This bill requires the Office of Higher Education to provide all residents (and their families) beginning in 7th grade with information about planning and preparing for postsecondary opportunities, including postsecondary education options for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
This bill enables school districts and special education cooperatives to establish community transition interagency committees for youth with disabilities, which can (among other things) identify services, programs and funding sources within the community that prepare secondary and postsecondary aged youth for further education, employment (including integrated competitive employment) and independent living.
This bill:
1. Establishes Employment first priorities;
2. Establishes a Task Force for Eliminating Subminimum Wages; and
3. Provides grants for a range of disability employment purposes, including:
• Conducting family outreach and education on transitioning from subminimum wage employment to competitive employment;
• Providing intensive treatment and support (including employment support) for adolescents and adults experiencing a first psychotic episode; and
• Delivering peer-led skill training sessions to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities understand community service options related to employment, education and transportation.
This bill requires various agencies to develop a collaborative action plan to increase the community integration of people with disabilities, including through competitive employment, with a focus on aligning policies and funding. It further requires Assertive Community Service teams, which provide treatment and rehabilitative mental health services, to provide employment services and include a full-time vocational specialist.
This program provides curriculum modifications and special equipment to enable students with disabilities to participate in state-approved Career and Technical Education (CTE) work-based learning (WBL) programs.
Operating Entity: Minnesota Department of Education, Career and Technical Education
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program provides personalized assistance and recommendations, as well as demonstrations, of different assistive technology devices to help deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing and late-deafened live more independently and safely.
Operating Entity: Minnesota Department of Human Services, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
The Business Enterprise Program helps people who are blind become food service or vending operators.
Operating Entity: Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), State Services for the Blind (SSB)
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
These programs include a Summer Comprehensive Training Program and a College Experience Program, which prepare blind and visually impaired students for college and enable them to experience the college environment.
Operating Entity: BLIND, Inc.
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): School-Based Prep
These programs are located throughout the state and provide job placement, supported employment, self-advocacy training, and more to individuals with disabilities.
Operating Entity: Minnesota Department of Human Services, Disability Services Division (DSD)
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This five-day camp is designed to expose middle school girls with disabilities (6th-9th grades in the fall) to STEM topics, including hands-on activities and experiments.
Operating Entity: PACER Center
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
This program assists participants in exploring goals and strengths, building employment and career readiness skills, shadowing professionals and trying out jobs, and succeeding in their roles.
Operating Entity: Goodwill/Easterseals Minnesota (GESMN)
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 teaches transition skills to youth (ages 14 to 21) who have visual impairment or blindness. Topics include self-exploration, career exploration, writing job applications and resumes, and succeeding at work.
Operating Entity: Lighthouse Center for Vision Loss
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
This project serves families and educators to help them better support deafblind students, including around topics like transition to adulthood. It is a collaboration between the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), the Metro Educational Cooperative Service Unit (ECSU), and a range of community partners throughout the state.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
MnSIC was formed to develop and implement the system of services for youth who are involved in special education. It brings together seven state agencies (the Minnesota Departments of Education, Employment and Economic Development, Commerce, Corrections, Health, Human Rights, and Human Services) and focuses on issues like coordinating transition services in Minnesota Public Schools.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Topic(s): Systems Coordination
MYP serves low-income and at-risk youth (including those with disabilities) by providing hands-on opportunities to apply skills they learn in the classroom and engage in career exploration and counseling, work readiness skills, and financial literacy training. Nearly half of participants have a disability.
Operating Entity: Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), Office of Youth Development
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
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 residential summer program provides Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deafblind students with trainings and activities to increase independence in their school, home, community and work environments. This includes job shadowing, volunteer opportunities, and more.
Operating Entity: Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf
Entity Type: Other
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
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 eight-week course helps individuals with disabilities build job skills for the retail industry, through an average of 10 hours of paid training per week. This includes hands-on work experience, employment readiness training, job placement assistance, and instruction on various topics.
Operating Entity: Goodwill/Easterseals Minnesota (GESMN)
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
This program provides vocational services for high school students, through two Vocational Rehabilitation Services staff members assigned to every high school, as well as through Pre-Employment Transition Services. Services include assessment, vocational evaluation, training, rehabilitation counseling, assistive technology, job placement, and post-employment assistance.
