1. Disability Program Navigator A Joint Initiative of the U.S. Department of Labor and the Social Security Administration FOURTEEN STATE EVALUATION TELEPHONE SURVEY - Key Findings James Schmeling, J.D. Michael Morris, J.D.

2. Telephone Survey One component of the 14 State Evaluation of the DPN program.[1][1] Conducted from September 2004 through February 2005 (T1). Will be Repeated in Fall 2005 (T2). Presents findings from T1, including all interviews (both DPNs and non-DPNs). Future analyses will be conducted by participant type, state, and individual DPNs. [1][1] The present analysis was conducted by James Schmeling, J.D., Associate Director LHPDC, Michael Morris, J.D., Associate Director, LHPDC, Helen Schartz, Ph.D., J.D., Director of Research, LHPDC, Noel Estrada-Hernandez, Ph.D., Post-Doctoral Fellow, Michael Hartley, Ph.D. student, and Sarah Johnston., Ph.D. student, of the University of Iowa’s Rehabilitation Counseling Program.

3. The Sample 819 people completed the survey. 149 (18%) were navigators and 670 (82%) were non- navigators. Includes approximately 11 One-Stop and local workforce development system staff, partners and stakeholders for each DPN navigator. The cooperation rate for the eligible participants was 96.8 percent. Sample success rate overall is 75.4 percent, with 819 completed of 1086 potential participants.

4. Participants from the Workforce System Workforce Director and/or Senior Management Staff Navigator’s Supervisor in the Workforce Center One-Stop Director Navigator Employer Liaison Case Manager or Career Director One other individual designated by Navigator

5. Other participants Representative from Vocational Rehabilitation BPAO An AWIC or Representative from Social Security Administration Field Office One other designated by the Navigator

6. Goals of the Telephone Survey Describe barriers and facilitators to services, supports and employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities in the Workforce Development System. Monitor changes in barriers to services, supports and employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities in the local areas. Describe navigator activities in facilitating improved system relationships and impact on reducing barriers to system relationships and improved individual outcomes. Assess awareness of the DPN, DPN roles and responsibilities and contact with DPN and provide information to document the DPN’s impact on barrier changes. Provide stakeholder perspectives that may need to be addressed with technical assistance and training activities. Assess association between activities measured by the Navigator Quarterly Reports and impact questions from the Telephone Survey with barriers and changes in barriers measured by the Telephone Survey.

7. Key Findings Overall satisfaction with DPN services was high, and rated an average of 7.54 on a scale of 1 to 9, with 9 being “very satisfied.” DPN services on average exceeded the threshold of “expectations met,” rating DPN service a 7.01 average, where 9.0 denoted “exceeds expectations.” DPN services compared very well to an ideal set of services, rating DPN services an average of 6.65, where 9 represented “very close to ideal.”

9. Key Findings The greatest advantages of having a DPN in the system noted are:  Improving interagency coordination,  Improving programs/service access, and  Improving availability of benefits counseling. Other significant advantages noted include:  Being a good resource,  Providing staff training and education,  Meeting with people with disabilities one-on-one, and  Providing knowledge and expertise about people with disabilities and service systems.

10. Key Findings The highest-rated perceived outcomes of the DPN include providing job seekers with disabilities greater access to programs and services, and benefits from improved service coordination. The most suggested improvements to the DPN program include:  Provide enhanced funding,  Provide more DPNs, and  Conduct more community awareness activities about the DPN.

11. Key Findings Groups or agencies are meeting regularly with the DPNs to:  Make decisions regarding reduction of system barriers (70%), and  Make decisions regarding funding of service for an individual with a disability to meet employment goals (51.8%). Navigators work most frequently on:  Raising consumer awareness of programs and services,  Raising staff knowledge on how to support job seekers with disabilities, and  Improving interagency coordination and program and service access.

12. Key Findings The greatest facilitators to employment, as identified by respondents, were:  Interagency coordination,  Local board policies,  Job placement services, and  Availability of skills training. The greatest barriers to employment, as identified by respondents, were:  Transportation,  Employer attitudes, and  Client variables.

