AWI PROGRAMS
Disability Program Navigator Initiative
The Disability Program Navigator (DPN) Initiative is a joint venture between the Department of Labor and the Social Security Administration (SSA) and is administered by the Agency for Workforce Innovation. In 2003, Florida was one of 14 states to pilot this new initiative. This initiative has expanded to include 45 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The primary objective of the DPN initiative is to increase the ability of the One-Stop Career Center system to enhance the employability of job seekers with disabilities and to increase the number of career advancement opportunities available to them.
Currently, there are Disability Program Navigator positions funded in 15 of the state’s 24 Regional Workforce Boards (RWBs). During the first year, grants were awarded to five of the state’s workforce investment areas: RWBs 7, 8, 10, 12 and 23; RWBs 15 and 24 were added in the second year; RWBs 2, 5, 13, 14, 16, and 17 were added in the third year; RWB 22 was added in year four; and RWB 1 was added in year six.
Major Objectives of the DPN initiative -
- Increase employment and self-sufficiency for Social Security beneficiaries and others with disabilities by assisting individuals to understand how earnings may affect their social security benefits and other support programs.
- Facilitate seamless and comprehensive services to persons with disabilities in One-Stop Career Centers.
- Create systemic change and transform the culture of how the One-Stop Career Centers serve customers with disabilities.
- Facilitate access to programs and services and linkages to the employer community.
Role of the Navigator -
- Guide One-Stop Career Center staff in assisting persons with disabilities to access and navigate the complexities of various programs and services that impact their ability to gain/retain employment.
- Conduct outreach to develop and maintain relationships with advocacy groups, community organizations and agencies that facilitate the employment of persons with disabilities.
- Identify appropriate community resources for job seekers with disabilities to remove barriers to employment (i.e., training, transportation, housing, assistive technology needs, etc.).
- Develop linkages and collaborate on an ongoing basis with employers to facilitate job placements for persons with disabilities.
- Facilitate the transition of in- or out-of-school youth with disabilities to obtain employment and economic self-sufficiency.
- Serve as resources for referrals to on Social Security Administration’s initiatives: work incentives and employment support programs and the provision of services through the Work Incentives, Planning and Assistance (WIPA) program; Protection and Advocacy systems (P&As); and employment-related demonstration projects.
- Serve as a resource to the workforce development community to ensure the availability of comprehensive knowledge of Federal, State, local and private programs that impact the ability of persons with disabilities to enter and remain in the workforce.
Resources -
- Agency for Workforce Innovation Office for Civil Rights
- Disability.Gov
- Essential Elements of an Effective Job Search
- Florida Alliance for Assistive Technology
- Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
- Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)
- Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) Publications
- Small Business and Self Employment for People with Disabilities
- Temporary Employment Options for People with Disabilities
- Ticket to Work & Work Incentive Improvement Act
- Writing & Formatting a Scannable Resume
Additional DPN Program information may be found at:
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