Florida Employment First: Spring is in the Air!

April 29th, 2022

This spring, Florida’s Employment First team has a variety of ways to stay connected through conversations, virtual gatherings, and resources!

Florida APSE and Georgia APSE are collaborating next month to host the Maximizing Employment for Individuals with Disabilities Conference from May 4–May 6 at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) is presenting on two sessions:

1. Eleven Agencies, One Mission: Florida’s Employment First Collaborative Team. Jean Winsor, Project Director for the Florida Employment First Project, will describe how a diverse group of stakeholders in Florida are working toward improving employment opportunities for all Floridians with disabilities. Eleven state level disability, workforce, and economic development agencies and organizations are involved. Jean will highlight specific examples of cross-state agency collaboration and leadership in Florida, and help participants identify how they can support an Employment First culture in their own community.

2. Employment Empowerment Toolkit. Nancy Nickolaus, a Policy Specialist from the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston who works on the Florida Employment First Project will share about this toolkit, which is designed to support job seekers, families, teachers, case managers, employment staff, and other direct support staff to make employment the first option for all Floridians with disabilities. The toolkit includes a series of short, actionable guides to help support employment for people with disabilities

If you can’t make it to the Florida/Georgia APSE conference, check out the Arizona Disabilities Network online event series!

The Arizona Disabilities Network is hosting a series of online events, Creating a Successful Path: Employment and Transition Webinars, on the second Thursday of each month from April 14 through September 8.

Different content experts will present on each webinar focusing on the necessary components for a statewide system that provides and sustains competitive, integrated employment for all Arizonans with developmental disabilities.