Index of Promising Business Relations Practices

Index of Promising Business Relations Practices

The Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston, in partnership with CSAVR and the NET, is conducting research on business relations and employment for people with disabilities served by state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies. As part of this VR-RRTC on Demand-Side Strategies, ExploreVR created an Index of Promising VR Business Relations practices. The Index is a collection of formal and informal promising practices that are applicable to VR, improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities, and meet a business need.

In order to identify these practices, we conducted a comprehensive web search and review of research efforts to date. We have also distributed a nationwide call for nominations through the VR network to identify emerging practices. If you know of a practice you would like to nominate, please tell us about it here.

Pre-Employment

Pre-Employment

Pre-employment services work with both businesses and clients before anyone is hired. Services can include consultation with employers, skill assessments, internships, or job shadows. Off-site training can qualify if the business is directly involved with the training efforts.


Workforce Development and Business Relations Team

Adult Career and Continuing Educational Services - Vocational Rehabilitation

accesadm@mail.nysed.gov

800-222-5627

Adult Career and Continuing Educational Services - Vocational Rehabilitation
89 Washington Ave., Room 580 EBA
Albany, NY 12234

The ACCES workforce development and business relations team includes a statewide coordinator, who develops relationships with businesses that have a statewide presence; five regional coordinators, who develop relationships with regional companies based on labor market demand; and 15 local workforce development and business relations staff, who develop local business relations and work with the regional and statewide coordinators to implement activities on a broader scale.

The whole team works directly with businesses to understand their employment needs and to find candidates who are appropriate matches. Team members also work closely with job seekers, discovering their skills and placing them in on-the-job trainings (OJTs) and work tryouts. ACCES reimburses 100% of an employee’s wages for up to 480 hours for OJTs and work tryouts.

The ACCES team also provides job coaches, who work with the business and the employee to understand the needs of both. Team members offer assistance on accommodations, tax credits, accessibility, and diversity training. They provide publications about hiring people with disabilities, and celebrate National Disability Awareness month by giving awards to businesses who are committed to hiring people with disabilities in their communities.

The ACCES workforce development and business relations team is aligned with the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation national employment team.


Retaining a Valued Employee (RAVE) Program

Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services

800-441-7607

602 S. Lawrence St. Montgomery AL 36104

The Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services created the RAVE program to help businesses support and accommodate employees who have injured on or off the job, or whose performance has been impacted by a disabling condition. The program helps businesses retain injured employees, with or without accommodations.

The RAVE program provides on-site job assessment, problem-solving for returning to work and performing essential tasks, and identification of accommodations. It also provides job-site trainers, offers counseling and education about medical and emotional issues, facilitates employee-employer communication, and suggests modified duty/transitional work options.


Disability Employment Tracker

National Organization on Disability

info@nod.org
646-505-1191 ext.122

77 Water Street, Suite 204
New York, NY 10005

The Disability Employment Tracker helps companies to evaluate their readiness to hire and maintain employees with disabilities. The tool allows businesses to confidentially assess their disability and veteran employment practices, benchmark their efforts against leading practices, and use the results to educate internal stakeholders on successes and opportunities.

The tracker evaluates companies in four areas: climate and culture, employment lifecycle, tracking and measurements, and results and opportunities.


Business Relations Unit

DC Department on Disability Services

dds@dc.gov
(202)730-1700

1125 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005

The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) within the DC Department of Disability Services has a specialized business relations unit (BRU). The BRU provides services to the business community, such as screening and identifying qualified job applicants, running a subsidized internship program, providing disability education to businesses, and marketing employment opportunities to RSA job seekers.

The BRU also brings businesses to the RSA to educate job seekers and VR counselors about a particular industry, employment opportunity projections, and expectations for successful applicants. The team develops contacts through the agency's membership with the DC Chamber of Commerce, the Metro Area Business Leadership Network, and the DC Jobs Council.


Business Network Unit

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

P.O. Box 30037
Lansing, MI 48909

The Michigan Rehabilitation Services Business Network Unit assists employers by helping to identify physical job demands based on analysis, providing video records of each job, assisting with returning injured employees to work and hiring individuals with disabilities, and performing work risk analysis to pinpoint risks of injury for high-risk jobs.

Unit staffers also train managers, engineers, team leaders, and production personnel on disability-related employment. The VR has developed business relations specialists in each district across the state with monthly training sessions.


National Employment Team

Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation

KWest-Evans@rehabnetwork.org
206-999-9455

1 Research Court, Suite 450
Rockville, MD 20850

The National Employment Team, or the NET, brings together 80 business consultants representing each of the public VR agencies across the country and in the territories. The Council on State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation’s director of business relations provides leadership and support at the national level. 

The NET supports business customers to access and increase opportunities for the recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention of individuals with disabilities. To achieve these goals the team connects businesses and VR professionals to resources and consultation services. 

