Marketing materials

West Virginia created a handbook to prepare students and their parents for transition through school and into life. Some transition options are outlined for employment, independent living and post secondary education. A transition checklist for students is included. A sample handbook is provided, which could be useful to other MIG grantees interested in marketing the transition programs.

How is Hawaii supporting its disabled population and its art community at the same time? Hawaii’s MIG sponsored VSA arts program promotes inclusive educational and professional arts and creative industry pathway opportunities for individuals with and without disabilities, and youth and adults who are otherwise disadvantaged or at risk. The attached presentations and document showcase the program, artists' event successes, and the Arts @ Work for Teens Program.

Support Options is a CLP demonstration program that invites consumers who are at-risk of nursing home placement and Medicaid spend-down to actively participate in managing their own services within an established budget. Find marketing materials and a training manual for the Determination of Need (DON) Functional Assessment, a standardized assessment tool used that measures functional impairment and unmet need for care.

How is Hawaii marketing its Hire Abilities MIG grant program? One way is by posting sponsored events on their YouTube channel. The following link is for their video which highlights Artists Mean Business, promoting the work of artists with disabilities. This event, posted on the Hireabilities's Channel, is an innovative way of marketing the program and could be useful to other MIG grantees.

What are you going to do after High School? As part of its MIG grant, Florida's Agency for Persons with Disabilities asked this question in a presentation to disabled teenagers about to graduate high school. By presenting a need for qualified workers, the importance of work on self-esteem and the resources to facilitate this transition, Florida is working to get more of its young disabled population into the workforce. This could be helpful to other states interested in this demographic.

How can states better engage the public and the disabled about employment issues for the disabled in their communities? A unique approach Hawaii has taken is to host a monthly Disability Perspective TV show on public television. Meant to educate the public on employment barriers for people with disabilities and the work incentives available for them, this program covers different topics and personal experiences relating to MIG grant programs. Online streaming of the show is available.

How is the District of Columbia marketing their disabled population to employers? The DC Metro Business Leadership Network (DC Metro BLN) promotes the best practices in hiring retaining, and marketing to people with disabilities in the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia, and Suburban Maryland. Their website and newsletter highlight the program and offers resources aimed at employers, including survey questions. It‘s a marketing approach that could be useful to other states.

Connect-Ability is searching for a group of Connecticut employers of all types, all across the state, to join their Employer Designation Pilot. This Pilot is a collaborative effort that will provide employers in the public and private sector an opportunity to share ideas and learn how they can increase their organization’s recruitment effectiveness by reaching a virtually untapped employment pool – people with disabilities. Review information, including participant resources.

How can states facilitate business and disabled employee connections? In Connecticut, AAPD and Connect-Ability sponsored Disability Mentoring Day: Career Development for the 21st Century. Designed to assist employers and job seekers in finding the “perfect match” in employment, it’s part of a commitment to making mentoring a year-round effort to raise awareness and promote the training and hiring workers with disabilities. A sample of the employers guide that was distributed is attached below.

Personal stories of successful employment speaks volumes of a MIG program’s success and is a great marketing tool. Arkansas created a YouTube channel called ArkWrkDisabilities where it showcases inspiring video clips of Arkansans with disabilities who are successfully employed. This approach could be useful to other states trying to find ways to get the word out about their MIG programs.