North Carolina
This Executive Order establishes the North Carolina Statewide Independent Living Council, to advise state efforts to improve and expand the provision of independent living services in the state. It includes representatives from an American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services project, the NCWorks Commission and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, as well as parents and legal guardians of individuals with disabilities.
This Executive Order establishes that competitive integrated employment is the first and preferred option for all working age citizens with disabilities in the state.
This bill requires the State Board of Community Colleges to establish a two-year pilot program for training programs that provide credentials or micro-credentials that lead to increased employment outcomes for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The goal of the program is to inform community colleges on best practices for providing these training programs and other services (such as financial and benefits counseling).
This bill requires the State Board of Education to report annually on the development and implementation of policies related to improving outcomes for elementary and secondary school students with disabilities, including model programs to improve graduation rates of students with disabilities, transition services for students from high school to postsecondary education and employment opportunities.
This bill appropriates funding for the North Carolina Association of People Supporting Employment First to develop and implement training programs (including online training modules) for the Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services on the provision of evidence-based employment services.
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: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS)
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program helps individuals with autism spectrum disorder transition to adulthood and find, keep, and succeed in a job. Services include job skills exploration and training, vocational assessment, job development, on-the-job training, and long-term training and support.
Operating Entity: Autism Society of North Carolina
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 North Carolina
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
The Business Enterprise Program helps people who are blind become food service or vending operators.
Operating Entity: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), Division of Services for the Blind
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program is designed to ensure that special populations (including students with disabilities) have equal access to career and technical education services and job training. Preparatory services are provided in the middle school or prior to a student's enrollment in a career and technical education program at high school. These services include recruitment of potential career and technical education students, career guidance, vocational assessment, and monitoring.
Operating Entity: North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
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: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS)
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program offers a master’s degree in clinical rehabilitation and mental health with concentrations in working with persons with developmental and psychiatric disabilities.
Operating Entity: University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Department of Allied Health Sciences
Entity Type: College / University
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
This program offers employment-related and support services to vocational rehabilitation consumers with specialized needs, including vocational evaluation, community-based assessment, job development, and job coaching. They are provided through partnerships with independent community rehabilitation programs across the state.
Operating Entity: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS)
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program supports individuals with disabilities and their families, including by connecting individuals to vocational, social and educational opportunities. Services are provided at thirteen regional chapters across the state.
Operating Entity: First in Families of North Carolina
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
This program helps people with disabilities find a job, keep working, or advance professionally. Activities include career assessment, counseling, education, job readiness training, job placement assistance, and assistive technology evaluation and training.
Operating Entity: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS)
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This initiative seeks to mobilize personal support networks for people with disabilities. During a 24-month program, participants complete a self-paced online course, engage in in-person learning forums, and receive ongoing mentoring and support. Participants receive training in community involvement, decision-making job finding, and other areas.
Operating Entity: North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities
Entity Type: Other
This program supports transition-aged youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities in achieving a fulfilling and self-empowered adult life. HEELS Prep provides career exploration, self-management, social participation, independent living and safety programs. HEELS UP is an abridged inclusive postsecondary education program. The HEELS Bridge program bridges the transition to higher education. The program is a collaboration between the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, TEACCH Autism Program, Kidpower International, and other University of North Carolina and community partners.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
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 comprehensive services help individuals adjust to vision loss and learning to live independently and safely in the home and community. Services include assistive technology, daily living skills instruction, orientation and mobility training, and more.
Operating Entity: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), Division of Services for the Blind
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program provides support to individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities with one-to-one services tailored to their needs in acquiring and maintaining daily living skills (including employment skills).
Operating Entity: Easter Seals UCP North Carolina & Virginia
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
This program helps people with severe mental illness find competitive community employment and provides ongoing, individualized services with a focus on employment. Services include personalized benefits counseling, ongoing treatment to manage medications, and peer support.
Operating Entity: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS)
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program helps families of children with special needs to get involved in their child’s education and development, learn about their child’s and families’ rights, and feel more supported in the community. HOPE operates a local network of trained parent mentors to provide a helping hand to other families. Staff provide information in Spanish, Hmong, and English.
Operating Entity: HOPE Parent Resource Center
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
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: North Carolina Department of State Treasurer
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
The North Carolina Postsecondary Education Alliance is a group of leaders with intellectual and developmental disabilities, educators, families, advocates and policymakers who work together to expand postsecondary education options for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It is facilitated by the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities at the University of North Carolina.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
NCYLF is an overnight, multi-day program that fosters emerging leaders by teaching youth and young adults with disabilities about how to advocate in their communities and for themselves.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
This program supports Parent Training and Information Centers and Community Parent Resource Centers in 12 southern states. Services include one-to-one consultations, trainings and webinars, peer-to-peer mentoring, site visits, non-profit management tools, and more.
