Ticket to Work Ambassadors Turning Disability Into Employability

Ticket to Work AmbassadorsTurning Disability Into Employability

San Diego Pioneer Front-Liner Team:Darah Gerou and Amy Giffin

Background Research

Average of 12,000 college students who are beneficiaries graduate every year.– 50% make a work connection– 50% go home and stay on benefits

College students who are beneficiaries, like any other student, have a tremendous drive to graduate and go to work.

These students are not making appropriate connections to understand their benefits.

Trusted Source

Most college students on benefits don’t trust SSA

Most college students on benefits don’t understand SSA resources

Students DO TRUST their peers

*Information based on student interviews.

Cost

Average lifetime SSA benefit cost for a student who graduates from college and stays home instead of making a work connection.– $400,000 per student– $400,000 per student x 6,000 per year = $2.4

billion per year on SSI/SSDI benefits alone

Cost to students who stay on benefits – A LIFETIME OF POVERTY

Idea behind the Ambassadors

Research shows we have to act now Research shows students trust their peers Simple answers was to hire and train

students on work incentives and disseminate that information to their peers.

San Diego Team: Pioneer Front-Liners

San Diego was the first site created to study the effectiveness of this project

Project started in April, 2010 Darah Gerou and Amy Giffin are the first two

trained Ambassadors

Program Goals

Train Ambassadors on high level understanding of work incentives and who to connect to in the community to obtain assistance

Outreaching to college and newly graduated college students on benefits using current technology

Minimizing student confusion regarding SSI/SSDI and other work incentives programs in order to make information user friendly

Connect students on benefits to community resources to assist them with using work incentives

Goals Continued

Through outreach activities, recruit new Employment Networks

Study what works and what doesn’t when outreaching to this demographic

Why the Ambassadors?

Ambassadors have a peer to peer point of view

Ambassadors are encountering similar frustrations with SSA and understanding work incentives

Ambassadors and their peers learn from each other

Student Incentives

Increased self-esteem

Obtain financial independence

Learn how to manage their own benefits

MAKE A WORK CONNECTION

Contact Information

Karla Bell – San Diego Site Mentor

Phone: 619-594-5381

Email: [email protected]

Darah Gerou – Ambassador

Phone: 858-254-6748


Amy Giffin – Ambassador

Phone: 858-442-6580


Contact Information

Please visit the San Diego Ambassadors on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/San-Diego-CA/Daniels-Associates-Pioneer-Front-Liners/132096373493859?__a=7&

Talent Knows No Limits

http://www.talentknowsnolimits.info/

Ticket to Work Ambassadors Turning Disability Into Employability

Documents

Transcript of Ticket to Work Ambassadors Turning Disability Into Employability