One goal of the NET is to work with large businesses to hire people in different branches so that successful hiring practices in one branch can be replicated in other branches across the country. The NET also provides training and information about employing people with disabilities. It works with regional points of contact and state VR agencies to provide state-specific information. 

The NET’s partnership with the federal government has yielded a significant increase in employment of people with disabilities in the government. In 2011, there were more people employed by the federal government than at any time in the past 20 years. 

The NET’s partnership with OfficeMax and Lowe’s has created employment opportunities for several people with disabilities. Their testimonies highlight the one-stop and team approach to enhancing their chance for being hired and retained at these two large businesses. 


Talent Acquisition Portal

Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation

info@tapability.org
760-519-2617

The Talent Acquisition Portal (TAP) is an online system that includes both a national talent pool of VR candidates looking for employment and a job posting system for businesses looking to hire individuals with disabilities. The project is led by the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation and the National Employment Team in partnership with disABLEDperson, Inc.

TAP is source of continuous support for the businesses across the nation. The purpose of the portal is to bring VR counselors, businesses, and qualified job applicants with disabilities together. Businesses benefit from the close relationship with VR counselors and from the “one-stop” approach to connecting employers and job seekers.

Businesses of all sizes can join TAP’s national one-stop job portal by purchasing job-posting packages. The portal offers information on nationwide employment for interested candidates via nationwide “TAP Matching” of applicants’ skills to all jobs available.


Business Development System (BDS)

Knowledge Institute for Small Business Development

603-658-0340

11 Court Street, Suite 170
Exeter, NH 03833-2422

The National Employment Team, or the NET, brings together 80 business consultants representing each of the public VR agencies across the country and in the territories. The Council on State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation’s director of business relations provides leadership and support at the national level. 

The NET supports business customers to access and increase opportunities for the recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention of individuals with disabilities. To achieve these goals the team connects businesses and VR professionals to resources and consultation services. 

One goal of the NET is to work with large businesses to hire people in different branches so that successful hiring practices in one branch can be replicated in other branches across the country. The NET also provides training and information about employing people with disabilities. It works with regional points of contact and state VR agencies to provide state-specific information. 

The NET’s partnership with the federal government has yielded a significant increase in employment of people with disabilities in the government. In 2011, there were more people employed by the federal government than at any time in the past 20 years. 

The NET’s partnership with OfficeMax and Lowe’s has created employment opportunities for several people with disabilities. Their testimonies highlight the one-stop and team approach to enhancing their chance for being hired and retained at these two large businesses. 


Colville Tribes Confederation

Colville Confederated Tribes Vocational Rehabilitation Program

509-634-2733

12 Lakes Street Agency Campus
Nespelem, WA 99155

Colville Tribes Confederation  is a joint venture to provide members of the Colville Tribe (located in Washington state) with job training to work in casinos. The Colville VR  has partnered with the Colville Tribal College, Colville TANF administration, the Colville Employment and Training office, the Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO), and tribal casino businesses to provide skills training for jobs in casinos and resorts on the tribal territory.

The college and its partners have developed several curricula that meet the needs of businesses for administrative assistants, casino workers, and kitchen help. TERO has been supporting on-the-job trainings for heavy machinery operators and construction workers.


Hands On Educational Services, Inc.

info@handsoneducation.net
877-386-5600

P.O. Box 261987
Tampa, FL 33685-1987

Hands On Education works with Hyatt Hotels to give people with disabilities the experience of working in a hotel. Hands On @Hyatt is a long-standing partnership between statewide school systems, VR agencies, and Hyatt. It originated in 1998 at a Hyatt Hotel in Tampa, FL, and has since spread to other states.

Participants spend two weeks working in a specific department of a Hyatt hotel as temporary employees. They live on-site at the hotel, giving them a lesson on being away from their families and coping on their own. They train and work alongside employees without disabilities in departments such as culinary, housekeeping, laundry, and banquet set-up.

The program requires people to be at least 18 and drug-free but does not require a high school diploma, GED, or specific level of reading or English proficiency.

Hyatt does not guarantee employment upon completion of the two-week training, but 15 to 20% of graduates do obtain a job at Hyatt after completing the training. Others are able to use Hyatt as a reference, and have found employment in competing hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, and supermarkets.


Hershey's Extends Real Opportunities to Succeed (H.E.R.O.S.)

The Hershey Company

100 Crystal A Drive
Hershey, PA 17033

Hershey Extends Real Opportunities to Succeed (H.E.R.O.S.) is an employer-initiated workforce diversity-driven partnership between the Hershey Company, state VR agencies, and related agencies. The practice provides opportunities for paid six-month apprenticeships at Hershey manufacturing facilities in different states.

The pillars of this partnership are mutual trust, timely communication, and listening to business needs. Several strategies are used to build successful relationships with businesses: a) keeping the focus on the job description and the work expectations; b) having a single point of contact; c) ensuring VR’s presence at the community-based and business-oriented meetings in the communities that VR serves; d) collaboration of senior management on both ends; and e) flexibility across these levels of collaboration.

