Disability Program NavigatorA Joint Initiative of theU.S. Department of Laborand theSocial Security Administration

FOURTEEN STATE EVALUATION

TELEPHONE SURVEY - Key Findings

James Schmeling, J.D.Michael Morris, J.D.

Telephone Survey

One component of the 14 State Evaluation of the DPN program.[1] Conducted from September 2004 through February 2005 (T1). Will be Repeated in Fall 2005 (T2). Presents findings from T1, including all interviews (both DPNs and

non-DPNs). Future analyses will be conducted by participant type, state, and

individual DPNs.

[1] The present analysis was conducted by James Schmeling, J.D., Associate Director LHPDC, Michael Morris, J.D., Associate Director, LHPDC, Helen Schartz, Ph.D., J.D., Director of Research, LHPDC, Noel Estrada-Hernandez, Ph.D., Post-Doctoral Fellow, Michael Hartley, Ph.D. student, and Sarah Johnston., Ph.D. student, of the University of Iowa’s Rehabilitation Counseling Program.

The Sample

819 people completed the survey. 149 (18%) were navigators and 670 (82%) were non-

navigators. Includes approximately 11 One-Stop and local workforce

development system staff, partners and stakeholders for each DPN navigator.

The cooperation rate for the eligible participants was 96.8 percent.

Sample success rate overall is 75.4 percent, with 819 completed of 1086 potential participants.

Participants from the Workforce System Workforce Director and/or Senior Management

Staff Navigator’s Supervisor in the Workforce Center One-Stop Director Navigator Employer Liaison Case Manager or Career Director One other individual designated by Navigator

Other participants

Representative from Vocational Rehabilitation

BPAO An AWIC or Representative from Social

Security Administration Field Office One other designated by the Navigator

Goals of the Telephone Survey

Describe barriers and facilitators to services, supports and employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities in the Workforce Development System.

Monitor changes in barriers to services, supports and employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities in the local areas.

Describe navigator activities in facilitating improved system relationships and impact on reducing barriers to system relationships and improved individual outcomes.

Assess awareness of the DPN, DPN roles and responsibilities and contact with DPN and provide information to document the DPN’s impact on barrier changes.

Provide stakeholder perspectives that may need to be addressed with technical assistance and training activities.

Assess association between activities measured by the Navigator Quarterly Reports and impact questions from the Telephone Survey with barriers and changes in barriers measured by the Telephone Survey.

Key Findings

Overall satisfaction with DPN services was high, and rated an average of 7.54 on a scale of 1 to 9, with 9 being “very satisfied.”

DPN services on average exceeded the threshold of “expectations met,” rating DPN service a 7.01 average, where 9.0 denoted “exceeds expectations.”

DPN services compared very well to an ideal set of services, rating DPN services an average of 6.65, where 9 represented “very close to ideal.”

Perceptions of DPN services

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Overall satisfaction w ith servicesprovided by DPN, 1 - Very Dissatisf ied to

9 - Very Satisf ied

DPN services meet expectations, 1 -Falls short of expectation to 9 - Exceeds

expectations

How w ell DPN services compare to theideal set of services, 1 - Not very close

to ideal to 9 - Very close to ideal

Mea

n

Key Findings

The greatest advantages of having a DPN in the system noted are:

Improving interagency coordination, Improving programs/service access, and Improving availability of benefits counseling.

Other significant advantages noted include: Being a good resource, Providing staff training and education, Meeting with people with disabilities one-on-one, and Providing knowledge and expertise about people with

disabilities and service systems.

Key Findings

The highest-rated perceived outcomes of the DPN include providing job seekers with disabilities greater access to programs and services, and benefits from improved service coordination.

The most suggested improvements to the DPN program include:

Provide enhanced funding, Provide more DPNs, and Conduct more community awareness activities about the

DPN.

Key Findings

Groups or agencies are meeting regularly with the DPNs to:

Make decisions regarding reduction of system barriers (70%), and

Make decisions regarding funding of service for an individual with a disability to meet employment goals (51.8%).

Navigators work most frequently on: Raising consumer awareness of programs and services, Raising staff knowledge on how to support job seekers with

disabilities, and Improving interagency coordination and program and service

access.

