[NFBP-BlindParents] FW: OVR Public Listening Session Announcement

Thu May 5 15:10:02 UTC 2022

Hello everyone,
I encourage you to sign up for and attend one of the following Pennsylvania
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation listening sessions if you are interested
in the vocational rehabilitation services provided by OVR. This is not an
NFB event, but it does impact how blindness services are provided in
Pennsylvania to some people currently receiving subminimum  wages who are
seeking competitive, integrated employment.

Joseph Drenth, MBA 
First Vice-President, National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania

From: LI, OVR Stakeholder List <RA-LIOVR-STAKEHOLDER at PA.GOV> 
Subject: OVR Public Listening Session Announcement

OVR Public Listening Session Announcement

The Office of Vocational Rehabilitation will be hosting two public Listening
Sessions to seek input from stakeholders as it prepares to apply to the
Rehabilitation Services Administration for a competitive discretionary
grant. The public is invited to attend and share comments. CART and ASL
services will be available.

Listening Sessions

1.	Wednesday, May 11, 2022, from 7 - 8 p.m. EST 

<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fus02web.z
oom.us%2Fmeeting%2Fregister%2FtZIudOqqpzwtE9ApyjqJrKDmSs1ghLXS9Bh5&data=05%7
C01%7Cshelbismit%40pa.gov%7Cd872753e93fd442fae3808da287e7608%7C418e284101284
dd59b6c47fc5a9a1bde%7C0%7C0%7C637866820862935913%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJ
WIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C
%7C&sdata=lRpELGHO2h09hzrV6SfVtvf63NglNCX5m0sEl5ZhCjU%3D&reserved=0> May
11th Listening Session Zoom Registration
2.	Thursday, May 12, 2022, from 1 - 2 p.m. EST

<https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEudOmopzIrGNBGRKKdsocBOaReBM5EjB
0Y> May 12th Listening Session Zoom Registration
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing
information about joining the meeting.

Grant Information

FY22 Disability Innovation Fund (DIF) was issued to support innovative
activities aimed at increasing Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE), as
defined in section 7 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act)
( <https://www.govregs.com/uscode/title29_chapter16_level0_section705> Gov
Regs Definitions), for youth and other individuals with disabilities. 
The priority of the grant is: Subminimum Wage to Competitive Integrated
Employment (SWTCIE) Innovative Model Demonstration Project. The project
seeks model demonstration projects designed to develop, implement, refine,
evaluate and disseminate, for easy adoption, new or substantially improved
model strategies or programs to transition individuals in subminimum wage
employment into CIE in any one of the following 6 topic areas:
(1) Essential Workers;
(2) Green Job Workers;
(3) Home and Community-Based Service Workers;
(4) Arts;
(5) Transportation Industry and Related Industry Workers; or
(6) Field-Initiated: Field initiated projects will identify and implement
innovative strategies that assist SWTCIE program participants to secure CIE.
A field-initiated project may (1) address innovative topic areas not
otherwise included in this notice or (2) combine two or more topic areas
described in this notice into one application.
The purpose of this competition is to increase competitive-integrated
employment opportunities for students, youth and adults with disabilities
contemplating, actively seeking or engaged in subminimum wage employment. To
achieve this purpose, projects funded under this priority will create
innovative models, for dissemination and replication, to: 
(1) identify strategies for addressing challenges associated with access to
CIE (e.g., transportation, support services); 
(2) provide integrated services that support CIE; 
(3) support integration into the community through CIE; 
(4) identify and coordinate wraparound services for any individual served by
the project who obtains CIE; 
(5) develop evidence-based practices and share those practices with other
entities holding 14(c) certificates, State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)
agencies, local rehabilitation providers, State and local workforce agencies
and regional and local employers; and 
(6) provide entities holding section 14(c) certificates with readily
accessible transformative business models for adoption.

<http://www.emarketplace.state.pa.us/Solicitations.aspx?SID=6100055903%20-%2
0DLI%202022%20-%20RFI%20-%2001> Access the OVR Competitive Discretionary
Grant Request for Information (RFI). 
The public is invited to also share written comments if unable to attend a
listening session. Written comments should be submitted to
<mailto:RA-li-OIT-BAS-Procur at pa.gov> RA-li-OIT-BAS-Procur at pa.gov with the
subject line 12 OVR SWTCIE Discretionary Grant before 5/10/2022 at 4 p.m.

  _____  

  _____  

This email was sent on behalf of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor &
Industry, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. For any questions or
problems, contact the list administrator at
RA-LIOVR-STAKEHOLDER-request at LISTSERV.PA.GOV. 
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