficiary's employment and other sources."
Visit their website: http://www.ablenrc.org/ To Learn more, you can Watch the History of ABLE Accounts here.
- ABLE Newsletters
- Subscribe to the ABLE Newsletter
- ABLE newsletter archive
What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. The ADA gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities similar to those provided to individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. It guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications. The ADA is divided into five titles (or sections) that relate to different areas of public life.
In 2008, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) was signed into law and became effective on January 1, 2009. The ADAAA made a number of significant changes to the definition of “disability.” The changes in the definition of disability in the ADAAA apply to all titles of the ADA, including Title I (employment practices of private employers with 15 or more employees, state and local governments, employment agencies, labor unions, agents of the employer and joint management labor committees); Title II (programs and activities of state and local government entities); and Title III (private entities that are considered places of public accommodation).
For more information visit: https://adata.org/learn-about-ada
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations for businesses and State and local governments
The ADA Home Page provides access to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations for businesses and State and local governments, technical assistance materials, ADA Standards for Accessible Design, links to Federal agencies with ADA responsibilities and information, updates on new ADA requirements, streaming video, and information about Department of Justice ADA settlements.
US Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy Working Works Campaign
The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy has a new public service announcement on the benefits of work, and the roles different people play in helping individuals who become ill or injured stay in the workforce.
To watch the videos, please click here.
Social Security and Supplemental Security Income Disability Programs
The Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability programs are Federal programs that provide assistance to people with disabilities. While these two programs are different in many ways, both are administered by the Social Security Administration and only individuals who have a disability and meet medical criteria may qualify for benefits under either program. Social Security Disability Insurance pays benefits to you and certain members of your family if you are "insured," meaning that you worked long enough and paid Social Security taxes. Supplemental Security Income pays benefits based on financial need. To learn more, go to https://www.ssa.gov/disability
Discussing Disability with the Potential Employer
The ADA prohibits employers from asking questions that are likely to reveal the existence of a disability before making a job offer (i.e., the pre-offer period). This prohibition covers written questionnaires and inquiries made during interviews, as well as medical examinations. However, such questions and medical examinations are permitted after extending a job offer but before the individual begins work (i.e., the post-offer period). Learn more: https://www.eeoc.gov/facts/jobapplicant.html
Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
JAN provides the following A to Z listings by disability, topic, and limitation. This information is designed to help employers and individuals determine effective accommodations and comply with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). You will find ADA information, accommodation ideas, and resources for additional information.
JAN's A to Z is a starting point in the accommodation process and may not address every situation. Accommodations should be made on a case by case basis, considering each employee’s individual limitations and accommodation needs. Employers and individuals are encouraged to contact JAN to discuss specific situations in more detail.
Self-Advocacy in the Workplace: Requesting Job Accommodations
Tools for Life
Tools for Life from Georgia Tech: Researching and locating new apps can be an overwhelming task. The Tools for Life AppFinder database helps make your app search much easier. The Tools for Life AppFinder has hundreds of apps for living, learning, working and playing.
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Questions? Need Assistance? Contact Disability Resource CoordinatorAngela Kelly: akelly@working-solutions.org or 607-376-5152 ext. 113
The total cost of the Disability Employment Initiative Round 8 program is 2.5 million dollars. The 2.5 million dollars (100%) is funded through a U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration grant.
This workforce product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. This product was created by the recipient and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability or ownership. This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.