Key Findings

The greatest facilitators to employment, as identified by respondents, were:

Interagency coordination, Local board policies, Job placement services, and Availability of skills training.

The greatest barriers to employment, as identified by respondents, were:

Transportation, Employer attitudes, and Client variables.

Facilitators to employment

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Inte

rage

ncy co

ordi

natio

n

Socia

l Sec

urity

wor

k inc

entiv

es

Trans

porta

tion

Job

place

men

t ser

vices

Emplo

yer a

ttititu

des

Loca

l boa

rd p

olicie

s

Acces

s to

hea

lth ca

re

Feder

al per

form

ance

mea

sure

s

Availa

bility

of s

kills

train

ing

Availa

bility

of c

ompu

ter t

rain

ing

Availa

bility

of e

mplo

yer s

uppor

ts, in

cludin

g job

coa

...

Unem

ploym

ent r

ate

in lo

cal a

rea

Availa

bility

of w

orkp

lace

acco

mm

odat

ions

Oth

er

Mea

n,

1 -

No

t a

faci

lita

tor

to 9

- G

reat

est

faci

lita

tor

Other important facilitators to employment

Collaboration Disability Program Navigators (32

respondents) Vocational rehabilitation (10) Barriers/Limitations Stigma/attitudes (20) Client variables (8)

One-Stop or Local Area Performance

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Inte

rage

ncy co

ordi

natio

n

Emplo

yer r

elat

ions

hips

Techno

logica

l acc

ess

Progr

am/S

ervic

e ac

cess

Physic

al acc

ess

Availa

bility

of a

ccom

mod

atio

ns

Availa

bility

of b

enefits

coun

selin

g

Availa

bility

of w

ork

incen

tives

coun

selin

g

Consu

mer

awar

enes

s of p

rogra

m a

nd s

ervic

es a

vaila

ble

Staff

know

ledg

e of h

ow to

sup

port

job

seek

ers w

ith d

...

Acces

s to

train

ing

serv

ices

Trans

ition

for y

outh

with

disa

biliti

es in

to e

mpl

oym

ent

Conne

ctio

ns w

ith co

mm

unity

ser

vice

prov

iders

Mea

n,

1 -

Po

or

to 9

- S

up

erio

r

Perceptions of outcomes of DPN in the system

0

1

2

3

4

5

Job

seeke

rs h

ave

great

er a

cces

s

Job

seeke

rs h

ave

mor

e effe

ctive

and

mea

ningf

ul par

ticip

ation

Barrie

rs to

phy

sical

acc

ess

rem

oved

Barrie

rs to

pro

gram

acc

ess r

emov

ed

Barrie

rs to

tech

nolo

gical

and co

mm

unica

tion

acce

ss re

mov

ed

Staff

traine

d to

ass

ist w

ith c

ompu

ter a

cces

s an

d us

e

Job

seeke

rs b

enef

it fro

m im

prov

ed s

ervic

e co

ordina

tion

Mor

e jo

b se

eker

s re

gister

ed fo

r WIA

ser

vices

Mor

e jo

b se

eker

s ac

cess

WIA

inte

nsive

serv

ices

Mor

e jo

b se

eker

s ac

cess

train

ing

serv

ices

or IT

As

Acces

s to

new

or a

dditio

nal r

esour

ces

for e

mplo

ymen

t goa

ls

Effecti

ve a

ccess

to se

rvice

s equa

l to n

on-d

isable

d

Timely

acce

ss to

ser

vices

equ

al to

non

-disa

bled

Mea

ningfu

l acc

ess t

o se

rvice

s eq

ual t

o no

n-disa

bled

Impr

oved

em

ploy

men

t sta

tus,

bec

ame

empl

oyed

, incr

eased

hou

rs, o

r inc

reas

ed w

ages

Mea

n,

1 -

Str

on

gly

Dis

agre

e, 2

- D

isag

ree,

3 -

Nei

ther

ag

ree

no

r d

isag

ree,

4 -

Ag

ree,

5 -

Str

on

gly

Ag

ree

Advantages to DPN in system

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Impr

oving

inte

rage

ncy c

oord

inat

ion

Buildi

ng e

mplo

yer r

elat

ions

hips

Impr

oving

pro

gram

/serv

ice a

cces

s

Impr

oving

ava

ilabi

lity o

f ben

efits

cou

nseli

ng

Impr

oving

em

ploym

ent o

utco

mes

Oth

er

Mea

n,

1 -

No

t an

ad

van

tag

e 9

- G

reat

est

adva

nta

ge

Other advantages to having a DPN in the system Role and Functions of DPNs Good resource (91 respondents) Staff training and education (42) Meets with people with disabilities