The engagement and commitment of senior VR and business leadership were critical in the beginning and have strengthened as the program achieved success. The plants that ran the program have developed champions/mentors at every level of the Hershey Company.


Project SEARCH

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

projectsearch@cchmc.org
513-636-2516

3333 Burnet Avenue, MLC5030
Cincinnati, OH 45229

Project SEARCH is a worksite-based school-to-work program that provides employment and education opportunities for students with disabilities transitioning from high school.

The program provides an opportunity for people with disabilities to obtain work experience in an integrated setting and to gain skills in a systematic way. Students spend approximately one academic year at the host business working with job coaches and learning skills related to specific jobs.

Pre-screened students attend class at the work site  for a few weeks to learn basic job skills (such as proper job appearance and etiquette). Following that, they are in class for approximately an hour per day and spend the rest of the day in one of three set rotations, where they work with supervisors and job coaches to master the tasks of a specific position.

Project SEARCH started at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and has used their model to expand to other industries and regions across the United States and internationally.


PWDNET

Work Ability Utah

887-246-9675

1595 West 500 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84104

The Persons with Disabilities Network (PWDNET) is a partnership between businesses, public agencies, and job candidates with disabilities. The PWDNET is funded jointly by Work Ability Utah and the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation. The goal of the partnership is to create successful work relationships between employing organizations and qualified people with disabilities.

PWDNET is Utah’s business relations team, comprised of diverse members of a range of agencies and organizations with expertise in recruiting, hiring, accommodating, and advancing workforce inclusion of people with disabilities. The team links employers with qualified job seekers who have disabilities, and all services are at provided at no cost to the business.

PWDNET facilitates partnerships between public agencies and the business sector to ensure mutual benefits. In a 2011 evaluation of PWDNET by business customers the team was viewed favorably by the business customers, and its customized trainings, workshops, and job fairs all were rated as useful services. A total of 78% respondents indicated that customized training from PWDNET was valuable or extremely valuable to their overall employment practices.


Working Partners Program

Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission

24 Beacon Street Suite 337
Boston, MA 02133

Working Partners Program, or WPP, is a collaboration between the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission  (MRC) and certain health centers affiliated with Partners HealthCare. The program arranges for specialists from the MRC to spend considerable time with a healthcare site. The specialists use an established, formal approach to understand the organization’s culture, grow acquainted with people from different levels of the organization, and comprehend the needs and problems the organization faces.

By obtaining this level of in-depth comprehension and by meeting and speaking with people from different departments (including administration and human resources), MRC learns about the positions the healthcare organization needs help filling and the types of MRC clients who could fit well into those positions.

Once that relationship is established, WPP finds ways to place their clients into open positions. They frequently arrange for job seekers to take tours of different departments of the organization, so that the clients can see first-hand what a position requires.

WPP has organized on-site trainings for Certified Nursing Assistants at health centers with the intention that the center will hire them on completion. They have also arranged for volunteer opportunities, on-the-job training, and on-the-job evaluation, all of which have led to clients being hired by the healthcare organization.

HR/Staffing

HR/Staffing

HR/Staffing practices work directly with human resources departments or employers. The goal is to place specific employees in the business or to help employers retain employees who have become disabled or otherwise need additional supports.


Workforce Development and Business Relations Team

Adult Career and Continuing Educational Services - Vocational Rehabilitation

accesadm@mail.nysed.gov

800-222-5627

Adult Career and Continuing Educational Services - Vocational Rehabilitation
89 Washington Ave., Room 580 EBA
Albany, NY 12234

The ACCES workforce development and business relations team includes a statewide coordinator, who develops relationships with businesses that have a statewide presence; five regional coordinators, who develop relationships with regional companies based on labor market demand; and 15 local workforce development and business relations staff, who develop local business relations and work with the regional and statewide coordinators to implement activities on a broader scale.

The whole team works directly with businesses to understand their employment needs and to find candidates who are appropriate matches. Team members also work closely with job seekers, discovering their skills and placing them in on-the-job trainings (OJTs) and work tryouts. ACCES reimburses 100% of an employee’s wages for up to 480 hours for OJTs and work tryouts.

The ACCES team also provides job coaches, who work with the business and the employee to understand the needs of both. Team members offer assistance on accommodations, tax credits, accessibility, and diversity training. They provide publications about hiring people with disabilities, and celebrate National Disability Awareness month by giving awards to businesses who are committed to hiring people with disabilities in their communities.

The ACCES workforce development and business relations team is aligned with the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation national employment team.


Retaining a Valued Employee (RAVE) Program

Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services

800-441-7607

602 S. Lawrence St.
Montgomery, AL 36104

The Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services created the RAVE program to help businesses support and accommodate employees who have injured on or off the job, or whose performance has been impacted by a disabling condition. The program helps businesses retain injured employees, with or without accommodations.

