[rehab] NTI Central.org Work from home for Disabled People

[David Andrews]

I believe they have been discussed on various lists.  If you go to:

http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/swish.cgi

you can search.  It does come up with hits.

Dave


                 At 04:53 PM 5/1/2013, Dick Davis wrote:
>Hi,
>
>Have any of you had any experience with this organization?
>
>Dick Davis
>
>
>
>National Telecommuting Institute (NTI): Providing Home-Based Employment
>Opportunities
>
>For People with Disabilities
>
>NTI logo
>
>More individuals with disabilities are becoming dissatisfied (not to
>
>mention desperately poor) living on government disability benefits,
>
>such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security
>
>Disability Insurance (SSDI). It is rarely the case that people choose
>
>to forgo work and live on what can be as little as $603 a month (the
>
>2006 Federal amount for SSI). Usually, they have been forced out of the
>
>workforce and onto disability benefits because of an injury or illness;
>
>or they were born with a disabling condition and have never had the
>
>opportunity to work. Frequently, people with severe disabilities need
>
>more flexibility and accommodations that the tradition workplace
>
>routinely provides.
>
>One increasingly popular solution has been to embrace
>
>"microenterprise" or home-based businesses. People with disabilities
>
>are not necessarily more or less entrepreneurial than the non-disabled
>
>population. Sometimes it is sheer desperation that forces them to
>
>become their own boss. In some cases, this has resulted in amazing
>
>success, freedom and a degree of independence that the entrepreneurs
>
>had never thought possible. In other cases, it has led to failure and
>
>even more dire economic circumstances than before embarking on the
>
>ill-conceived enterprise.
>
>This article describes another solution for people wanting/needing
>
>to work from their homes. The following is conversation with M.J.
>
>Willard, the Executive Director of the National Telecommuting Institute
>
>(NTI). Dr. Willard explains that NTI offers entry into the virtual
>
>workforce for people with disabilities who strongly prefer or require
>
>home-based work. The telework jobs developed by NTI could serve as a
>
>springboard to a home-based business, or the first steps on a career
>
>path in the newly emerging world of virtual work.
>
>Question 1: What is NTI?
>
>Answer: National Telecommuting Institute (NTI) is a distance
>
>training/job-matching non-profit organization which develops telework
>
>jobs for Americans with disabilities. NTI staff bring together
>
>employers who have agreed to hire remote workers, advanced
>
>telecommunications technology, and clients of state vocational
>
>rehabilitation (VR) agencies to enable individuals with disabilities to
>
>train for and work online in environments that are more easily
>
>accessible to them.
>
>NTI prepares qualified individuals with disabilities primarily for
>
>work as customer service representatives taking orders, resolving
>
>billing issues, providing product or service information, technical
>
>support or reservations. Current and former NTI clients work for
>
>companies such as Ticket Master, Home Shopping Network, Alamo, AAA
>
>Emergency Roadside Assistance, Lens Express, Staples, 800 Flowers, the
>
>IRS, the 800 Medicare Hotline and the Department of Labor.
>
>Question 2: How do you define Telework?
>
>Answer: Telework is work that an employee performs from an off-site
>
>location, usually the employee's home, over a telephone line. Unlike
>
>independent contractors or small-business owners, teleworkers are W-2
>
>employees. The employer withholds taxes and pays statutory benefits.
>
>Sometimes they provide health and welfare benefits as well. Telework
>
>wages are typically much more dependable than home business earnings.
>
>Question 3: What kinds of telework positions is NTI filling now?
>
>Answer: We're in the midst of filling 100 telework jobs with a major
>
>retailer in the Midwest. They employ home-based agents to answer
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>customer questions about product availability and store hours and
>
>locations. We're also recruiting another 100 individuals to work for a
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>Florida-based company as quality control monitors. They will listen to
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>thousands of other agents taking calls and grade them on how well they
>
>handle the interactions with their callers. Later this summer we'll be
>
>recruiting several hundred home-based individuals with disabilities to
>
>take orders for IRS Forms and Publications. And we just filled 20
>
>telework positions with the 1-800-Medicare hotline at the Centers for
>
>Medicare & Medicaid Services.
>
>It's important to note that in most cases virtual agents can live anywhere
>in the
>
>country and perform these jobs.
>
>Question 4: Is NTI just for people with disabilities?
>
>Answer: Yes, NTI serves only people with disabilities. We work
>
>primarily with clients of state vocational rehabilitation agencies or
>