one-one-one (39) Provides knowledge about people

with disabilities (35) Provides expertise (18) Assists staff with workload (16) Advocacy (9) Provides Referrals (9) DPN has person experience with

disability (9)

Legislative/policy liaison (8) Provides accommodations (4) Technical assistance/AT (4) Change agent (2) Case management (2) Educates public (2) Fills in missing pieces (housing

and transportation) (1) Educates employers (1) Grant writing (1) Supports youth (1) Job Development (1)

Other advantages to having a DPN in the system Outcomes Increases awareness (86) Improves service to people with

disabilities (e.g., faster service; specific person to meet with people with disabilities) (21)

Increases staff education/knowledge (11)

Increases agency efficiency (10) Supports/assists staff with

workload (8) Increases people with disabilities’

comfort level (7) Improves one-stops’ accessibility

(3)

Another place to refer besides voc rehab (3)

DPN is a nice person/camaraderie (3)

System change (2) Someone to talk to who’s not a

lawyer (2) Advocacy (2) Empowering people with

disabilities (1) Increases referrals (1) Dispelling myths (1) Improves one-stops’ image (1)

Satisfaction and Support (quotes from respondents): A wonderful idea One of the best models to meet needs of people with disabilities We want to help them be successful We just love our DPN, she's local, has lots of contacts Very impressed with the program Too many advantages to list One of the best ideas from the government; good impact on people with disabilities It's working; consumers know it's there It helps significantly, the info and communication Puts pressure on administration to provide what people with disabilities need in

obtaining employment Gone above and beyond in certain areas Client satisfaction Beneficial to staff and customers. Don't know how they did it before. Services have

always been needed

DPN Responsibilities

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Impr

oving

inte

rage

ncy c

oord

inat

ion

Buildi

ng e

mplo

yer r

elat

ions

hips

Impr

oving

tech

nolog

ical a

cces

s

Impr

oving

pro

gram

/serv

ice a

cces

s

Impr

oving

phy

sical

acce

ss

Impr

oving

ava

ilabi

lity o

f acc

omm

odatio

ns

Impr

oving

ava

ilabi

lity o

f ben

efits

cou

nseli

ng

Incr

easin

g re

ferra

ls to

BPAO, A

WIC

, Max

imus

, or S

SA

Raisin

g co

nsum

er a

waren

ess

of p

rogr

ams a

nd se

rv...

Raisin

g sta

ff kn

owle

dge

of h

ow to

sup

port

job se

eke.

.

Impr

oving

acc

ess

to tr

ainin

g se

rvice

s

Impr

oving

tran

sitio

n fo

r you

th w

ith d

isabi

lities

into

e...

Impr

oving

acc

ess

to S

ocia

l Sec

urity

wor

k inc

entiv

es ...

Impr

oving

con

nect

ion

with c

omm

unity

serv

ice p

rovi.

..

Impr

oving

tran

spor

tatio

n se

rvice

s

Impr

oving

em

ploye

r to

heal

th c

are

Impr

oving

em

ploye

r atti

tude

s to

ward h

iring p

eopl

e w...