Operating Entity: Parent to Parent of Georgia
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: Exceptional Children's Assistance Center (ECAC)
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 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
Project STIR collaborates with other local, state and national agencies and organizations to increase awareness of inclusion, self-advocacy and self-determination among individuals with disabilities. It provides interactive workshops and technical assistance on a range of inclusion and advocacy topics through a team of trainers with and without developmental disabilities.
Operating Entity: University of North Carolina, Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities
Entity Type: College / University
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 North Carolina
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
This program includes transition services for high school students who are blind or visually impaired; career counseling; summer transition programs; and vocational and college training.
Operating Entity: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), Division of Services for the Blind
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program provides comprehensive services for people with disabilities and their families, including around understanding the education system, coordinating transition services, and identifying and gaining access to community resources.
Operating Entity: FIRST Resource Center
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
This program is offered to students who are blind or visually impaired and includes three tracks. SAVVY World of Work provides career exploration activities, paid internships with job coaching, interviewing skills training, and counseling opportunities. SAVVY Youth in Transition provides classroom training and field trips to help students develop confidence, greater independence, life skills, social skills, and vocational and study skills. The SAVVY College Prep program provides training in college survival skills such as independent study habits and use of assistive technology.
Operating Entity: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), Division of Services for the Blind
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program helps connect adults with disabilities to employment opportunities by providing assessment, planning, job development, job coaching and long-term support services.
Operating Entity: The Arc of North Carolina
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
T-STEP supports transition to employment and/or postsecondary education settings for adolescents and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The program covers six transition skills modules and enables students to practice these skills on a weekly basis at a volunteer internship site. Students also receive individual career counseling, higher education counseling, and self‐advocacy counseling. The program is offered at six colleges.
Operating Entity: University of North Carolina, TEACCH Autism Program
Entity Type: College / University
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
This program provides education and training to spread financial awareness and conduct financial literacy training to individuals and families to raise expectations for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities to develop financial assets.
Operating Entity: North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities
Entity Type: Other
Individuals who are blind or visually impaired can receive assistance from the Division of Services for the Blind in finding a job, keeping a job, or returning to work. Services and programs include assistive technology training, college/university training, on-the-job training, transitional services, and vocational training.
Operating Entity: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), Division of Services for the Blind
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
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: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS)
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
ECAC coordinates a youth leadership team that meets monthly, and also conducts several trainings for youth around topics related to transition and self-determination.
Operating Entity: Exceptional Children's Assistance Center (ECAC)
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
This program provides Pre-Employment Transition Services to students eligible for special education-related services, as well as more intensive case management services to help young people with disabilities explore career options, develop goals for their future, and overcome challenges.
Operating Entity: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS)
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This webpage informs constituents about programs in North Carolina that focus on the relationship between COVID-19 and mental health. It links to several documents discussing these programs and provides ways to access other resources like hotlines.
Operating Entity: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
Topic(s): Mental Health
This website details North Carolina's Hope4NC helpline, which addresses mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. It details different parts of the helpline system and links to additional resources.
Operating Entity: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
Topic(s): Mental Health
This social media post provides information on Long-COVID symptoms in children and provides a website for locating a health provider.
Operating Entity: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
Topic(s): Long-COVID
This press release debuts new mental health resources for citizens of North Carolina - the Hope4NC helpline (for the general public) and the Hope4Healers helpline (for individuals such as health care professionals, emergency medical specialists and first responders).
Operating Entity: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
Topic(s): Mental Health
This website provides online learning resources for parents, allowing for parental engagement in the distance learning process. This page includes tutorials for distance learning services for parents and various child-friendly educational websites.
Operating Entity: North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
This press release discusses the role North Carolina is playing in improving mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. It references helplines, videos and websites.
Operating Entity: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
Topic(s): Mental Health
This document provides guidelines for IEP meetings during COVID-19, whether they occur in person or remotely. The document notes that parents can request either in-person or tele-facilitated IEP meetings, and it advises IEP team facilitators through instructions for multiple potential IEP meeting scenarios. The document also emphasizes the usage of pre-existing crisis response teams to help students cope with COVID-19-related trauma.
Operating Entity: North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
Topic(s): IEP, Mental Health