Virtual Leadership Institute
Overview
Full inclusion for people with disabilities in the workforce is dependent on innovation and commitment driven by state and local leaders. In today’s state and local public policy and fiscal environment, the role of ‘leader’ has become increasingly complex and difficult. In order to be successful, state leaders need both an understanding of policy and funding constraints, as well as possess the skills and ability to leverage internal and external buy-in and participation in order to successfully spearhead interagency change initiatives. In order to help state and local officials who are at the front lines of leading change, the NTAR Leadership Center is offering a compelling and interesting series of leadership development workshops—called the Virtual Leadership Institute—designed to give leaders practical information and tools to achieve perspective, navigate change, and drive organizational and systems change.
This Virtual Leadership Institute (VLI) is composed of five 1 ½ hour webinar workshops designed to help state and local leaders who are members of the State Peer Leaders Network and State Leaders Innovation Institute meet the challenges of moving adults with disabilities into employment within their organizations, state leadership teams and communities. The VLI sessions focus on broad themes, innovative ideas, and leading-edge strategies that have been demonstrated to be effective in achieving an inclusive workforce for adults with disabilities in public and private settings. Each of the workshops concentrates on a critical performance requirement of today’s leaders in the disability employment and workforce development arena, providing and developing a wide range of knowledge, insights, and skills necessary for system change. The VLI is free to all participants who register.
Format
Five 1 ½ hour webinar workshops that include a presentation and time for questions, dialogue, and discussion.
Benefits of Participation
For those participating in all five VLI webinar workshops, the series will help participants:
- Assess and address public policy constraints to full inclusion of people with disabilities in the workforce,
- Review successful models for addressing workforce issues from both the employer and employee perspectives,
- Improve skills for leading change initiatives, and
- Develop an understanding of the challenges of interagency collaboration and build cross-agency sponsorship of change initiatives.
Participant Responsibilities
Participants are expected to participate in all five sessions. Readings will be recommended prior to each session and follow-up assignments may be given.
The Workshops
Workshop #1: Employment of People with Disabilities – Why Are We Losing Ground?
Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Time: 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Eastern (2 p.m., Central; 1 p.m., Mountain; Noon, Pacific)
This workshop provides an overview of the demographic factors and pubic policy constraints that have contributed to less than acceptable progress toward assuring employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the United States. An overview and assessment of future trends, obstacles, and opportunities, including a focus on changing demographics and the economics of the workforce, will be presented. Successful models that capitalize on public/private collaboration will also be discussed.
Faculty:
Steven Eidelman, MBA, MSW is the University of Delaware’s H. Rodney Sharp Professor of Human Services Policy and Leadership. Mr. Eidelman is also the Executive Director of the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, leading the organization to implement innovative projects, programs, and cutting-edge policies. Prior to his appointment with the University of Delaware, Mr. Eidelman was the Executive Director of The Arc of the United States, an advocacy group for people with cognitive disabilities and their families, which has more than 900 state and local chapters and 100,000 members. Mr. Eidelman also served as Deputy Secretary for Mental Retardation in the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare.
Suggested Readings:
Employers' Attitudes Towards People with Disabilties in the Workforce: Myth or Realities? (by Darlene D. Unger)
Competitive Employment: Has It Become the "First Choice" Yet? (by Paul Wehman, W. Grant Revell, and Valerie Brooke)
Class Presentation:
Copies of the class presentation are available in three formats: Microsoft PowerPoint, PDF, and Rich Text Format.
You can also view and listen to a recording of the December 10th class by clicking here.