Raisin

g aw

aren

ess o

f the

ADAO

ther

Mea

n,

1 -

No

t a

resp

on

sib

ilit

y to

9 -

Pri

mar

y re

spo

nsi

bil

ity

Other important roles or responsibilities of the DPN Training (18 respondents) Information and referral (14) Interagency collaboration (13) Increasing public awareness (12) Case management (6) Counseling (6) Consultant (6) Advocates (5) Educate employers (2)

Barriers to employment

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Inte

rage

ncy co

ordi

natio

n

Socia

l Sec

urity

wor

k inc

entiv

es

Trans

porta

tion

Job

place

men

t ser

vices

Emplo

yer a

ttititu

des

Loca

l boa

rd p

olicie

s

Acces

s to

hea

lth ca

re

Feder

al per

form

ance

mea

sure

s

Availa

bility

of s

kills

train

ing

Availa

bility

of c

ompu

ter t

rain

ing

Availa

bility

of e

mplo

yer s

uppor

ts, in

cludin

g job

coa

...

Unem

ploym

ent r

ate

in lo

cal a

rea

Availa

bility

of w

orkp

lace

acco

mm

odat

ions

Oth

er

Mea

n,

1 -

No

t a

bar

rier

to

9 -

Gre

ates

t b

arri

er

Other important barriers to employment Barriers/Limitations Service/resource limitations Client variables (37 respondents) Childcare (15) Funding (10) Stigma/negative attitudes (12) Fear of losing benefits (12) Housing (9) Bilingual (9) Training (8) Personal care services (2)

Barriers to obtaining services and supports

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Computeraccess and

use

Programaccess

Physicalaccess

Complexityof needs

Policies andprocedures

Partnerrelationships

Staffaw areness

andcompetency

Lack ofaw arenessof servicesavailable

Other

Mea

n,

1 -

No

t a

bar

rier

to

9 -

Gre

ates

t b

arri

er

Other barriers to obtaining services and supports Barriers/LimitationsService/resource limitations Transportation (96 respondents) Funding (30) Stigma/negative attitudes (20) Staff (14) Mental health (10) Client variables (9) Bilingual (9) Benefits planning (8) System complexity (8) Vocational Rehabilitation regulations (7) Economy (7) Equipment (4) Childcare (3) Housing (3)

Case management (3) Geographic distance (3) Healthcare (2) Youth services (2) Substance abuse (1) Job placement (1) Job coaching (1) Advocacy (1)

Preparation of DPN Lack of disability knowledge Deaf (7) Blind (1) Developmental (1) Learning (1) Hidden (1)

Area Work Incentive Coordinator or other SSA representatives 51% of respondents were aware of AWICs Of those who were aware of AWICs, 64%

had interactions with the AWIC Of those who were not aware of the AWIC,

42% interact with a different SSA representative

Frequency of interactions with AWICs 6% daily 21% weekly 30% monthly 29% quarterly 9% semi-annually 6% annually

Topics of interactions with AWIC

73% of respondents reported interacting on increasing the use of work incentives

58% of respondents indicated interacting on increasing use of Ticket to Work

39% interacted on improvement in scheduling meetings with customers at the One Stop

69% worked on increasing One Stop staff knowledge about social security eligibility and benefits

72% increasing the use of the AWIC as referral source to respond to customer needs

Other issues addressed with AWIC

Increasing community awareness (9 respondents)

Increasing accessibility (3) Disability awareness (2) Technology support (2) Advocacy (2) Role modeling (1) Placement (1) Conflict resolution (1)

Benefits Planning and Outreach

67% of respondents were aware of BPAOs

Of those who were aware of the BPAOs, 71% had interacted with BPAOs

Frequency of interactions with BPAOs 16% daily 27% weekly 32% monthly 15% quarterly 6% semi-annually 5% annually

Topics of interaction with BPAOs

Increasing the use of work incentives (74%) Increasing the use of Tickets to Work (59%) Improvement in scheduling meetings with

customers at the One Stop (61%) Increasing One Stop staff knowledge about

social security eligibility and benefits (75%) Increasing the use of the workforce development

system as a referral source to respond to customer needs (79%)

Other interactions with BPAOs

Increasing community awareness (17 respondents)

Peer counseling (7) Educating employers (2) Advocacy/Mentoring (2) Transition-school-to-work (2) Coordination (2)

Non-Navigator frequency of interaction with DPN by issue

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Impr

oving

inte

rage

ncy c

oord

inat

ion

Buildi

ng e

mplo

yer r

elat

ions

hips

Impr

oving

tech

nolog

ical a

cces

s

Impr

oving

pro

gram

/serv

ice a

cces

s

Impr

oving

phy

sical

acce

ss

Impr

oving

ava

ilabi

lity o

f acc

omm

odatio

ns

Impr

oving

ava

ilabi

lity o

f ben

efits

cou

nseli

ng

Incr

easin

g re

ferra

ls to

BPAO, A

WIC

, Max

imus

or S

SA

Raisin

g co

nsum

er a

waren

ess

of p

rogr

ams a

nd se

rv...

