Impact: Inclusive Entrepreneurship
February 2011 - Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (MIG) Brief
Gary Shaheen, M.P.A.– Senior Vice President
Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University
New York Makes Work Pay is a Comprehensive Employment System Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (#1QACMS030318) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to the Office of Mental Health on behalf of New York State. It is a joint effort of the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University and the Employment and Disability Institute at Cornell University with the collaborative support of the Employment Committee of the New York State Most Integrated Setting Coordinating Council (MISCC) to develop pathways and remove obstacles to employment for New Yorkers with disabilities.
IMPACT: Inclusive Entrepreneurship*
* note that all outcomes indicated are based upon an actual implementation timetable of 13 months over the 2009–2010 contract years given contractual delays
Building upon 10 Customized Employment regional learning communities implemented by BBI and its experts during 2009 and continued in 2010, Customized Employment principles and practices are being introduced and replicated as tools to increase employment access and outcomes for people with disabilities, especially those with complex needs. Customized Employment pilot projects initially developed in 2009 in Hempstead and Utica, NY were replicated in other NYS locations, augmented by deployment of mentors trained in Customized Employment techniques are demonstrating validity of the approach. Specific outcomes directly attributable to MIG training and technical assistance includes:
- Creation/use of interagency Advisory Group comprised of state disability agency staff from OPWDD, DOL, ACCES-VR, CBVH and OASAS to guide and improve utilization of Customized Employment practices for clientele served by their agencies
- Expansion of statewide training locations: 4 training sites serving NYC/L.I., Mohawk Valley, Central NY and the Finger Lakes
- Number of staff trained: 101 (Hempstead=50, New York City=39, Mohawk Valley=7, CNY=15)
- Number of people using Customized Employment: (Hempstead=20, New York City=30)
- Number of people obtaining jobs using Customized Employment: 8 (Hempstead=2, New York City=5, Mohawk Valley=1)
- Development of a Customized Employment Mentorship network that lays the foundation for Customized Employment distance learning Certification and follow–along training and technical assistance in 2011
- Work with State Agency Advisory Group to embed ‘Discovery’ as alternative assessment in state funded employment programs
- Added Customized Employment as a stage 2 category in the integrated agency employment (OSOS) database and as a component of the 2011 data base training program for employment program providers
- Cross–state information exchange with the S10 state southeast TACE to exchange best practices for implementing Customized Employment (CE)
- Growing evidence of cost–effectiveness for people who have not had employment success/had multiple attempts in the past (For example: A person closed successfully in Sept. had 3 prior unsuccessful experiences in the system. This time ACCES-VR paid for 127 hrs of Customized Employment over a 4–month period @ a cost of $5,493 compared to the most recent unsuccessful SE experience (330 hrs over 4.5 yrs) costing $13,500.
IMPACT: Inclusive Entrepreneurship
Building upon the “Inclusive Entrepreneurship tm” processes and partnerships modeled by the Syracuse University Burton Blatt Institute, Whitman School, Onondaga SBDC and other partners, NYMWP implemented training and technical assistance, created and disseminated materials, and facilitated cross–sector dialogues to increase entrepreneurship outcomes for people with disabilities. By the end of 2010, after only approximately 6 months of actual training activities in Manhattan and 8 months of train–the–trainer development in Syracuse, significant progress was made in improving self–employment policies and practices across the state:
- Trained SBDC, Hunter College, providers in use of NY–based 4–stage ‘Inclusive Entrepreneurship’ ™ model
- Start UP ‘Primer’ was developed and disseminated and used in other areas of the state (Ulster County, Albany County)
- SBDC ‘Simply Speaking’ guide for counselors was developed, disseminated/being used by SBDCs across the state
- CBVH Syracuse and Manhattan pilots were in process that identified and allocated existing CBVH resources for using the process for people who are blind/have visual impairments
- ACCES-VR and SBDC held dialogues at 3 statewide locations to determine best ways for improving partnerships
- Issues brief and presentation given to the State Rehab Council on improving self–employment policies and practices
- Presentation made on NYS process to the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration and materials sent for dissemination on their website as a promising practice for VR agencies
- 2 statewide Entrepreneurship dialogues were held with state agencies that identified barriers and facilitators to self–employment and cross–agency partnerships
- Development of business feasibility template for workshop transformation
- Resources leveraged to establish businesses: 50 –Syracuse (includes carry–over of StartUP NY) 3 Manhattan (4 months)
- Addition of ‘self–employment’ as a data entry field for phase 2 of the state agency integrated employment data base
Contact Information
Gary Shaheen, Senior Vice President
Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University
900 S. Crouse Avenue
Crouse–Hinds Hall, Suite 300
Syracuse, New York 13244
geshahee@law.syr.edu
Tel. 315.443.9818
Partnering Organizations
New York State Office of Mental Health
John Allen, Special Assistant to the Commissioner
44 Holland Avenue, 8th Floor
Albany, New York 12229
corajba@omh.state.ny.us
Tel. 518.473.6579
Employment and Disability Institute (Cornell University)
Thomas P. Golden, Associate Director, Employment and Disability
ILR School–201 Dolgen Hall
Ithaca, New York 14853
tpg3@cornell.edu
Tel. 607.255.2731