>individuals who are willing to become clients of their state VR
>
>agencies. We work with VR agencies because:
>
>1. VR agencies pay training/support fees to NTI on behalf of their clients,
>so that
>
>the individuals do not have to pay.
>
>2. VR agencies will usually pay for the equipment and services their
>
>clients will require to work from home, such as replacing or upgrading
>
>a personal computer or installing high-speed Internet access. Each VR
>
>agency decides what they will pay for on a case-by-case basis.
>
>3. Employers who hire NTI's clients can receive a Work Opportunity Tax
>
>Credit if they hire individuals the VR agency certifies as having a
>
>disability.
>
>Question 5: What sort of qualifications must people have to perform these
>customer
>
>service telework jobs?
>
>Answer: Individuals must have experience using the Internet and
>
>email. They also have to be able to type at least 20 words per minute.
>
>Many jobs also require a pleasant voice and good phone etiquette. Call
>
>center agents must have a clear, audible voice and be good listeners.
>
>However, we also place individuals in quality assurance jobs that
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>require only good listening skills and attention to detail, and not a
>
>clear speaking voice. NTI and our call center partners provide the job
>
>specific training.
>
>Question 6: Are these jobs in which VR consumers can make a living and get
>off Social
>
>Security benefits?
>
>Answer: Yes, if that is their choice. Some employers will accept
>
>applications only from people willing to work full-time. Those
>
>individuals will get off benefits.
>
>However, many of the applicants referred to us by VR agencies have
>
>very severe disabilities and don't have the stamina for full-time work.
>
>Fortunately, most of our participating call center employers allow
>
>part-time work as a reasonable accommodation. Those taking part-time
>
>jobs usually stay on benefits.
>
>Question 7: What career path do you offer someone starting with a
>$9-per-hour part-time
>
>call center job?
>
>Answer: Individuals who perform well can move up to more demanding
>
>and higher-paying call center work. Some of our government jobs pay as
>
>much as $17 per hour. Some employees have become call center
>
>supervisors or quality control specialists.
>
>NTI facilitates these job transitions as a part of our basic
>
>service. And, of course, some people will use call center wages to pay
>
>bills as they build their own home-based business. We're committed to
>
>offering choices to home-based people with disabilities. These choices
>
>will increase as the number of virtual work options increases.
>
>Question 8: We've all seen the commercials that say you can
>
>"get rich by working from home." How do you convince both individuals
>
>with disabilities and VR counselors that NTI is not one of these scams?
>
>Answer: We explain that NTI is a non-profit organization that has
>
>worked to provide jobs for people with disabilities for more than 10
>
>years. We have large contracts with leading corporations and government
>
>agencies like the IRS. People don't become rich in these jobs. They do
>
>make competitive wages, usually ranging from $9-14, and the work is
>
>steady. We're a certified VR vendor in 31 states right now, which means
>
>we've undergone quite a bit of scrutiny from central VR offices. Most
>
>importantly for VR agencies, we operate under a performance-based
>
>payment system. If we're are not success in assist a consumer with
>
>their telework goal, we don't charge the VR agency anything.
>
>Question 9: How are people trained for these jobs?
>
>New employees are trained online directly in their homes. A typical
>
>training session is 4-6 hours per day, with a number of breaks. The
>
>training lasts from 1-4 weeks, depending on the complexity of the calls
>
>the agents will handle.
>
>Students dial into a conference call "bridge" so that they can hear
>
>and speak with their instructor and fellow trainees. At the same time,
>
>they also connect with their instructor over the Internet using web
>
>conferencing software such as WebEx. They can see the instructor's
>
>computer screen as she talks to them. Then, as the instructor explains
>
>each part of the application, she can demonstrate how to enter
>
>information or how to search databases for information.
>
>When it's time to role play, the instructor flips a switch so that
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>everyone in the virtual class can watch as one student plays the role
>
>of the agent while another student acts as the caller. The training is
>
>the same as if the 8-15 students were sitting in the same classroom
>
>instead of in their homes in 10 different states. The students are paid
>
>while enrolled in this job-specific training.
>
>Question 10: Who is the employer for these teleworkers?
>
>Answer: The situation varies. Occasionally, the company operating the call
>center
>
>puts the teleworker on its payroll.
>
>More often, NTI is the employer of record in a co-employment
>
>arrangement with the call center company. One of the benefits NTI
>