14. Other important facilitators to employment Collaboration Disability Program Navigators (32 respondents) Vocational rehabilitation (10) Barriers/Limitations Stigma/attitudes (20) Client variables (8)

18. Other advantages to having a DPN in the system Role and Functions of DPNs Good resource (91 respondents) Staff training and education (42) Meets with people with disabilities one-one-one (39) Provides knowledge about people with disabilities (35) Provides expertise (18) Assists staff with workload (16) Advocacy (9) Provides Referrals (9) DPN has person experience with disability (9) Legislative/policy liaison (8) Provides accommodations (4) Technical assistance/AT (4) Change agent (2) Case management (2) Educates public (2) Fills in missing pieces (housing and transportation) (1) Educates employers (1) Grant writing (1) Supports youth (1) Job Development (1)

19. Other advantages to having a DPN in the system Outcomes Increases awareness (86) Improves service to people with disabilities (e.g., faster service; specific person to meet with people with disabilities) (21) Increases staff education/knowledge (11) Increases agency efficiency (10) Supports/assists staff with workload (8) Increases people with disabilities’ comfort level (7) Improves one-stops’ accessibility (3) Another place to refer besides voc rehab (3) DPN is a nice person/camaraderie (3) System change (2) Someone to talk to who’s not a lawyer (2) Advocacy (2) Empowering people with disabilities (1) Increases referrals (1) Dispelling myths (1) Improves one-stops’ image (1)

20. Satisfaction and Support (quotes from respondents): A wonderful idea One of the best models to meet needs of people with disabilities We want to help them be successful We just love our DPN, she's local, has lots of contacts Very impressed with the program Too many advantages to list One of the best ideas from the government; good impact on people with disabilities It's working; consumers know it's there It helps significantly, the info and communication Puts pressure on administration to provide what people with disabilities need in obtaining employment Gone above and beyond in certain areas Client satisfaction Beneficial to staff and customers. Don't know how they did it before. Services have always been needed

22. Other important roles or responsibilities of the DPN Training (18 respondents) Information and referral (14) Interagency collaboration (13) Increasing public awareness (12) Case management (6) Counseling (6) Consultant (6) Advocates (5) Educate employers (2)

24. Other important barriers to employment Barriers/Limitations Service/resource limitations Client variables (37 respondents) Childcare (15) Funding (10) Stigma/negative attitudes (12) Fear of losing benefits (12) Housing (9) Bilingual (9) Training (8) Personal care services (2)

26. Other barriers to obtaining services and supports Barriers/Limitations Service/resource limitations Transportation (96 respondents) Funding (30) Stigma/negative attitudes (20) Staff (14) Mental health (10) Client variables (9) Bilingual (9) Benefits planning (8) System complexity (8) Vocational Rehabilitation regulations (7) Economy (7) Equipment (4) Childcare (3) Housing (3) Case management (3) Geographic distance (3) Healthcare (2) Youth services (2) Substance abuse (1) Job placement (1) Job coaching (1) Advocacy (1) Preparation of DPN Lack of disability knowledge Deaf (7) Blind (1) Developmental (1) Learning (1) Hidden (1)

27. Area Work Incentive Coordinator or other SSA representatives 51% of respondents were aware of AWICs Of those who were aware of AWICs, 64% had interactions with the AWIC Of those who were not aware of the AWIC, 42% interact with a different SSA representative

28. Frequency of interactions with AWICs 6% daily 21% weekly 30% monthly 29% quarterly 9% semi-annually 6% annually

29. Topics of interactions with AWIC 73% of respondents reported interacting on increasing the use of work incentives 58% of respondents indicated interacting on increasing use of Ticket to Work 39% interacted on improvement in scheduling meetings with customers at the One Stop 69% worked on increasing One Stop staff knowledge about social security eligibility and benefits 72% increasing the use of the AWIC as referral source to respond to customer needs

30. Other issues addressed with AWIC Increasing community awareness (9 respondents) Increasing accessibility (3) Disability awareness (2) Technology support (2) Advocacy (2) Role modeling (1) Placement (1) Conflict resolution (1)

31. Benefits Planning and Outreach 67% of respondents were aware of BPAOs Of those who were aware of the BPAOs, 71% had interacted with BPAOs

32. Frequency of interactions with BPAOs 16% daily 27% weekly 32% monthly 15% quarterly 6% semi-annually 5% annually

33. Topics of interaction with BPAOs Increasing the use of work incentives (74%) Increasing the use of Tickets to Work (59%) Improvement in scheduling meetings with customers at the One Stop (61%) Increasing One Stop staff knowledge about social security eligibility and benefits (75%) Increasing the use of the workforce development system as a referral source to respond to customer needs (79%)

34. Other interactions with BPAOs Increasing community awareness (17 respondents) Peer counseling (7) Educating employers (2) Advocacy/Mentoring (2) Transition-school-to-work (2) Coordination (2)