The RAVE program provides on-site job assessment, problem-solving for returning to work and performing essential tasks, and identification of accommodations. It also provides job-site trainers, offers counseling and education about medical and emotional issues, facilitates employee-employer com munication, and suggests modified duty/transitional work options.


Customized Trainings

Maryland Division of Rehabilitation Services

dors@maryland.gov
888-554-0334

2301 Argonne Drive
Baltimore, MD 21218

When an employer is having difficulty hiring or maintaining qualified employees for a specific position, customized training can be beneficial. In customized training, a job seeker with a disability has the opportunity to receive training directly from the employer for a specific role. Training occurs at the place of business, and can also partially take place in the classroom.

The Maryland Division of Rehabilitation Services supports businesses to provide customized training, including the transition to full-time employment. Customized trainings have led to successful job outcomes at businesses including CVS (pharmacy technician), OfficeMax Distribution Center (warehouse technician), Hilton Home2Suites (hospitality worker), Collins Collision (auto body technician), large and small bakeries, screen printing businesses, landscaping companies, and animal care providers.


Vermont Progressive Employment Model

Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation

866-879-6757

103 South Main Street, Weeks 1A
Waterbury, VT 05671-2303

Vermont Progressive Employment (Vermont PE) is a dual-customer approach that reduces employer risk by providing work opportunities for job seekers on the path to competitive employment. Vermont PE gives vocational rehabilitation employment specialists a range of options to offer to employers. These include on-the-job training, temp-to-hire, work experience with stipends, and company tours and job shadows.

Vermont PE provides individuals with little or no work history, low skill levels, corrections involvement, or other barriers a path into paid employment. It also allows each individual and each business to identify specific training, support, and accommodation needs.


Nebraska Vocational Rehabilitation (NVR) Middle-Skills Certificate Program

Nebraska Vocational Rehabilitation

marketingteam.vr@nebraska.gov
877-637-3422

P.O. Box 94987
Lincoln, NE 68509

The Nebraska Vocational Rehabilitation (NVR) Middle-Skills Certificate Program expands training options to meet demands for middle-skills jobs in a variety of industries. NVR works with community colleges and businesses to design just-in-time training opportunities that allow VR consumers to earn an industry-specific certificate and move into internship positions with employers in the community.

The NVR program takes a two-pronged approach. It partners with community colleges to develop training programs, and works with businesses to accept certificates from program participants, and to employ them.


Disability Employment Specialistis

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development

DEED.CustomerService@state.mn.us
800-657-3858

1st National Bank Building
332 Minnesota Street, Suite E-200
Saint Paul, MN 55101-1351

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development includes disability employment specialists on its staff. These staffers provide resources and strategic alliances to help businesses to tap the talent pool of people who have disabilities.

Disability employment specialists help streamline the process of finding, recruiting, and hiring workers with disabilities. Services are offered at no cost to businesses, and include assistance with recruitment, on-site job analysis and recommendations for job modification, pre-screening of candidates, on-the-job training, job coaching, and extended employment supports to people with the most significant disabilities.


Granite State Employment Project

Bureau of Developmental Services

contact option on website
603-271-5034

129 Pleasant St.
Concord, NH 3301-3852

The Granite State Employment Project uses multiple strategies to work with employers. Its programs help people learn skills to work in areas such as culinary and hospitality services. The project also runs marketing campaigns to show businesses the benefits of employing people with disabilities, an intensive human resources workshop, and a collaboration of key partners to share ideas. Project staff follow evidence-based standards for supported employment. They also assist people with disabilities to become self-employed, helping them develop a business infrastructure and supporting them through all the steps necessary to establish a business.


Bridges from School to Work Model

Bridges from School to Work

301-380-7771

10400 Fernwood Road
Bethesda, MD 20817

Bridges from School to Work acts as a broker and support between youth and local employers to form mutually beneficial competitive employment relationships. The program operates in major metropolitan areas across the country, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Montgomery County MD, Oakland, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington DC.

The Bridges program responds to a variety of situations that young adults may encounter while looking for work or working for the first time. It is an employer-driven model, because to achieve lasting employment success the needs of the employer must be understood and met. It focuses on abilities, not disabilities, because businesses hire people who can do the job.

Finally, the program provides the support necessary to stabilize the employment relationship. In other words, its focus is on long-term employment success, not simply job placement.

The Bridges program is organized to meet the needs of each unique situation and to provide customized services. Some common components of the program are a) outreach to youth and employers that identify the needs of each as well as determining what they have to offer; b) pre-employment preparation; c) job/interview development; d) post-placement support to both youth and employer; and e) follow-up and support for an extended period (10–18 months) post-placement with a focus on encouraging long-term retention and vocational growth.