>provides its call center clients is a national virtual workforce
>
>unburdened by the paperwork involved in being a multi-state employer.
>
>Even when NTI is the employer of record, however, the call center
>
>client is responsible for the day-to-day management and control of the
>
>individual agents.
>
>Sometimes NTI is the sole employer. This situation occurs when NTI
>
>handles outsourced federal work under the Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD)
>
>Program.
>
>There is no relationship between the employer-employee arrangement
>
>and the length of time an employee can expect to hold his or her job.
>
>Other than the occasional seasonal contract, we intend all telework
>
>positions to be long-term.
>
>Question 11: What is the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Program?
>
>Answer: The JWOD Act, which Congress passed in 1938, provides
>
>employment opportunities for Americans with severe disabilities. It
>
>directs federal government organizations to buy products and services
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>from participating community-based nonprofit agencies dedicated to
>
>training and employing individuals with disabilities.
>
>Question 12: JWOD has come under recent attack in the Senate,
>
>who point out that fewer than 6 percent of workers in the program were
>
>being placed into mainstream jobs. How do you answer the critics?
>
>Answer: NTI does not place people with disabilities in sheltered
>
>workshops nor do we pay sub-minimum wages. Almost all of our jobs are
>
>with large mainstream companies or government agencies and wages are
>
>always competitive for the industry. NTI's goal is to give people with
>
>disabilities choices. Via NTI they can work from anywhere in the
>
>country in a location that is most accessible for them. Needless to
>
>say, those who prefer to travel to a central location to perform their
>
>work would look to employers in their local area. They would choose not
>
>to use NTI.
>
>Questions 13:  How is NTI funded?
>
>Historically NTI was primarily grant funded and we still rely on
>
>grants to fuel our growth. Federal agencies such as the Dept of
>
>Education and Dept of Labor have funded NTI's telework research. NTI
>
>has received support from private foundations such as Mott, AT&T,
>
>Robert Wood Johnson and Fidelity. As NTI is beginning to achieve
>
>economies of scale, fees collected from VR agencies are starting to
>
>play a more important role. NTI charges VR agencies a $3,300
>
>training/support fee contingent upon the consumer achieving at least 90
>
>days in telework employment. NTI is also generating revenue from
>
>federal telework contracts acquired under the Javits-Wagner-O'Day
>
>Program.
>
>Question 14: If I want to apply for an NTI job what should I do?
>
>Answer:  First, go to our website at
>
>www.nticentral.org
>
>and click on the "Apply for Jobs" button. That will take you to a page
>
>listing all the current job openings. Even if you're not interested in
>
>or qualified for the jobs that are open at the moment, go ahead and
>
>apply if you meet the general requirements. NTI contacts every
>
>applicant within 10 business days of receiving an application and
>
>conducts a phone interview to assess the candidate's qualifications and
>
>needs. Our staff provides applicants with suggestions on how to become
>
>a VR client if they aren't one already.
>
>Most importantly, we'll put the applicant's information in our
>
>database. Unlike organizations that say "we'll keep your application on
>
>file" and never call, NTI contacts applicants as job openings occur. We
>
>go to our database first as job orders come in, and we expect to be
>
>able to place most of the qualified candidates who apply.
>
>Question 15: If VR counselors have consumers who they believe need
>home-based work,
>
>what should they do?
>
>Answer: Again, check the NTI website at
>
>www.nticentral.org
>
>. Click on
>
>the "VR Counselors" button, which takes you to a section only for VR
>
>counselors. Make sure that NTI is on your agency's approved vendor
>
>list. NTI is currently listed as an approved vendor with 31 state
>
>agencies. If your state is already on the list, you can simply refer
>
>consumers to the NTI website to apply online. If NTI is not an approved
>
>vendor in your state, we ask either the counselor or a central office
>
>administrator to email NTI with information about the vendor approval
>
>process for their state. When we're invited to apply, NTI pursues
>
>vendor approval in that state.
>
>Question 16: What's on the horizon for NTI?
>
>Answer: NTI is riding the wave of the telecommuting revolution
>
>within the call center industry. We're currently developing telework
>
>jobs for hundreds of people with disabilities each year. Our goal is to
>
>turn that number into thousands.
>
>We're also exploring new home-based job niches to meet the special
>
>needs of some of our applicants. Check back with us next year to see
>
>how we're doing.
>
>For more information:
>
>National Telecommuting Institute, Inc.
>
>1505 Commonwealth Avenue, Suite 330
>
>Boston, MA 02135
>
>Main (617) 787-4426
>
>Toll-free (800) 619-0111
>
>http://www.nticentral.org/