37. Interactions non-Navigator respondent has with DPN Collaboration General (77 respondents) Within One-stops (21) With community agencies (19) With Employers (13) Barriers/Limitations Housing (3) Preparation of DPN Encourage DPN to attend training in Chicago (1) Trains DPN (6) Awareness of DPN Supervises DPN (21) Aware of DPN (3) Attended DPN presentation (1) Doesn’t know what DPN’s job is (1)

38. Role and Function of DPN DPNs Do Information and referral (28) Consults with staff on clients (24) Meets with clients (14) Marketing/Outreach (8) Assisting with Funding/Grants (4) Legislative/policy liaison (4) Technology/AT (3) Case management (2) Works with offenders (2) Job Coaching (2) Job Development (2) Staffing (1) Provides benefits information (1) Counseling (1) Multicultural awareness (1) Independent Living knowledge (1) Works with vets (1) Job Placement (1)

39. Role and Function of DPN DPNs Do Not Do Case management (1) DPNs Should Do DPN should get involved with Disability Training 101 (SSA grant) (1) Vision of DPN Sustainability of Program (1) Satisfaction and Support Respondent is contract holder of DPN, wants to keep program going (1)

42. Suggested changes to make the DPN more successful POLICY (Vision of DPN as program) More DPNs/spread too thin (87 respondents) More funding needed (71) Make DPN permanent (12) Continue the DPN program (6) Pay DPN better (4) Systems change needed (3) Policy changes needed (3) Make DPN full-time (3) Allow DPN to research grants (2) More policy changes at local level rather than federal level (2) Should be in all one stops (2) Expand program nationwide (1) WIA requirements work against the program (1) Temporary nature of position decreases credibility (1) People afraid to use tickets (1) Reporting restrictions not very cost-effective (1) Quicker access to services for people with disabilities (1) Political and funding problems prevent DPN access to certain areas (1) More precise mandates on program objectives (1) More than one DPN for the area (1) More flexibility on how funds are used, a, program was put in place without funds to support it (1) More money for people with disabilities, so they can hire more vocational rehabilitation (1) More funding but fewer DPNs (1)

43. Suggested changes to make the DPN more successful PROCEDURES (Program management issues) Need more definition of DPN duties (49 respondents) More on site time (21) More marketing (18) Allow DPNs to carry caseload (15) Allow DPNs to provide direct service (11) Prioritize their duties and focus on a couple at a time (9) Provide support staff for DPNs (7) More support services for people with disabilities, like transportation (6) All consumers' goals should be enforced seamlessly, not just people with disabilities (1) Allow DPN ability to make centers more accessible (1) RELATIONSHIPS (Collaboration; Awareness of DPN) More community awareness about DPN (53) More employer outreach (46) More interagency contact and communication (23) More buy-in from the partners (8)

44. Suggested changes to make the DPN more successful STRUCTURE (Role and Functions of DPN) Differentiate themselves from voc rehab (1) More job coaching (1) More one-on-one counseling and case management (1) More structure, goals need to be the same for all DPNs (1) Position needs to have authority, be able to make decisions, make agreements, shape policy (1) Need performance/outcome measures (1) Relax performance standards for people with disabilities (1) Restructure department of human services, more emphasis on serving consumers (1) SUPERVISOR (Preparation of DPN) Should report to department of rehabilitation (2) Turnover a problem (1) More support from all staff, not just management (1) Moved to another department, so now are office workers not outreach (1) Supervisors need to be more specific and consistent about DPN duties (1) Be more aligned with the workforce centers (1) Need direction and support from top down that resources will be provided (1) Need an area manager who knows ADA (1)

45. Suggested changes to make the DPN more successful TRAINING (Preparation of DPN) More training on benefits (5 respondents) More training on disabilities (4) More workforce staff training (3) More training on employer issues (3) Expert training, a credential of some sort (2) More training of staff so that they can work with people with disabilities, not just DPN (1) Less time in meetings, more training on site, like Goodwill (1) Disability awareness training mandatory for all staff (1) Better knowledge about rehabilitation (1) OTHER SUPPORT More support from the one stop (1) A closed office for privacy with people with disabilities DPN here does other duties beyond DPN (1) Need a tech support center (1) Provide support services for clients who want jobs and need transportation (1)

46. Suggested changes to make the DPN more successful OTHER NEEDS Can’t think of any, don’t know, too soon to tell, or none (96 respondents) Program working well (25) Attitude change in one stops so they believe that people with disabilities can work (2) A better economy with jobs (1) Don't know enough about DPN to answer (1) Don’t think that DPNs are needed (1) Not sure what qualifications are, needs to be more well- rounded person (1)