You are invited! Join the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities (KCDD) at KU Edwards Campus!

We want to share this information with you…
 

You are invited to join the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities (KCDD), Griffin Hammis and Associates (GHA), families, providers, and key stakeholders in Kansas Government for a discussion on how Kansas can best align disability employment services in our great state.

Kansas leadership and stakeholders have clearly demonstrated their commitment to work together to address the employment needs of individuals with disabilities.  KCDD, in partnership with GHA, now proposes that in order to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of our state’s multiple employment initiatives, an Employment Systems Roadmap is needed to ensure that Kansas taxpayers receive the very best return on their investment on behalf of citizens with disabilities.  To this end, KCDD has funded a grant to develop a Roadmap to build a strong Structural Policy and Practice Foundation to help guide our state going forward.

May 27, 2015

          Johnson County, KS 

Room TBD

KU Edwards Campus

12600 Quivira Rd

Overland Park, KS 66213

6:30-8:00 PM

As this roadmap is developed, it is imperative that feedback and input is given from both Government leaders and Community Stakeholders.  This grant will fund expert interactive facilitation of at least six stakeholder community meetings throughout Kansas using state of the art adult learning principles and three workgroup meetings among key stakeholders in state government.  Specific services and strategies to be addressed in these sessions include:

o   Analyses of current policies, practices, potential disincentives and barriers to persons with disabilities, including students with disabilities, succeeding in community integrated employment.

o   Analyses of changes needed to redirect taxpayer resources to integrated employment services outcomes.

o   Create a simple to use rate methodology based upon the provider’s actual state allowed costs, fair provider funding that incentivizes supported and customized employment outcomes.

o   Analyses of short-term and long-term revisions to policies, definitions, provider qualifications, rate methodologies, waivers, regulations, processes, and new requirements to ensure stability and quality implementation of the Kansas Employment Systems Roadmap.

o   Analysis of how multiple funding and support structures, in particular self-directed employment funded services, will promote changes to ensure continued long-term integrated employment success for Kansans with disabilities.  The analysis will focus on the following:

• Increasing provider capacity
• Ensuring a high quality, low-turnover workforce of employment professionals statewide
• Creating a seamless transition from school to integrated employment
• Transitioning adults with disabilities from segregated facility services to the outcome of integrated employment
• Increasing access to paid-work experiences and training to increase marketable skills in both secondary and post-secondary education and training programs
• Continue the development of internship programs such as project SEARCH, while creating individualized apprenticeship programs that give older youth and adults with disabilities access to a wide variety of community businesses
• Analysis of additional information including policies and practices from other states and federal resources
• Analysis of disability services funding models including key service and billable definitions and removing structural employment disincentives

As part of the development of the Kansas Employment Systems Roadmap, GHA will provide technical assistance focused on incorporating employment strategies in Medicaid Waiver opportunities, rate-setting, incentivizing existing providers and building provider capacity, interagency collaborative planning and resource sharing, organizational and staff competency development, and employer engagement strategies.  GHA will also be creating and disseminating an Employment Support Digital Library that supports all stakeholders and facilitates employment outcomes.

Working together, we can make work a reality for all Kansans with disabilities.

Please RSVP your attendance to this event with the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities at:

[email protected]g

785-296-2608

Thank you, and we look forward to your input.