US Department of Education awards more than $251M to improve employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities
The U.S. Department of Education (Department) Tuesday awarded $251 million to 27 grantees across the country who are working to ensure individuals with disabilities have access to in-demand, good-paying jobs of the 21st century.
These five-year grants, under the Disability Innovation Fund (DIF) program, will continue to promote competitive, integrated employment (CIE) so that youth and adults with disabilities are paid real wages for real jobs, while creating pathways to some of today’s most in-demand fields.
“Today, more than 60 million adults live with a disability – each with unique talents and strengths. In our 21st century economy, we must provide more opportunities for these individuals to achieve their goals for competitive integrated employment, independence, and economic self-sufficiency,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “Through the Disability Innovation Fund and today’s announcement, we’ll make progress to overcome historic barriers to employment, while ensuring the varied needs, preferences, and goals of individuals with disabilities remain at the center of our vision for a strong, inclusive workforce.”
The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) received more than 200 applications in response to its notice inviting applications. Applications focused on one of the following topics:
• Broadening access to advanced technology careers and creating a 21st century workforce of youth and/or adults with disabilities leading to CIE;
• Innovative applications of advanced technology to support youth and/or adults with disabilities leading to CIE;
• Justice involved youth with disabilities, including early intervention and reintegration from the juvenile justice system to the community, leading to CIE;
• Early intervention and workforce reintegration strategies for youth and/or adults with acquired disabilities that lead to CIE;
• Early intervention and workforce reintegration strategies for disconnected youth and/or disconnected adults with disabilities that lead to CIE; and
• Field initiated, under which applicants address innovative topic areas not otherwise included in this priority, or combine two or more topic areas into one application.
Grant recipients will develop, implement, evaluate, refine and disseminate new or substantially improved model strategies or programs to transition youth and adults with disabilities to CIE. Additionally, the grant recipients should design the model demonstration projects for easy adoption by others.
Recipients come from 16 states, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, and they represent 13 institutions of higher education, nine nonprofits, four state agencies, and one institution of higher education/special institution.
State
Name
Total Amount for the 5-year Grant
Colorado
Blind Institute of Technology, $8,030,000
District of Columbia
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, $10,000,000
National Disability Institute, $9,999,997
Florida
Florida Atlantic University, $9,961,460
University of South Florida, $9,914,983
Idaho
Regents of the University of Idaho, $7,805,939
Illinois
Aspire of Illinois, $9,267,122
Kentucky
American Printing House for the Blind, $10,000,000
Louisiana
The Lighthouse for the Blind in New Orleans, Inc., $10,068,975
Maryland
Maryland Department of Disabilities, $9,496,534
Melwood Horticultural Training Center, Inc., $8,025,391
Wor-Wic Community College, $5,732,501
Minnesota
Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, $10,000,000
Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development, $9,131,878
Mississippi
Mississippi State University, $9,995,345
Nebraska
University of Nebraska Medical Center, $9,941,252
New York
Volunteers of America-Greater New York, Inc, $9,994,188
North Dakota
Bismarck State College, $9,886,512
Minot State University, $7,482,490
Northern Marianas
Northern Marianas College, $9,197,150
Oregon
University of Oregon, $9,999,378
Texas
The University of Texas at San Antonio, $9,012,187
Volunteers of America Texas, Inc., $10,000,000
Virginia
ServiceSource, Inc., $10,820,573
Wisconsin
The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, $9,999,998
University of WI System, University of Wisconsin-Stout, $8,170,233
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, $10,000,000
Total: $251,934,086.
Visit RSA’s website for more information about each grantee.
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