Disability Program Navigator DPN Initiative

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Disability Program Navigator (DPN) Initiative
Creating Innovation and Transformation
March 2009
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DPN Initiative

• Department of Labors (DOL) Employment and
  Training Administration (ETA) administers the DPN
  Initiative. It partners with many Federal,
  state, local agencies, and private organizations
  to leverage funding to expand the public
  workforce investment systems capacity to serve
  customers with disabilities.

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DPN Initiative continued

• Training and Technical Assistance is provided
  under contract with National Disability Institute
  (NDI) Consulting, Inc. forming the NDI TA Team to
  help build system capacity.

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DPN Initiative continued

• A new position, the Disability Program Navigator,
  was established in One-Stop Career Centers
  throughout the country to better inform people
  with disabilities about the work support programs
  available at DOLs One-Stop Career Centers.

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DPN Initiative continued...

• The goals of the DPN initiative are to
• develop new/sustain ongoing partnerships to
  achieve seamless, comprehensive, and integrated
  services
• blend/braid resources to leverage funding for
  individual job seekers
• create systemic change
• expand the capacity of the workforce investment
  system to meet the employment needs of customers
  with disabilities and employers and
• meet the demands of the 21st century workforce.

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DPN Initiative continued

• There are currently approximately 425 Navigators
  across forty-four states, the District of
  Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin
  Islands.
• The map on the next slide represents the current
  DPN projects nationwide.

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Current DPN Projects
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DPN Initiative

• A Disability Program Navigator
• Guides One-Stop Career Center staff in helping
  people with disabilities access and navigate the
  various programs that impact their ability to
  gain/retain jobs
• Facilitates integrated, seamless, and
  comprehensive services in One-Stop Career Centers
  to persons with disabilities
• Improves linkages to the employer community and
  develops demand-responsive strategies to meet
  their recruitment and retention needs and
• Brings together multiple partners to foster a
  collaborative effort by building
  Interagency/intra-agency Integrated Resource
  Teams (IRTs).

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Evolution of the DPN Initiative

• The DPN Initiative was designed to be flexible so
  that it could fit into the many different
  One-Stop Career Center environments.
• Constantly evolving as we learn from the
  experiences of the local level Navigators and the
  state level DPN Projects.

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DPNs Evolving Roles

• Navigators deploy and coordinate integrated
  resource team approaches across workforce and
  disability systems to address multiple employment
  needs.
• Navigators are facilitating these integrated
  resource teams (IRT) in the One-Stop Career
  Centers to include members from various community
  and partner agencies and One-Stop programs that
  serve the needs of the individual job seekers.
• Navigators establish a seamless One-Stop Career
  Center through an individualized team service
  design to assure a full spectrum of program
  options for job seekers with disabilities.

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DPNs Evolving Roles continued

• Navigators are promoting the active participation
  of the One-Stop Career Centers in the Social
  Security Administrations Ticket to Work Program,
  including becoming Employment Network (ENs).
• Navigators are facilitating the involvement of
  the One-Stop Career Centers in promoting asset
  development strategies through financial
  literacy, increased use of the IRS Earned Income
  Tax Credit (EITC), and providing free tax
  preparation through Volunteer Income Tax
  Assistance (VITA) sites to people with
  disabilities.

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DPNs Evolving Roles, continued

• Navigators are helping to coordinate
  transportation and/or mobility management
  activities through United We Ride and other
  transportation employment initiatives.
• Navigators are facilitating the transition of in-
  or out- school youth with disabilities to
  obtain employment and economic self-sufficiency.
• And supporting other Federal Initiatives
  including ex- offenders, people who are
  homeless, recipients of TANF, older workers, and
  disabled veterans.

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DPN Roles-Seamless and Comprehensive One-Stop
Services

• Address physical, program and/or communication
  access barriers
• Increase staff knowledge on serving job seekers
  with disabilities
• Foster collaboration and streamline referral
  process
• Facilitate blended funding and leveraged
  resources
• Guide One-Stop Career Center staff to improve
  access to programs that impact the ability to
  gain/retain employment

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DPN Roles-Improve Access to Programs and Services

• Facilitate solutions to physical, communication,
  and/or program access
• Ensure adaptive equipment/assistive technology is
  available and staff and are trained in its use
• Assist the development of an accommodations
  policy and procedures
• Identify talent development dollars and connect
  job seekers with these resources
• Coordinate cross-program teams to address
  barriers and increase options for job seekers
  with disabilities

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DPN Roles-Facilitate Linkages tothe Business
Community

• Connect with LWIB and Business Services staff
• Conduct outreach and networking with the business
  community (Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Clubs, HR
  Councils, BLNs)
• Host job fairs and facilitate linkages with
  disability employment and training service
  providers
• Provide information about hiring/retaining
  individuals to business
• Provide employer toolkits with information
  about tax incentives and benefits (business case)
  of hiring individuals with disabilities
• Promote employment opportunities with career
  lattices in a variety of jobs, including STEM,
  High growth, and green jobs

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DPN Role-Increase Employment Outcomes and
Self-Sufficiency

• Increase registrant levels of job seekers with
  disabilities
• Improve job development services
• Encourage Individual Development Accounts (IDAs)
  and Career Advancement Accounts (CAAs)
• Foster SSA Ticket to Work Program
• Increase on-the job training, apprenticeship,
  internship opportunities

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DPN Role What a Navigator is

• Systems Change Agent
• Problem Solver
• Relationship Builder
• Resource
• Facilitator

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DPN Role What a Navigator is Not

• A case manager
• A front-line staff person in a One-Stop Career
  Center
• A Community Work Incentives Coordinator
• A Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist

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Navigator Anticipated Outcomes

• Access to WIA Services
• Core, Intensive, or Training Services
• Individual Training Accounts (ITAs) or Career
  Advancement Accounts (CAAs)
• Increased Employment
• Wages
• Hours Worked Per Week
• Retention

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Navigator Anticipated Outcomes

• Increased customer satisfaction with workforce
  system for persons with disabilities.
• Expanded partner relationships (public/private)

• Mental Health programs
• Mental Retardation/ Developmental Disability
  programs
• Independent Living Centers
• Medicaid
• CWIC
• Housing
• Transportation
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Other Mandated One-Stop Partners

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Navigator Anticipated Outcomes

• Expanded access to
• Internships
• On-the-Job Training
• Customized Job Development
• Employment Opportunities
• Accommodation Assistance
• Increased use of the Ticket by Social Security
  beneficiaries.
• Increase One-Stop Career Centers/LWIBs becoming
  linking with Employment Networks (ENs).

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Navigator Anticipated Outcomes

• Improved service, system and funder
  collaboration.
• Blended funding support Utilization of Work
  Incentives.
• Utilization of Benefits Counselors.
• Utilization of Medicaid Buy-In/Coordination with
  MIGs.
• Asset Development.
• Individual Development and Career Advancement
  Accounts.
• Access to Technology.
• Self-Employment.

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DPN Initiative Goal

• The rubber really meets the road with the
  Navigators.
• The DPN Initiative is a Team effort-
• National DPN Program Office
• Regional Federal Officers, and
• The NDI TA Team
• We are all here to work with you and to support
  you to make the DPN Initiative a success so that
  we can reach our ultimate goal-competitive,
  quality employment of people with disabilities.

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DPN Resources

• For more information, please
• Refer to the Disability Online website for a list
  of state contacts http//www.doleta.gov/disabili
  ty
• Refer to the DPN Technical Assistance Centers
  Web site at http//www.dpnavigator.net
• For effective practices/ products, refer to the
  One-Stop Toolkit website at http//www.onestopto
  olkit.org