Business Network Unit

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

P.O. Box 30037
Lansing, MI 48909

The Michigan Rehabilitation Services Business Network Unit assists employers by helping to identify physical job demands based on analysis, providing video records of each job, assisting with returning injured employees to work and hiring individuals with disabilities, and performing work risk analysis to pinpoint risks of injury for high-risk jobs.

Unit staffers also train managers, engineers, team leaders, and production personnel on disability-related employment. The VR has developed business relations specialists in each district across the state with monthly training sessions.


Business Development System (BDS)

Knowledge Institute for Small Business Development

603-658-0340

11 Court Street, Suite 170
Exeter, NH 03833-2422

The National Employment Team, or the NET, brings together 80 business consultants representing each of the public VR agencies across the country and in the territories. The Council on State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation’s director of business relations provides leadership and support at the national level. 

The NET supports business customers to access and increase opportunities for the recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention of individuals with disabilities. To achieve these goals the team connects businesses and VR professionals to resources and consultation services. 

One goal of the NET is to work with large businesses to hire people in different branches so that successful hiring practices in one branch can be replicated in other branches across the country. The NET also provides training and information about employing people with disabilities. It works with regional points of contact and state VR agencies to provide state-specific information. 

The NET’s partnership with the federal government has yielded a significant increase in employment of people with disabilities in the government. In 2011, there were more people employed by the federal government than at any time in the past 20 years. 

The NET’s partnership with OfficeMax and Lowe’s has created employment opportunities for several people with disabilities. Their testimonies highlight the one-stop and team approach to enhancing their chance for being hired and retained at these two large businesses. 


Colville Tribes Confederation

Colville Confederated Tribes Vocational Rehabilitation Program

509-634-2733

12 Lakes Street Agency Campus
Nespelem, WA 99155

Colville Tribes Confederation  is a joint venture to provide members of the Colville Tribe (located in Washington state) with job training to work in casinos. The Colville VR  has partnered with the Colville Tribal College, Colville TANF administration, the Colville Employment and Training office, the Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO), and tribal casino businesses to provide skills training for jobs in casinos and resorts on the tribal territory.

The college and its partners have developed several curricula that meet the needs of businesses for administrative assistants, casino workers, and kitchen help. TERO has been supporting on-the-job trainings for heavy machinery operators and construction workers.


Hershey's Extends Real Opportunities to Succeed (H.E.R.O.S.)

The Hershey Company

100 Crystal A Drive
Hershey, PA 17033

Hershey Extends Real Opportunities to Succeed (H.E.R.O.S.) is an employer-initiated workforce diversity-driven partnership between the Hershey Company, state VR agencies, and related agencies. The practice provides opportunities for paid six-month apprenticeships at Hershey manufacturing facilities in different states.

The pillars of this partnership are mutual trust, timely communication, and listening to business needs. Several strategies are used to build successful relationships with businesses: a) keeping the focus on the job description and the work expectations; b) having a single point of contact; c) ensuring VR’s presence at the community-based and business-oriented meetings in the communities that VR serves; d) collaboration of senior management on both ends; and e) flexibility across these levels of collaboration.

The engagement and commitment of senior VR and business leadership were critical in the beginning and have strengthened as the program achieved success. The plants that ran the program have developed champions/mentors at every level of the Hershey Company.


Project SEARCH

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

projectsearch@cchmc.org
513-636-2516

3333 Burnet Avenue, MLC5030
Cincinnati, OH 45229

Project SEARCH is a worksite-based school-to-work program that provides employment and education opportunities for students with disabilities transitioning from high school.

The program provides an opportunity for people with disabilities to obtain work experience in an integrated setting and to gain skills in a systematic way. Students spend approximately one academic year at the host business working with job coaches and learning skills related to specific jobs.

Pre-screened students attend class at the work site  for a few weeks to learn basic job skills (such as proper job appearance and etiquette). Following that, they are in class for approximately an hour per day and spend the rest of the day in one of three set rotations, where they work with supervisors and job coaches to master the tasks of a specific position.

Project SEARCH started at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and has used their model to expand to other industries and regions across the United States and internationally.


Working Partners Program

Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission

24 Beacon Street Suite 337
Boston, MA 02133

Working Partners Program, or WPP, is a collaboration between the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission  (MRC) and certain health centers affiliated with Partners HealthCare. The program arranges for specialists from the MRC to spend considerable time with a healthcare site. The specialists use an established, formal approach to understand the organization’s culture, grow acquainted with people from different levels of the organization, and comprehend the needs and problems the organization faces.

By obtaining this level of in-depth comprehension and by meeting and speaking with people from different departments (including administration and human resources), MRC learns about the positions the healthcare organization needs help filling and the types of MRC clients who could fit well into those positions.

Once that relationship is established, WPP finds ways to place their clients into open positions. They frequently arrange for job seekers to take tours of different departments of the organization, so that the clients can see first-hand what a position requires.

