~~Colorado received the Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program (EFSLMP), awarded by the United States Department of Labor and Employment’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). This grant provided mentoring, intensive technical assistance and training from a national pool of subject matter experts and peer mentors to core states as they transformed existing policies, service delivery systems, and reimbursement structures to reflect an Employment First approach; facilitated virtual training and knowledge translation on effective practices; facilitated dialogue on shared experiences related to effectuating Employment First policies and practice; linked participating states with Federal initiatives focused on promoting state-level systems-change conducive to Employment First objectives; and evaluated the impacts of the investments in state Employment First systems change efforts over time to identify common challenges faced by State governments; and validated innovative strategies and effective practices that lead to the successful implementation of Employment First objectives. (Page 173) Title I
Career Pathways will fall short of meeting the talent needs in Colorado if they are not available to all potential employees, including individuals with disabilities. Colorado has enhanced its focus on mobilizing the untapped talent of individuals with disabilities by enacting state legislation regarding the concept of Employment First. Employment First is based upon the premise that all people, including people with the most significant disabilities, are capable of full participation in employment and community life. It includes:
• The prioritization of employment as the first and preferred outcome for all working-age persons with disabilities, regardless of level of disability;
• A state-level systems change framework, resulting in increased successful employment outcomes for people with disabilities;
• The alignment of employment-related policies, service delivery practices, and service funding structures between state agencies; and
• Promoting employment as defined by WorkForce Innovation and Opportunity Act language describing Competitive Integrated Employment (employment within businesses typically found in the community with regular compensation, the same opportunities for advancement and interaction with nondisabled coworkers to the same extent as other employees in comparable positions interact, i.e., a fully integrated workplace). (Page 66) Title I
In 2017, the Employment First Advisory Partnership (EFAP) was convened, representing a multi-disciplinary state team with a focus on implementing the Employment First approach with fidelity through the alignment of policies, coordination of resources, and updating of service delivery models to facilitate increased integrated employment outcomes for people with disabilities, including people with the most significant disabilities. A strategic plan was released by the partnership that includes recommendations for actions that the state and local communities can take to make Employment First a reality throughout Colorado. As state and local plans and programs are developed, these concepts should be taken into consideration in order to design the best workforce system possible that works for all Coloradans. (Page 66) Title I
In 2016, Senate Bill 16-077 was passed creating an Employment First Advisory Partnership (EFAP), which identified partner agencies of the Colorado Departments of: Labor and Employment (CDLE), Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF), Education (CDE), Human Services (CDHS), and Higher Education (CDHE), and tasked the State Rehabilitation Council with convening and leading the work of the partnership, which was to make recommendations to increase opportunities for competitive integrated employment for persons with disabilities. The EFAP’s preliminary report and recommendations were presented to members of the General Assembly in January of 2018. These recommendations will drive change within each agency individually, but also facilitate collaboration to ensure a comprehensive approach to increasing the opportunities for competitive integrated employment for individuals with disabilities. (Page 170) Title I
Recommendations of EFAP include:
• Produce data for all applicable EFAP agency partners that allow measurement of Colorado’s progress toward compliance with federal law requiring people with disabilities receive state-funded services in integrated settings;
• Implement department-wide Employment First policies and practices;
• Implement a training plan for state-contracted service providers on evidence-based practice to expand employment outcomes, in conjunction with employer-lead initiatives and networks;
• Implement a communication plan with messaging describing available services that support the achievement of successful employment outcomes for people with disabilities, including those with the most significant disabilities, which targets employers, educators, people with disabilities and their families;
• Create an Office of Employment First to coordinate cross-departmental efforts to implement Employment First policies, regulations, and practices;
• Develop appropriate funding structures that will increase employment service and support capacity for people with disabilities within Colorado to successfully align service outcomes with the definition of Competitive Integrated Employment within the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act;
• Design and coordinate locally-based pilot projects to demonstrate the expansion of employment outcomes for people with disabilities through best-practice employment services and supports implementation; and
• Become a “model employer” for Colorado citizens with disabilities.
Each of the recommendations assigns primary responsibility to particular agencies within the partnership. Full implementation will require ongoing collaboration between all partners, as well as other key stakeholders, with the ultimate goal of improving competitive integrated employment for individuals with disabilities. (Page 170) Title I
In 2016, Senate Bill 16-077 was passed creating an Employment First Advisory Partnership (EFAP), which identified partner agencies of Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF), Colorado Department of Education (CDE), Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS), and Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE), and tasked the partnership with making recommendations to increase opportunities for competitive integrated employment for persons with disabilities. While the work of EFAP is not limited to youth with the most significant disabilities, if implemented, several recommendations ask partner agencies to identify strategies to increase resources for extended services and expand supported employment opportunities for this population. The EFAP’s preliminary report and recommendations were presented to members of the General Assembly in January of 2018. These recommendations include actions such as implementing Department-wide Employment First practices and policies; implementing training for service providers on evidence-based practices to expand employment outcomes; and developing appropriate funding structures that will increase employment service and support capacity for people with disabilities within Colorado to align outcomes with the definition of competitive integrated employment within WIOA. DVR, and other partner agencies, are actively engaged in beginning the work to implement the recommendations made by EFAP. (Page 200) Title IV