Raisin

g sta

ff kn

owle

dge

of h

ow to

sup

port

job se

eke.

.Mea

n,

1 -

No

in

tera

ctio

n,

3- Q

uar

terl

y,

5 -

Mo

nth

ly,

7 -

Wee

kly,

9 -

Dai

ly

Non-Navigator frequency of interaction with DPN by issue

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Impr

oving

acc

ess

to tr

ainin

g se

rvice

s

Impr

oving

tran

sitio

n fo

r you

th w

ith d

isabi

lities

Impr

oving

acc

ess

to S

ocia

l Sec

urity

wor

k inc

entiv

e i...

Impr

oving

con

nect

ion

with c

omm

unity

serv

ice p

rovid

ers

Impr

oving

tran

spor

tatio

n se

rvice

s

Impr

oving

acc

ess

to h

ealth

car

e

Impr

oving

em

ploye

r atti

tude

s to

ward h

iring p

eopl

e wi..

Raisin

g aw

aren

ess o

f ADAM

ean

, 1

- N

o i

nte

ract

ion

, 3-

Qu

arte

rly,

5

- M

on

thly

, 7

- W

eekl

y, 9

- D

aily

Interactions non-Navigator respondent has with DPNCollaboration General (77 respondents) Within One-stops (21) With community agencies (19) With Employers (13)

Barriers/Limitations Housing (3)

Preparation of DPN Encourage DPN to attend

training in Chicago (1) Trains DPN (6)

Awareness of DPN Supervises DPN (21) Aware of DPN (3) Attended DPN presentation (1) Doesn’t know what DPN’s job

is (1)

Role and Function of DPN

DPNs Do Information and referral (28) Consults with staff on clients

(24) Meets with clients (14) Marketing/Outreach (8) Assisting with Funding/Grants

(4) Legislative/policy liaison (4) Technology/AT (3) Case management (2)

Works with offenders (2) Job Coaching (2) Job Development (2) Staffing (1) Provides benefits information

(1) Counseling (1) Multicultural awareness (1) Independent Living knowledge

(1) Works with vets (1) Job Placement (1)

Role and Function of DPN

DPNs Do Not Do Case management (1)

DPNs Should Do DPN should get involved with Disability Training 101 (SSA grant) (1)

Vision of DPN Sustainability of Program (1)

Satisfaction and Support Respondent is contract holder of DPN, wants to keep program going

(1)

Navigator frequency of work on issue

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Impr

oving

inte

rage

ncy c

oord

inat

ion

Buildi

ng e

mplo

yer r

elat

ions

hips

Impr

oving

tech

nolog

ical a

cces

s

Impr

oving

pro

gram

/serv

ice a

cces

s

Impr

oving

phy

sical

acce

ss

Impr

oving

ava

ilabi

lity o

f acc

omm

odatio

ns

Impr

oving

ava

ilabi

lity o

f ben

efits

cou

nseli

ng

Incr

easin

g re

ferra

ls to

BPAO, A

WIC

, Max

imus

or S

SA

Raisin

g co

nsum

er a

waren

ess

of p

rogr

ams a

nd se

rv...

Raisin

g sta

ff kn

owle

dge

of h

ow to

sup

port

job se

eke.

.

Mea

n,

1 -

No

wo

rk,

3- Q

uar

terl

y,

5 -

Mo

nth

ly,

7 -

Wee

kly,

9 -

Dai

ly

Navigator frequency of work on issue

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Impr

oving

acc

ess

to tr

ainin

g se

rvice

s

Impr

oving

tran

sitio

n fo

r you

th w

ith d

isabi

lities

Impr

oving

acc

ess

to S

ocia

l Sec

urity

wor

k inc

entiv

e i...

