Over the past month, two of RespectAbility’s major workforce initiatives, the Building Better Futures initiative (BBFI) and our Enabling Economic Independence to Work program (EIW), made great strides forward.
The BBFI program, which is made possible by the support of the James Irvine Foundation, is creating employment pipelines in the information technology and job coaching spaces for disabled people with multiple marginalized identities who don’t currently have college degrees. The program aims to establish partnerships between the disability community, educational institutions, industry, and government agencies in Southern California. Furthermore, the partners that RespectAbility has brought together are exploring the possibility of collaborating on larger statewide initiatives. We are excited about the program models that will emerge from these partnerships and hope they will be replicated throughout the country to bring about a meaningful and lasting change in disability employment nationwide.
The EIW program, a partnership between RespectAbility, United Spinal, and our research partner, the Urban Institute, has secured funding from Arnold Ventures. The program aims to address one of the most significant barriers to employment faced by individuals who rely on personal care attendant services. At present, many people must choose between working and retaining eligibility for essential personal care services that are only accessible through Medicaid.
RespectAbility staff has designed a study to test the premise that it is cost-effective to permit individuals using personal care attendants to work and earn income while remaining eligible for Medicaid buy-in programs. We are thrilled to share that we are currently in negotiations with the Urban Institute, who will conduct the study as per our design. This study will help RespectAbility demonstrate that allowing workers to remain eligible for essential Medicaid personal care services will enable them to advance in their careers, while also reducing the net cost to state and federal budgets. Once we have the results of the study, we will be able to use them to advocate for change and push for policies that benefit the workforce.
We are a department on the move, accomplishing great things, and currently recruiting Fellows for the Spring 2024 cohort. If you are interested in pursuing a career in public policy, advocacy, communications, fundraising, nonprofit management, faith-based inclusion, or diversity, equity, and inclusion, we encourage you to apply for our spring cohort today!