WPP has organized on-site trainings for Certified Nursing Assistants at health centers with the intention that the center will hire them on completion. They have also arranged for volunteer opportunities, on-the-job training, and on-the-job evaluation, all of which have led to clients being hired by the healthcare organization.

Direct Business Services

Direct Business Services

Direct business services assist businesses in understanding and working with people with disabilities. Services can include information on accommodations, disability etiquette, tax benefits, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.


Workforce Development and Business Relations Team

Adult Career and Continuing Educational Services - Vocational Rehabilitation

accesadm@mail.nysed.gov

800-222-5627

Adult Career and Continuing Educational Services - Vocational Rehabilitation
89 Washington Ave., Room 580 EBA
Albany, NY 12234

The ACCES workforce development and business relations team includes a statewide coordinator, who develops relationships with businesses that have a statewide presence; five regional coordinators, who develop relationships with regional companies based on labor market demand; and 15 local workforce development and business relations staff, who develop local business relations and work with the regional and statewide coordinators to implement activities on a broader scale.

The whole team works directly with businesses to understand their employment needs and to find candidates who are appropriate matches. Team members also work closely with job seekers, discovering their skills and placing them in on-the-job trainings (OJTs) and work tryouts. ACCES reimburses 100% of an employee’s wages for up to 480 hours for OJTs and work tryouts.

The ACCES team also provides job coaches, who work with the business and the employee to understand the needs of both. Team members offer assistance on accommodations, tax credits, accessibility, and diversity training. They provide publications about hiring people with disabilities, and celebrate National Disability Awareness month by giving awards to businesses who are committed to hiring people with disabilities in their communities.

The ACCES workforce development and business relations team is aligned with the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation national employment team.


Retaining a Valued Employee (RAVE) Program

Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services

800-441-7607

602 S. Lawrence St.
Montgomery, AL 36104

The Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services created the RAVE program to help businesses support and accommodate employees who have injured on or off the job, or whose performance has been impacted by a disabling condition. The program helps businesses retain injured employees, with or without accommodations.

The RAVE program provides on-site job assessment, problem-solving for returning to work and performing essential tasks, and identification of accommodations. It also provides job-site trainers, offers counseling and education about medical and emotional issues, facilitates employee-employer com munication, and suggests modified duty/transitional work options.


Disability Employment Tracker

National Organization on Disability

info@nod.org
646-505-1191 ext.122

77 Water Street, Suite 204
New York, NY 10005

The Disability Employment Tracker helps companies to evaluate their readiness to hire and maintain employees with disabilities. The tool allows businesses to confidentially assess their disability and veteran employment practices, benchmark their efforts against leading practices, and use the results to educate internal stakeholders on successes and opportunities.

The tracker evaluates companies in four areas: climate and culture, employment lifecycle, tracking and measurements, and results and opportunities.


Business Relations Unit

DC Department on Disability Services

dds@dc.gov
(202) 730-1700

1125 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005

The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) within the DC Department of Disability Services has a specialized business relations unit (BRU). The BRU provides services to the business community, such as screening and identifying qualified job applicants, running a subsidized internship program, providing disability education to businesses, and marketing employment opportunities to RSA job seekers.

The BRU also brings businesses to the RSA to educate job seekers and VR counselors about a particular industry, employment opportunity projections, and expectations for successful applicants. The team develops contacts through the agency's membership with the DC Chamber of Commerce, the Metro Area Business Leadership Network, and the DC Jobs Council.


Skilled Workforce Apprentiship Training

South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department

800-832-7526

1410 Boston Ave.
West Columbia, SC 29171

The South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department provides Skilled Workforce Apprenticeship Training programs, where clients are matched to the employersÕ positions and needs. They then receive a structured training program for three months or more. The training includes working with a mentor to learn about different aspects of the job including skills, knowledge, and company culture. The department also offers advice on recruitment, tax credits, accommodations, disability etiquette, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.


National Employment Team

Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation

KWest-Evans@rehabnetwork.org
206-999-9455

1 Research Court, Suite 450
Rockville, MD 20850

The National Employment Team, or the NET, brings together 80 business consultants representing each of the public VR agencies across the country and in the territories. The Council on State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation’s director of business relations provides leadership and support at the national level. 

The NET supports business customers to access and increase opportunities for the recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention of individuals with disabilities. To achieve these goals the team connects businesses and VR professionals to resources and consultation services. 

One goal of the NET is to work with large businesses to hire people in different branches so that successful hiring practices in one branch can be replicated in other branches across the country. The NET also provides training and information about employing people with disabilities. It works with regional points of contact and state VR agencies to provide state-specific information. 

The NET’s partnership with the federal government has yielded a significant increase in employment of people with disabilities in the government. In 2011, there were more people employed by the federal government than at any time in the past 20 years. 

The NET’s partnership with OfficeMax and Lowe’s has created employment opportunities for several people with disabilities. Their testimonies highlight the one-stop and team approach to enhancing their chance for being hired and retained at these two large businesses. 


