This Executive Order reaffirms a commitment to employment for people with disabilities and establishes an interagency cooperative agreement to ensure the continuation of this commitment.
This bill directs the State Workforce Development Board to combine two or more sources of funding to support workforce-related programs or activities for vulnerable populations, including individuals with disabilities.
This bill prohibits a transportation network company (TNC) from imposing additional charges for providing services to a person who has a physical disability because of the person's disability, and requires that TNCs that provide paratransit services comply with all applicable state and federal laws related to individuals with disabilities.
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
This bill creates a 20-member task force to develop the state’s plan for implementing the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which includes the directors of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Division of Blind Services and the Agency for People with Disabilities.
This bill establishes that students with disabilities ages 17 to 22 who have not yet received a high school diploma or certificate of completion are eligible for their private school's transition-to-work program, which provides academic instruction, work skills training, and a volunteer or paid work experience.
This bill requires the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to provide Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) to potentially eligible individuals; to record and report transition services data; and to enter into a formal interagency agreement with the state education agency and collaborate with local education agencies to provide Pre-ETS and other vocational rehabilitation services.
This bill adds employment assistance and self-advocacy components to a program administered by the Florida Endowment Foundation for Vocational Rehabilitation and state Centers for Independent Living. The program provides personal care attendants and other support and services necessary to enable people with significant disabilities to obtain or maintain competitive integrated employment, including self-employment.
This bill:
1. Establishes the Florida Postsecondary Comprehensive Transition Program (FPCTP) and a corresponding scholarship, designed to increase inclusive postsecondary education and employment opportunities for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD); and
2. Establishes the Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities, which is tasked with:
• Disseminating information to students with disabilities and their parents about education programs, employment opportunities and mentoring;
• Facilitating collaboration between institutions and parents to assist students transitioning into a FPCTP;
• Providing technical assistance to postsecondary institutions regarding programs and services for students with intellectual disabilities; and
• Collaborating with various entities to promote experiential training and employment opportunities for students with IDD.
This bill requires the Agency for People with Disabilities to provide certain information to people (and their families) who are applying for certain waiver services, including:
1. An overview of vocational rehabilitation services offered through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation;
2. An overview of the Florida Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) program and various disability benefits programs;
3. A statement indicating that the applicant’s local public school district may provide specialized instructional services, including transition programs;
4. An overview of programs and services funded through the Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities; and
5. An overview of decision-making options for individuals with disabilities.
This program enables eligible individuals with disabilities to save money in a tax-exempt account that may be used for qualified disability expenses while keeping their eligibility for federally-funded, means-tested public benefits. Eligible expenses include education, employment training and support, and assistive technology.
Operating Entity: Florida Prepaid College Board
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
This program provide adults with disabilities opportunities to learn daily living, social, pre-employment and self-advocacy skills, including through paid work opportunities. It includes the Life Skills, Employment Readiness, Advocacy, and Participation (LEAP) Program, which provides community-based educational, volunteer, and work opportunities; entrepreneurial projects; goal setting and self-advocacy training; pre-vocational training; employability skill-building; leadership training, and more.
Operating Entity: Easterseals Florida
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
This program provides consultation and information for those receiving disability benefits, who need help understanding eligibility and the impact work may have on their benefits.
Operating Entity: ServiceSource Florida
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
This program provides technical assistance, training, and resources that facilitate the restructuring of mental health systems through effective consumer directed approaches for adults with serious mental illnesses. The program addresses a range of areas, including job-seeking, employment, economic self-sufficiency, money management, and financial literacy for people with mental health conditions.
Operating Entity: The Family Café
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
CAP helps individuals who experience problems when applying for or receiving vocational rehabilitation or independent living services. This includes advising and informing individuals of their rights and providing advocacy services.
Operating Entity: Disability Rights Florida (DRF)
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
This program helps youth and adults with disabilities learn job skills and find employment in their communities through pre-employment skills training; resume, application, and interview coaching; job search and job placement assistance; and on-the-job training and support.
Operating Entity: Easterseals Florida
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation has counselors who are specially trained to understand the needs and abilities of people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind. Services include trainings on hearing loss issues in the workplace, guidance and counseling on coping with hearing loss, and interpreting services for job interviews.
Operating Entity: Florida Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
EEP provides supported employment services to individuals with disabilities to help them find and maintain competitive employment.
Operating Entity: Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD)
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
FACT provides intensive, community-based treatment, rehabilitation, and support services for adults with severe and persistent mental illness who have not responded well to traditional treatment. The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation provides staff liaisons to help serve this group of customers in a comprehensive manner.
Operating Entity: Florida Department of Children and Families, Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
FYC is a group of youth and emerging leaders (age 15-30) with disabilities or special health care needs who learn about and engage in self-advocacy, peer mentoring, and other activities that will improve their quality of life. Opportunities include an Annual Youth Summit, program content at The Family Café Annual Conference, and a program newsletter.
