# Presentation: 243233

## Job Corps Leadership Equal Opportunity Workshop Welcome

- April 6, 2005
- San Francisco, California

**Notes:**
Welcome to SF

Job Corps is committed to meeting its equal opportunity and
nondiscrimination duties and responsibilities. Over the years Job Corps has taken many measures to ensure equal opportunity to all applicants and students. These measures include revisions to the Policy and Requirements Handbook (PRH), the release of program directives related to various disability issues,training for staff at all levels, and the creation of center disability programs. 

## Workshop Objectives

- Review Job Corps nondiscrimination and equal opportunity requirements
- Discuss recent specific policy changes related to the Job Corps disability initiative and review disability program challenges
- Introduce/review tools/strategies to assist in the implementation of effective equal opportunity programs (Job Corps Disability Website, WIA Section 188 Disability Checklist)
- Provide an overview of current civil rights issues for Job Corps
- Participate in high level discussions of specific civil rights issues and case scenarios for decision makers

**Notes:**
Latest guidance from civil rights center on nondiscrimination and equal opportunity requirements

Disability program is now in PRH, centers will be held accountable for meeting minimum requirements

CRC is going to introduce us to tool we can use to make sure we are meeting all disability-related obligations and you will hear JC disability website mentioned often, please take a look at this site if you haven’t

Current civil rights issues in JC 

Going to use case studies & scenarios in several presentations to make you aware of issues you may encounter, & to learn strategies to deal with these issues appropriately

## DOL Conference Support	

- U.S. Department of Labor Civil Rights Center
- Conduct equal opportunity compliance reviews
- Investigate discrimination complaints
- Provide compliance assistance and training
- U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy
- Increase employment opportunities for adults and youth with disabilities through training, education, employment supports, assistive technology, integrated employment, entrepreneurial development, small-business opportunities, and increasing awareness of the benefits of hiring people with disabilities

**Notes:**
CRC-compliance/complaint investigation function, but also provide training/TA and can be a resource/partner
Speaker is Greg Shaw who will be talking about Nondiscrimination and equal opportunity requirements,  WIA Disability Checklist, and current civil rights issues for JC

ODEP has provided technical assistance, training to JC at all levels
Speaker is Jennifer Kemp will be talking about transition for students w/ disabilities

## National Office EO Initiatives—Disability

- Why do we serve students with disabilities?
- It is the right thing to do
- A growing economy and productive society enable all citizens to engage their talents and interests through meaningful work
- It is the law
- Disability legislation
- Workforce Investment Act
- Rehabilitation Act of 1973
- Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
- It is required by Job Corps’ regulations and PRH

**Notes:**
no otherwise qualified individual with a disability, shall, solely by reason of his/her disability, be excluded from the participation in Job Corps

## National Office EO Initiatives—Disability

**Doing a better job by **
- Ensuring equal access
- Fostering an inclusive environment
- Providing support with interdisciplinary teams (IDT)
- Creating accessible learning opportunities
- Promoting independence

**Notes:**
These are the messages we want our students with disabilities to get through our actions
Discuss importance of senior staff  support of program

How do we achieve these principles?
1. Ensure equal access by providing reasonable accommodation 
2. Foster inclusive environment by
-OA practices (offer/discuss/provide accommodations during admissions, make student w/ disability feel welcome)
-Disability coordinator (provide point of contact so student can go to that person w/ concerns and DC provides guidance for student through all phases of program)
-Accessibility (physical plant and programmatic) make changes to physical environment if necessary (dorm, bathrooms, ramps) and to program, provide material in alternate formats (large print, tape, sign language interpreter)
3. IDT team meetings-review requests for accommodations, The disability coordinator is the chairperson of team and should identify the most appropriate team members (usually CMHC, health staff, department managers,must include the applicant/student, service providers
4.  Accessible learning opportunities-things we do in classroom to enhance all student’s ability to learn for examples Instructional strategies and Multimodal/multisensory teaching techniques
5. Promote independence-Through self-advocacy, social skills, and specialized training depending on individual needs, also resources/networking to make sure all needs are met during & after JC

## National Office EO Initiatives—Disability

**Next Steps**
- Learning disabilities and disability program sessions will be part of the June 2005 National Health and Wellness Conference
- Develop guidance on serving students with mental retardation
- Continue to develop online orientation for new center disability coordinators
- Continue to develop _[www.jobcorpsdisability.com](http://www.jobcorpsdisability.com/)__ as a one stop tool for all staff to find necessary disability information_

**Notes:**
Guide on serving students with mental retardation-Applicants and students with mental retardation provide unique challenges and as a result Job Corps staff have requested guidance on how to meet the needs of these students while in Job Corps and prepare them for employment and independence after Job Corps.  

Online orientation for disability coordinator would be similar to online orientations for other health staff available on JC health website, information about serving students with disabilities in Job Corps and the primary responsibilities of the position. 