Business Development System (BDS)

Knowledge Institute for Small Business Development

603-658-0340

11 Court Street, Suite 170
Exeter, NH 03833-2422

The National Employment Team, or the NET, brings together 80 business consultants representing each of the public VR agencies across the country and in the territories. The Council on State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation’s director of business relations provides leadership and support at the national level. 

The NET supports business customers to access and increase opportunities for the recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention of individuals with disabilities. To achieve these goals the team connects businesses and VR professionals to resources and consultation services. 

One goal of the NET is to work with large businesses to hire people in different branches so that successful hiring practices in one branch can be replicated in other branches across the country. The NET also provides training and information about employing people with disabilities. It works with regional points of contact and state VR agencies to provide state-specific information. 

The NET’s partnership with the federal government has yielded a significant increase in employment of people with disabilities in the government. In 2011, there were more people employed by the federal government than at any time in the past 20 years. 

The NET’s partnership with OfficeMax and Lowe’s has created employment opportunities for several people with disabilities. Their testimonies highlight the one-stop and team approach to enhancing their chance for being hired and retained at these two large businesses. 


Hershey's Extends Real Opportunities to Succeed (H.E.R.O.S.)

The Hershey Company

100 Crystal A Drive
Hershey, PA 17033

Hershey Extends Real Opportunities to Succeed (H.E.R.O.S.) is an employer-initiated workforce diversity-driven partnership between the Hershey Company, state VR agencies, and related agencies. The practice provides opportunities for paid six-month apprenticeships at Hershey manufacturing facilities in different states.

The pillars of this partnership are mutual trust, timely communication, and listening to business needs. Several strategies are used to build successful relationships with businesses: a) keeping the focus on the job description and the work expectations; b) having a single point of contact; c) ensuring VR’s presence at the community-based and business-oriented meetings in the communities that VR serves; d) collaboration of senior management on both ends; and e) flexibility across these levels of collaboration.

The engagement and commitment of senior VR and business leadership were critical in the beginning and have strengthened as the program achieved success. The plants that ran the program have developed champions/mentors at every level of the Hershey Company.


PWDNET

Work Ability Utah

887-246-9675

1595 West 500 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84104

The Persons with Disabilities Network (PWDNET) is a partnership between businesses, public agencies, and job candidates with disabilities. The PWDNET is funded jointly by Work Ability Utah and the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation. The goal of the partnership is to create successful work relationships between employing organizations and qualified people with disabilities.

PWDNET is Utah’s business relations team, comprised of diverse members of a range of agencies and organizations with expertise in recruiting, hiring, accommodating, and advancing workforce inclusion of people with disabilities. The team links employers with qualified job seekers who have disabilities, and all services are at provided at no cost to the business.

PWDNET facilitates partnerships between public agencies and the business sector to ensure mutual benefits. In a 2011 evaluation of PWDNET by business customers the team was viewed favorably by the business customers, and its customized trainings, workshops, and job fairs all were rated as useful services. A total of 78% respondents indicated that customized training from PWDNET was valuable or extremely valuable to their overall employment practices.

 

Infrastructure Building


Infrastructure Building

Infrastructure building practices are designed to help employers understand some of the benefits of working with people with disabilities and ways other employers have overcome problems. Examples can include online portals, networking events, and awards ceremonies.


Workforce Development and Business Relations Team

Adult Career and Continuing Educational Services - Vocational Rehabilitation

accesadm@mail.nysed.gov

800-222-5627

Adult Career and Continuing Educational Services - Vocational Rehabilitation
89 Washington Ave., Room 580 EBA
Albany, NY 12234

The ACCES workforce development and business relations team includes a statewide coordinator, who develops relationships with businesses that have a statewide presence; five regional coordinators, who develop relationships with regional companies based on labor market demand; and 15 local workforce development and business relations staff, who develop local business relations and work with the regional and statewide coordinators to implement activities on a broader scale.

The whole team works directly with businesses to understand their employment needs and to find candidates who are appropriate matches. Team members also work closely with job seekers, discovering their skills and placing them in on-the-job trainings (OJTs) and work tryouts. ACCES reimburses 100% of an employee’s wages for up to 480 hours for OJTs and work tryouts.

The ACCES team also provides job coaches, who work with the business and the employee to understand the needs of both. Team members offer assistance on accommodations, tax credits, accessibility, and diversity training. They provide publications about hiring people with disabilities, and celebrate National Disability Awareness month by giving awards to businesses who are committed to hiring people with disabilities in their communities.

The ACCES workforce development and business relations team is aligned with the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation national employment team.


Retaining a Valued Employee (RAVE) Program

Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services

800-441-7607

602 S. Lawrence St.
Montgomery AL 36104

The Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services created the RAVE program to help businesses support and accommodate employees who have injured on or off the job, or whose performance has been impacted by a disabling condition. The program helps businesses retain injured employees, with or without accommodations.