Impr

oving

con

nect

ion

with c

omm

unity

serv

ice p

rovid

ers

Impr

oving

tran

spor

tatio

n se

rvice

s

Impr

oving

acc

ess

to h

ealth

car

e

Impr

oving

em

ploye

r atti

tude

s to

ward h

iring p

eopl

e wi..

Raisin

g aw

aren

ess o

f ADA

Mea

n,

1 -

No

wo

rk,

3- Q

uar

terl

y,

5 -

Mo

nth

ly,

7 -

Wee

kly,

9 -

Dai

ly

Suggested changes to make the DPN more successfulPOLICY (Vision of DPN as program) More DPNs/spread too thin (87

respondents) More funding needed (71) Make DPN permanent (12) Continue the DPN program (6) Pay DPN better (4) Systems change needed (3) Policy changes needed (3) Make DPN full-time (3) Allow DPN to research grants (2) More policy changes at local level rather

than federal level (2) Should be in all one stops (2) Expand program nationwide (1) WIA requirements work against the program

(1)

Temporary nature of position decreases credibility (1)

People afraid to use tickets (1) Reporting restrictions not very cost-effective

(1) Quicker access to services for people with

disabilities (1) Political and funding problems prevent DPN

access to certain areas (1) More precise mandates on program

objectives (1) More than one DPN for the area (1) More flexibility on how funds are used, a,

program was put in place without funds to support it (1)

More money for people with disabilities, so they can hire more vocational rehabilitation (1)

More funding but fewer DPNs (1)

Suggested changes to make the DPN more successfulPROCEDURES (Program

management issues) Need more definition of DPN

duties (49 respondents) More on site time (21) More marketing (18) Allow DPNs to carry caseload (15) Allow DPNs to provide direct

service (11) Prioritize their duties and focus on

a couple at a time (9) Provide support staff for DPNs (7) More support services for people

with disabilities, like transportation (6)

All consumers' goals should be enforced seamlessly, not just people with disabilities (1)

Allow DPN ability to make centers more accessible (1)

RELATIONSHIPS (Collaboration; Awareness of DPN)

More community awareness about DPN (53)

More employer outreach (46) More interagency contact and

communication (23) More buy-in from the partners (8)

Suggested changes to make the DPN more successfulSTRUCTURE (Role and Functions of DPN) Differentiate themselves from voc rehab (1) More job coaching (1) More one-on-one counseling and case

management (1) More structure, goals need to be the same

for all DPNs (1) Position needs to have authority, be able to

make decisions, make agreements, shape policy (1)

Need performance/outcome measures (1) Relax performance standards for people

with disabilities (1) Restructure department of human services,

more emphasis on serving consumers (1)

SUPERVISOR (Preparation of DPN) Should report to department of rehabilitation

(2) Turnover a problem (1) More support from all staff, not just

management (1) Moved to another department, so now are

office workers not outreach (1) Supervisors need to be more specific and

consistent about DPN duties (1) Be more aligned with the workforce centers

(1) Need direction and support from top down

that resources will be provided (1) Need an area manager who knows ADA (1)

Suggested changes to make the DPN more successfulTRAINING (Preparation of DPN) More training on benefits (5

respondents) More training on disabilities (4) More workforce staff training (3) More training on employer issues (3) Expert training, a credential of some

sort (2) More training of staff so that they can

work with people with disabilities, not just DPN (1)

Less time in meetings, more training on site, like Goodwill (1)

Disability awareness training mandatory for all staff (1)

Better knowledge about rehabilitation (1)

OTHER SUPPORT More support from the one stop (1) A closed office for privacy with people

with disabilities DPN here does other duties beyond DPN (1)

Need a tech support center (1) Provide support services for clients

who want jobs and need transportation (1)

Suggested changes to make the DPN more successfulOTHER NEEDS Can’t think of any, don’t know, too soon to tell, or none

(96 respondents) Program working well (25) Attitude change in one stops so they believe that people

with disabilities can work (2) A better economy with jobs (1) Don't know enough about DPN to answer (1) Don’t think that DPNs are needed (1) Not sure what qualifications are, needs to be more well-

rounded person (1)