This Executive Order establishes an Employment First policy for all state agencies, so that competitive integrated employment is the first consideration and preferred outcome of publicly-funded education, training, employment and long-term supports and services for working-age Pennsylvanians with a disability.
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
This resolution declares August 2017 as #ABLEtoSave Month, to enhance awareness of Achieving a Better Living Experience (ABLE) accounts as a financial savings tool and to increase the number of ABLE accounts opened.
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
This bill expands eligibility of certain medical assistance benefits to include workers with disabilities experiencing job success.
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
This bill prohibits transportation network companies (TNCs) from imposing additional charges because of a person's disability and requires TNCs to:
1. Adopt a policy of nondiscrimination regarding individuals with disabilities;
2. Transport service animals accompanying individuals with disabilities at no additional charge;
3. Facilitate transportation for passengers who require a wheelchair-accessible vehicle;
4. Annually report the programs and best practices implemented to improve the accessibility of service to individuals with disabilities; and
5. Provide materials and train drivers around providing service to individuals with disabilities.
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
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
The Business Enterprise Program helps people who are blind become food service or vending operators.
Operating Entity: Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
This program evaluates and supports people in the following areas of assistive technology: positioning and mobility; computer access; augmentative communication; environmental controls; driver evaluation; vehicle modification; devices for activities of daily living; devices for visual and/or auditory impairment; and home and work modifications. The Learning Technology Program assesses student’s needs in the classroom and trains them in the use of assistive technology, as needed.
Operating Entity: Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, Hiram G. Andrews Center
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
This program helps ensure underserved parents of children with disabilities, including low-income parents, parents of children who are English learners, and parents with disabilities, have the training and information they need to enable them to participate effectively in helping their children.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Topic(s): Family Engagement
This program provides training, information, individualized support, and resources to youth with disabilities and families of children with disabilities in both Spanish and English. It also includes the Hispanic Outreach Project (HoP), which provides culturally and linguistically appropriate workshops and information specifically for Hispanic families and youth.
Operating Entity: Hispanos Unidos para Niños Excepcionales (Philadelphia HUNE, Inc.)
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Family Engagement
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 builds the capacity of local educational agencies (LEAs) to address the academic and behavioral needs of middle school students with emotional disturbance to ensure that all Pennsylvania students graduate from high school college- and career-ready.
Operating Entity: Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
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: Pennsylvania Treasury Department
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
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: Parent Education and Advocacy Leadership Center (PEAL)
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
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 provides information, training and technical assistance, and support to youth and young adults with disabilities and their families, including transition services to help youth and their families navigate multiple programs and service systems; actively participate in the development of plans for independence; and collaborate with transition professionals. It is a collaborative effort between Parent Centers in nine northeastern states.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Topic(s): Connecting Activities, Family Engagement
NE-PACT provides technical assistance to Parent Centers across 14 states, districts and territories (including Pennsylvania). Services include strategies for reaching underserved families, on-site training and support, an annual conference, program evaluation, and consulting around the nonprofit management process.
Operating Entity: Navigating Excellence-Parent Assistance and Collaboration Team (NE-PACT)
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
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
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
This youth-lead program for grades 8 to 12 enables youth to explore their strengths, give back to the community through volunteering, develop their leadership capabilities, and set goals for high school and beyond. It is open to youth both with and without disabilities.
Operating Entity: Mission Empower
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
This resource discusses how teachers can protect the mental well-being of students as schools re-open, including recognizing signs of stress in students, helping students cope with stress and connecting students to school support.
Operating Entity: Pennsylvania Department of Health, Drexel University
Topic(s): Mental Health
This resource explains the symptoms, incidence rates and impacts of Long-COVID.
Operating Entity: Pennsylvania Department of Health
Topic(s): Long-COVID
This webpage provides links to resources to help individuals manage their mental health during the pandemic. This includes contacting suicide prevention hotlines, completing a mental health screening and finding a mental health professional.
Operating Entity: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Topic(s): Mental Health
The Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education convened a Mental Health and Wellness Task Force, which reviewed and researched efforts to respond to the growing campus mental health crisis and presented recommendations to proactively address students’ mental health needs. This work began before the pandemic and incorporated COVID-19 considerations.
Operating Entity: Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education
Topic(s): Mental Health