The RAVE program provides on-site job assessment, problem-solving for returning to work and performing essential tasks, and identification of accommodations. It also provides job-site trainers, offers counseling and education about medical and emotional issues, facilitates employee-employer communication, and suggests modified duty/transitional work options.


Disability Employment Tracker

National Organization on Disability

info@nod.org
646-505-1191 ext.122

77 Water Street, Suite 204
New York, NY 10005

The Disability Employment Tracker helps companies to evaluate their readiness to hire and maintain employees with disabilities. The tool allows businesses to confidentially assess their disability and veteran employment practices, benchmark their efforts against leading practices, and use the results to educate internal stakeholders on successes and opportunities.

The tracker evaluates companies in four areas: climate and culture, employment lifecycle, tracking and measurements, and results and opportunities.


Business Relations Unit

DC Department on Disability Services

dds@dc.gov
(202) 730-1700

1125 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005

The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) within the DC Department of Disability Services has a specialized business relations unit (BRU). The BRU provides services to the business community, such as screening and identifying qualified job applicants, running a subsidized internship program, providing disability education to businesses, and marketing employment opportunities to RSA job seekers.

The BRU also brings businesses to the RSA to educate job seekers and VR counselors about a particular industry, employment opportunity projections, and expectations for successful applicants. The team develops contacts through the agency's membership with the DC Chamber of Commerce, the Metro Area Business Leadership Network, and the DC Jobs Council.


Business Network Unit

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

P.O. Box 30037
Lansing, MI 48909

The Michigan Rehabilitation Services Business Network Unit assists employers by helping to identify physical job demands based on analysis, providing video records of each job, assisting with returning injured employees to work and hiring individuals with disabilities, and performing work risk analysis to pinpoint risks of injury for high-risk jobs.

Unit staffers also train managers, engineers, team leaders, and production personnel on disability-related employment. The VR has developed business relations specialists in each district across the state with monthly training sessions.


National Employment Team

Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation

KWest-Evans@rehabnetwork.org
206-999-9455

1 Research Court, Suite 450
Rockville, MD 20850

The National Employment Team, or the NET, brings together 80 business consultants representing each of the public VR agencies across the country and in the territories. The Council on State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation’s director of business relations provides leadership and support at the national level. 

The NET supports business customers to access and increase opportunities for the recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention of individuals with disabilities. To achieve these goals the team connects businesses and VR professionals to resources and consultation services. 

One goal of the NET is to work with large businesses to hire people in different branches so that successful hiring practices in one branch can be replicated in other branches across the country. The NET also provides training and information about employing people with disabilities. It works with regional points of contact and state VR agencies to provide state-specific information. 

The NET’s partnership with the federal government has yielded a significant increase in employment of people with disabilities in the government. In 2011, there were more people employed by the federal government than at any time in the past 20 years. 

The NET’s partnership with OfficeMax and Lowe’s has created employment opportunities for several people with disabilities. Their testimonies highlight the one-stop and team approach to enhancing their chance for being hired and retained at these two large businesses. 


Talent Acquisition Portal

Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation

info@tapability.org
760-519-2617

The Talent Acquisition Portal (TAP) is an online system that includes both a national talent pool of VR candidates looking for employment and a job posting system for businesses looking to hire individuals with disabilities. The project is led by the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation and the National Employment Team in partnership with disABLEDperson, Inc.

TAP is source of continuous support for the businesses across the nation. The purpose of the portal is to bring VR counselors, businesses, and qualified job applicants with disabilities together. Businesses benefit from the close relationship with VR counselors and from the “one-stop” approach to connecting employers and job seekers.

Businesses of all sizes can join TAP’s national one-stop job portal by purchasing job-posting packages. The portal offers information on nationwide employment for interested candidates via nationwide “TAP Matching” of applicants’ skills to all jobs available.


PWDNET

Work Ability Utah

887-246-9675

1595 West 500 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84104

The Persons with Disabilities Network (PWDNET) is a partnership between businesses, public agencies, and job candidates with disabilities. The PWDNET is funded jointly by Work Ability Utah and the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation. The goal of the partnership is to create successful work relationships between employing organizations and qualified people with disabilities.

PWDNET is Utah’s business relations team, comprised of diverse members of a range of agencies and organizations with expertise in recruiting, hiring, accommodating, and advancing workforce inclusion of people with disabilities. The team links employers with qualified job seekers who have disabilities, and all services are at provided at no cost to the business.

PWDNET facilitates partnerships between public agencies and the business sector to ensure mutual benefits. In a 2011 evaluation of PWDNET by business customers the team was viewed favorably by the business customers, and its customized trainings, workshops, and job fairs all were rated as useful services. A total of 78% respondents indicated that customized training from PWDNET was valuable or extremely valuable to their overall employment practices.