Operating Entity: Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS)
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
This program offers structured work experiences and related services to youth receiving Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) benefits. In 2019, 18% of participants had a disability. This project is a partnership between the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), and the Minnesota Association of Workforce Boards (MAWB).
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
This 5-year project is designed to increase effective family engagement with culturally and linguistically diverse families, with a focus on families of children with disabilities. The project provides strategies, activities, tools and resources for educators and families. It is a collaboration between the PACER Center, the Minnesota Department of Education, and Minneapolis and St. Paul school districts.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
This program provides culturally relevant vocational rehabilitation services to assist Alaska Native and American Indian individuals with disabilities residing on or near reservations in the state to prepare for and engage in gainful employment. Program services are provided under an individualized plan for employment.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
This program serves opportunity youth, including those with disabilities, by providing comprehensive employment and training services, including work-based learning, an introduction to career pathways, assistance attaining recognized credentials, and wraparound support services.
Operating Entity: Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), Office of Youth Development
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
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: Goodwill-Easterseals Minnesota
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
This webpage from the Minnesota Health Department defines Long-COVID, how it affects children, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and impact on communities.
Operating Entity: Minnesota Department of Health
Topic(s): Long-COVID
This bulletin provides guidance to lead agencies and HCBS employment service providers about the importance of implementing Employment First policy, the availability and use of HCBS waiver employment services, both in person and via remote technology, and the right of people with disabilities to make informed choices about returning to work during the peacetime emergency.
Operating Entity: Minnesota Department of Human Services
Topic(s): Employment, Transition
This webpage lists links to crisis hotlines at the top of the page and links to videos about psychological first aid. Additional resources are provided for parents and families, especially related to mental health, in response to the pandemic. Also included is a resource about living with mental illness during the pandemic.
Operating Entity: Minnesota Department of Health
Topic(s): Mental Health
This handout offers tips to reduce COVID-19 stress.
Operating Entity: Minnesota Department of Health
Topic(s): Mental Health
This webpage from the Minnesota Health Department lists Minnesota-specific resources for medical care and links to mental health support to help people find care in response to Long-COVID.
Operating Entity: Minnesota Department of Health
Topic(s): Long-COVID
The Minnesota Chapter of the National Association on Mental Illness hotline helps Minnesota's African-American community navigate resources and services to cope with the impact of COVID-19.
Operating Entity: National Alliance on Mental Illness Minnesota
Topic(s): Mental Health
This document provides links to resources and articles for parents and students. For parents, it addresses mental health and how to support children while sheltering in place. For students, it offers mindfulness tips in support of mental health during the pandemic. At the bottom of each page is a link to the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association on Mental Illness classes and contact information for support.
Operating Entity: National Alliance on Mental Illness Minnesota
Topic(s): Mental Health
This webpage links to resiliency and trauma healing webinars started in response or relevant to COVID-19.
Operating Entity: Minnesota Communities Caring for Children
Topic(s): Mental Health
This is a document with questions and answers about special education during COVID-19. It discusses eligibility for extended school year services, requirements and processes for IEP teams to make necessary COVID-19-related adjustments to IEP plans, and legal requirements for schools to remain in accordance with both Minnesota and federal law when providing additional virtual services to students with disabilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Operating Entity: Minnesota Department of Education
Topic(s): Distance Learning, IEP
This document contains questions and answers regarding special education during COVID-19. It provides information regarding the legal requirements for providing additional educational services for students on an IEP, scheduling adjustments for students with disabilities, and both legal and logistical information to help students with disabilities and their families adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic
Operating Entity: Minnesota Department of Education
Topic(s): Distance Learning
This video is a presentation from the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association on Mental Illness, with a high school emergency management, safety and security specialist and a student to discuss how student mental health has been impacted during the pandemic and the return to school.
Operating Entity: National Alliance on Mental Illness Minnesota
Topic(s): Mental Health
This reference guide shares social-emotional learning resources to aid educators in supporting students coping with trauma during the pandemic.
Operating Entity: Minnesota Department of Health
Topic(s): Mental Health