Job Corps Disability Website, things of most interest to senior staff
	Center Disability Program Model
	Learning Disabilities and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Technical Assistance 	Guide (LD and AD/HD TAG)
	Mental Health Disabilities Technical Assistance Guide
	Video: Team Approach to Accommodating Students with Disabilities in Job Corps
	Training materials on various topics
	Links to outside resources

The next few slides are screen shots of disability web site
Ask how many people have been on site

## Slide 7

**Notes:**
JC Disability Website has just been redesigned, this screen shot is of the new home page 

Site is updated often, check under New items for recent additions 
Quick links take user to frequently accessed pages of site

## Slide 8

**Notes:**
Disability Coordinator Orientation-new feature on redesigned site, walks new disability coordinator through setting up a center disability program, good starting point for centers trying to figure out where to start/what to do first

## Slide 9

**Notes:**
Resources section 
Provides training materials (usually slides and handouts) on various topics from different Job Corps training events, can be downloaded and revised to meet center needs
Also features disability-related promising practices that have been implemented by centers/regions

## Recent EO Directives

- PRH Change Notice 04-10 Implementation of Final Rule on Equal Treatment in Department of Labor Programs for Faith-Based and Community Organizations; Protection of Religious Liberty of Department of Labor Social Service Providers and Beneficiaries (February 11, 2005): Revises Job Corps policy regarding the rights of students to exercise their religious freedom and implement the Department of Labor’s faith-based regulation.  Highlights of policy:
- Requires all center staff receive training on “religious rights” during orientation
- Permits religious activities on center, and allows for the supervision of religious activities to the same extent that nonreligious activities are supervised.
- Requires a process for requesting religious accommodations, including appeals of denials and record keeping
- Clarifies policy regarding providing transportation to local religious facilities
- Adds language on prohibited activities, regardless of religious motivation
- Clarifies policy on when direct federal support may support inherently religious activities
- Adds language requiring equal treatment for religious organizations

**Notes:**
OCR (Greg Shaw) will be discussing these issues as part of his presentation this afternoon

## Recent EO Directives

- PRH Change Notice 04-04 Revisions to Reinforce Guidelines for Staff Conduct (August 24, 2004): Revises PRH to include sexual harassment policies in employee handbook and require sexual harassment training for students and staff

## Recent EO Directives

- PRH Change Notice 03-06 Revisions to Include the Disability Program (April 23, 2004): Revises PRH to include disability processes and activities established over the past 5 years.  Highlights of policy:
- Requires students be provided with information about disability program during introduction to center life
- Requires yearly disability training for all staff
- Requires each center to implement a disability program that provides **individualized** and **coordinated** services to all students with disabilities
- Establishes minimum requirements for center disability programs

**Notes:**

Minimum requirements:

Disability coordinator to oversee the program

Written policies and procedures related to:
Center review of applicant folders
Reasonable accommodation
Formation of an IDT

Method to accurately collect and submit all required disability data

Written plan to develop and maintain partnerships with outside agencies and programs that will assist the center in serving students with disabilities

Written self-assessment describing the current programmatic and architectural accessibility of the center with priorities and next steps

## Recent EO Directives

- Program Instruction 03-03 Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Section 188 Disability Checklist (August 29, 2003): Provides information about the WIA Section 188 Disability Checklist, a tool designed to ensure that programs and activities operated by recipients of financial assistance under WIA are meeting their disability-related responsibilities
- Program Instruction 01-01 Use of Unauthorized Forms (November 27, 2001): Reinforces that the ETA 6-53 is the only form that can be used to inquire about a student’s health status during the admissions process

**Notes:**
Will be having session  on Disability checklist

If you are having issues with use of unauthorized forms, please contact Barbara Grove

## National Office EO Initiatives—Limited English Proficiency

**LEP Students in Job Corps**
- Over the past 5 years, the number of LEP students about 9% of Job Corps population
- In 2000 Executive Order 13166 was signed with the goal of improving access to services for persons with LEP
- DOL released guidance on Executive Order
- Covered entities include: Job Corps contractors and center operators; Job Corps national training contractors; and outreach and admissions agencies, including Job Corps contractors that perform these functions
- All centers must now be prepared to provide services to LEP youth

**Notes:**
Definition of Limited English Proficiency:  Individuals who have a first language other than English and who do not have the ability to speak, read, write or understand the English language at a level that permits them to interact effectively with employers, providers of education, training, and/or job placement services.

LEP Individuals in the U.S.
More than 10.5 million people speak little or no English (2000 Census)
Represents an increase of 4 million since 1990
Immigrants and/or LEP individuals will account for half of the growth in the working-age population between 2006 and 2015 
Direct correlation between a low-income status and challenges facing LEP individuals

## National Office EO Initiatives—Limited English Proficiency

**Job Corps LEP Workgroup **
- Met in April and September 2004
- Begin developing a national plan to improve outreach for and services to LEP students
- Review data from June 2004 Job Corps online survey regarding LEP students
**LEP Strategy Elements**
- Holistic approach
- Plan for all phases of CDSS
- Flexible and able meet individual center needs
- Use Job Corps’ strategy for students with disabilities as a model