Operating Entity: The Family Café
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Youth Development & Leadership
HSHT is designed to provide high school students with all types of disabilities the opportunity to explore jobs or postsecondary education leading to technology- related careers. HSHT links youth to a range of academic, career development, and experiential resources and experiences.
Operating Entity: The Able Trust
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
This program provides a range of independent living services to people with disabilities at Centers for Independent Living across the state. Services include help connecting to local services, assistance with job searches, local transit skills training, assistive technology help, peer mentoring support, assistance with school-to-career transitions, self-advocacy help, and more.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
This program provides need-based scholarships to undergraduate, degree-seeking students with disabilities attending state universities in Florida.
Operating Entity: Johnson Scholarship Foundation
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
This program provides educational lessons for individuals with developmental disabilities and resources for family members and caregivers. It enables individuals to learn and practice financial skills at their own pace, using interactive games, activities and educational videos.
Operating Entity: Florida Department of Financial Services
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Connecting Activities, Family Engagement
This program provides a variety of direct services for children and youth with disabilities, families, professionals, and other organizations that support them. This includes helping parents participate effectively in their children’s education and development and partnering with professionals and policymakers to improve outcomes for children with disabilities.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Pre-ETS assist students with disabilities in identifying career interests and developing skills to be successful in the workplace. This includes five required activities: job exploration counseling, work-based learning experiences, workplace readiness training, counseling on comprehensive transition or postsecondary educational programs, and instruction in self-advocacy.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Project SEARCH is a one-year transition-to-work program for students with significant disabilities that includes classroom instruction, career exploration, and internship rotations. It is a collaboration between local businesses, state agencies, local school systems, and other entities, and is offered at several locations.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
This program protects individuals with disabilities by empowering them and advocating on their behalf. This includes providing information and referrals, providing training and technical assistance to service providers, and conducting self-advocacy training.
Operating Entity: Disability Rights Florida (DRF)
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
This 12-week course prepares individuals ages 15 and up with a disability to work in the hospitality industry. The program offers classes, on-the-job training, certifications, and an opportunity to learn transferrable skills.
Operating Entity: Easterseals Florida
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
SSTIC is a state-level interagency team designed to facilitate inter-organizational understanding, identify needs grounded in data, identify and realign capacity building resources, facilitate collaboration and avoid duplication, and share responsibility and planning to improve secondary transition for students with disabilities. Subcommittees focus on Family Involvement, Postsecondary Education, and Student Success.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Topic(s): Systems Coordination
Supported Employment helps individuals with the most significant disabilities succeed in competitive employment through ongoing support services. These services are collaboratively planned and funded with various other agencies, including the Agency for Persons with Disabilities.
Operating Entity: Florida Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
This program provides financial resources to individuals with disabilities who desire to pursue their personal and career goals through attendance at a post-secondary institution.
Operating Entity: Family Network on Disabilities (FND)
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
This program helps students with disabilities train for a job, continue their education, or find a job after high school. Services include career counseling, work readiness training, and fully integrated work experiences in the community.
Operating Entity: Florida Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
This program provides a variety of Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) to help students explore careers any time students are out of school for at least three consecutive days (e.g. summer break, winter recess, spring break).
Operating Entity: Florida Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
This program help out-of-school and in-school youth with one or more barriers to employment (including having a disability) prepare for and secure employment and postsecondary education opportunities. Services include tutoring; work experiences; occupational skills training; leadership development opportunities; and postsecondary education and training preparation activities.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Youth Advocacy is a statewide project designed to enable youth and young adults with disabilities ages 14 to 22 and their families to participate more effectively with professionals in meeting their vocational, independent living, and rehabilitation needs.
Operating Entity: Family Network on Disabilities (FND)
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Family Engagement, Youth Development & Leadership
This self-advocacy training service pairs youth with a mentor or peer who is close in age. Through this mentoring relationship, youth learn how to self-advocate for community, social, and professional services and supports.
Operating Entity: Florida Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Youth Development & Leadership
Florida created a presentation that provides information pertaining to how students with IEPs will continue to be served under distance learning. This presentation discusses the process by which IEP plans should be altered to accommodate for the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health resources for students and families, and information on how qualifying students can receive telehealth services from Florida school providers.
Operating Entity: Florida Department of Education
Topic(s): Distance Learning, IEP, Telehealth
Florida provides links to a variety of resources, webinars, and agencies offering a range of information pertaining to distance learning and special education. Resources and webinars cover the means by which students with disabilities may acquire assistive technology and required accommodations for students with disabilities during distance learning. Additionally, these resources include federal and State laws guiding educators in providing special education services.
Operating Entity: Florida Department of Education
Topic(s): Assistive Technology, Distance Learning
Florida created a presentation discussing how schools plan to provide counseling, health, and other related services through the remote learning format. Specifically, it assists educators in providing both physical and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, recommending adjustments for both virtual health services and trauma induced by COVID-19.
Operating Entity: Florida Department of Education
Topic(s): Assistive Technology, Mental Health, Telehealth