Kentucky
This Executive Order establishes that competitive integrated employment shall be considered the first and primary option for people with disabilities of working age who have communicated a desire to become employed.
This Executive Order establishes an Employment First Council, which is tasked with increasing opportunities for competitive integrated employment in the state. The Council includes (among other members) representatives who have an immediate family member with a disability.
This bill expands the State Interagency Council for Services and Supports to Children to become the Interagency Council for Services and Supports to Children and Transition-Age Youth. The Council is tasked with designing and implementing a system of care for children and transition-age youth with or at risk of developing behavioral health needs that is community based, family- and youth-driven and culturally and linguistically competent. It adds the Executive Director of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and the President of the Council on Postsecondary Education to the Council, and requires agencies represented on the Council to adopt interagency agreements to advance the system of care.
This resolution directs the Kentucky Department of Education to collaborate with other entities to implement the Kentucky Peer Support Network Project, which equips a group of peers to provide ongoing support to individual students with significant disabilities to help them develop more effective communication skills, increase their participation in the classroom, enhance academic engagement and increase self-confidence and self-determination.
This self-determination leadership academy is designed to train individuals with disabilities, their family members, and professionals working with people with disabilities on topics ranging from self-determination to finding and using community supports to employment.
Operating Entity: The Arc of Kentucky
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
This program enables individuals with disabilities, service providers and others to learn about, access, and acquire assistive technology needed for education, employment, and community living. Services include device demonstrations, reutilization, loans, and financing.
Operating Entity: Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Kentucky Assistive Technology Services (KATS)
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
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: Path Forward of Kentucky
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
The program helps individuals with visual impairment, who wish to drive and are legally able to do so according to Kentucky statute, to be trained and issued licenses.
Operating Entity: Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Division of Blind Services
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
The Business Enterprise Program helps people who are blind become food service or vending operators.
Operating Entity: Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
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: Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program provides students with a variety of opportunities and experiences in preparation for competitive integrated employment and/or postsecondary education or training. The program includes both Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) and Individualized Transition Services (ITS). It is a collaboration between local educational agencies, the Kentucky Department of Education, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, and the Human Development Institute at the University of Kentucky.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
These services include Pre-Employment Training Services and Community Work Transition Services, which help high school students ages 14-21 become college or career ready by graduation. Other services include Supported Employment and Employment and Retention, which provide job coaching and assistance with job applications, resumes, interview skills, and more.
Operating Entity: Easterseals West Kentucky
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
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 offers low interest loans for individuals with disabilities who need assistive technology, including modified vehicles, hearing aids, adapted computers, mobility devices, augmentative communication devices or any other type of equipment or home modification that will increase their quality of life and independence.
Operating Entity: Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program helps farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural workers with disabilities attain gainful employment in production agriculture or a related occupation, access appropriate assistive technology needed for work and daily living activities, and more.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
This program is designed to meet the educational, transitional, and early intervention needs of children who are deaf-blind by collaborating with state education agencies, local educational agencies, and other stakeholders.
Operating Entity: University of Kentucky, College of Education
Entity Type: College / University
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: Kentucky State Treasurer
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Kentucky has nine Special Education Cooperatives across the state that assist local school districts in meeting the needs of its member districts. Services range from technical assistance, trainings, professional development, specialized services, research, and other needs identified by member districts and the Kentucky Department of Education.
Operating Entity: Kentucky Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Early Learning
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program aims to enhance employment opportunities for youth and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities by helping school teams understand the employment process, improve their ability to develop and/or enhance partnerships with employers and providers, and improve partnerships with families. It is a collaboration between the University of Kentucky’s Human Development Institute, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Department of Education, and other agencies, organizations, and college systems in the state.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
This program teaches individuals with visual impairments how to navigate safely in a variety of environments, including college campus or a job site. The program’s goal is to teach individuals to navigate independently with grace, efficiency and confidence wherever they might be.
Operating Entity: Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Division of Blind Services
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program supports Parent Training and Information Centers and Community Parent Resource Centers in 16 midwestern and western states. Services include one-to-one consultations, trainings and webinars, peer-to-peer mentoring, site visits, non-profit management tools, and more.
Operating Entity: WI FACETS
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
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: KY-SPIN
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
These programs offer students with intellectual disabilities an opportunity to take college classes, engage in career development and independent living activities, and participate in the social life of a college campus.
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 CASE is designed to increase the numbers of individuals with disabilities who are working in fields like Manufacturing, Healthcare, Information Technology, and Culinary Arts. The program provides direct services to help individuals access necessary training and post-secondary educational opportunities, and uses Career Pathway Coordinators to reach employers who can provide work experiences such as job shadowing, internships, apprenticeships and job placement in these fields.
Operating Entity: Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program provides individual assistance, workshops, resources, and more to help youth and young adults with disabilities pursue meaningful careers, live as independently as possible, and enjoy inclusion at work and in the community. Guidance and information is also offered to families, and focuses on transition, employment, the role of vocational rehabilitation counselors, and more.
Operating Entity: PACER Center
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
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
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: Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy, Kentucky Protection and Advocacy
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program provides customized technical assistance and direct support to Institutions of Higher Education to establish or enhance postsecondary programs that advance the academic success and social inclusion of students with intellectual disabilities.
Operating Entity: University of Kentucky, Human Development Institute
Entity Type: College / University
This program assist people with disabilities in achieving sustainable competitive integrated employment, maximizing independence, and gaining self-respect. Services include vocational evaluation, customized training, driver education, and an Academic and Lifeskills Program.
Operating Entity: Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Carl D. Perkins Vocational Training Center
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
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
This program helps individuals with disabilities who are receiving Social Security Disability benefits make informed choices about work and make a successful transition to self-sufficiency.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
YES! helps youth with disabilities develop self-awareness, self-determination, and self-advocacy skills to support a successful transition to adult life. It consists of a community group and a school program and is a collaboration between the Center for Accessible Living and the Commonwealth Council on Developmental Disabilities.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
This presentation provides an overview of sources of COVID-19 stress, signs of stress in students and staff and what schools can do to address that stress.
Operating Entity: Kentucky Department of Education
Topic(s): Mental Health
This webpage provides links to resources to help people manage their mental health needs during the pandemic, including immediate mental health needs and post-traumatic stress disorder from COVID-19.
Operating Entity: Mental Health America of Kentucky
Topic(s): Mental Health
Kentucky created a Q & A document pertaining to services for children with disabilities during COVID-19. It includes strict guidelines to provide families with legal information and paperwork pertaining to students with disabilities and the legal process by which IEPs can be adjusted to accommodate for necessary COVID-19-related adjustments.
Operating Entity: Kentucky Department of Education
This resource provides information on social and mental health supports for communities across Kentucky facing potential hardships and uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Operating Entity: Kentucky Department for Public Health
Topic(s): Mental Health
Kentucky created an informational letter that was sent to parents and families of students with IEPs. This letter reassures parents that schools must continue to provide specialized services for students with disabilities as dictated by an IEP. It also lists resources for parents with additional questions about receiving IEP assistance during online instruction.
Operating Entity: Kentucky Department of Education
Topic(s): IEP
Kentucky created a document containing resources for telehealth providers. These resources include legal requirements for providing telehealth services to students with disabilities and potential telehealth services and platforms.
Operating Entity: Kentucky Department of Education
Topic(s): Telehealth
The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Kentucky started offering virtual support groups during the pandemic to individuals and families affected by mental illness.
Operating Entity: NAMI Kentucky
Topic(s): Mental Health