Workshop #2: Public-Private Partnerships: Strategies for Meeting the Needs of Employers
Date: Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Time: 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Eastern (2 p.m., Central; 1 p.m., Mountain; Noon, Pacific)
This workshop will focus on the myriad collaborative approaches between businesses and the public sector being used to achieve increased employment, a brief review of the impediments to the employment of people with disabilities from the perspective of the business community, and their recommendations on how to overcome these hurdles. The workshop will also look at successful approaches used by today’s Business Leadership Networks (BLNs) to implement employers’ recommendations and open doors to workers with disabilities. Participants will hear a case study from Florida about the more than 600 employers that belong to 10 local Business Leadership Networks in Florida including active BLN members such as Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Merrill Lynch, the Federal Reserve Bank, Hyatt Hotels, SunTrust Bank, Lockheed Martin Company, Walt Disney World Company, Walgreens, and Holland and Knight Law Firm. Data from the 2007 and 2008 BLN employer surveys relating to obstacles to employment will be discussed as well as what employers recommend to overcome hurdles to the employment of people with disabilities in the workplace. Participants will also hear how the Florida BLNs are opening employers’ doors based on three major activities.
Faculty:
Leslie Wilson is President and CEO of Wilson Resources, Inc. For the past 18 years, Ms. Wilson has consulted with major corporations, federal courts, state agencies, and private nonprofits in states from coast to coast. WRI has developed and is currently providing staff support to 10 local Florida, award-winning Business Leadership Networks, employer-to-employer organizations that market the employment of people with disabilities. Ms. Wilson serves on the National APSE: The Network on Employment Board of Directors, and is the recipient of the 2003 National Leadership Award and the 2004 Businesswoman of the Year, both presented by the National Congressional Committee’s Business Advisory Council.
Dr. Robert Rudney is a 2008 Kennedy Foundation Fellow focusing on disability policy in the office of Senator Bernard Sanders (I-VT). He is on leave from Booz Allen Hamilton, where he specializes in intelligence, defense, homeland security, and disability issues. Dr. Rudney directed two projects for Booz Allen on employment opportunities for people with cognitive disabilities and chaired the company’s Disability Forum affinity group for three years.
Class Presentation:
Copies of the class presentation are available in three formats: Microsoft PowerPoint, PDF, and Rich Text Format.
You can view and listen to a recording of the February 4th class by clicking here.
Suggested Readings:
BLN Employers Diversity their Workforces to Include People with Disabilities
Survey of Employer Perspectives on the Employment of People with Disabilities
2007-08 Pre and Post BLN Member Survey
Corporate Culture and the Employment of Persons with Disabilities
Survey of the Employment Needs and Goals of Individuals with Developmental Disabilities
Workshop #3: The Leadership Challenge - Effective Communication and Collaboration for Achieving Systems Change
Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Time: 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Eastern (2 p.m., Central; 1 p.m., Mountain; Noon, Pacific)
Effective communication and collaboration builds and maintains relationships, processes, and systems. The ability to gather and disseminate information effectively is a critical element of leadership, and for achieving systems change. In addition, effective collaboration and team building is also important to being able to implement the vision and direction set by state leaders. This workshop reviews techniques to establishing and communicating a vision related to the value and expectation of, and support for, employment for adults with disabilities. It also discusses how to develop effective statewide capacity to implement the vision, how to facilitate multi-stakeholder decisions and initiatives that are collaborative, democratic and ethical, as well as how to evaluate the success of such endeavors. Discussion will also include the ways and means to capitalize on federal and state initiatives, policies, and economics strategies to achieve the state’s vision.
Faculty:
Kathryn Denhardt, Ph.D is an Associate Professor at the University of Delaware in the School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy, Center for Community Research and Service. Her teaching and research interests include civic engagement, administrative ethics, performance management, and multi-organizational collaborations.
Linda Rolfe currently serves as Director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities, Aging and Disabilities Services Administration in the Department of Health and Social Services in Washington State.
Class Presentation:
Copies of the class presentation are available in three formats: Microsoft PowerPoint, PDF, and Rich Text Format.
Click here to view and listen to a recording of the April 8th class.
Suggested Readings:
Case Management Information System “CMIS”
County Information Presentation
Workshop #4: Leveraging Cross-Systems Collaboration to Drive Innovation
Date: Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Time: 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Eastern (2 p.m., Central; 1 p.m., Mountain; Noon, Pacific)
As leadership in today’s public agencies grows increasingly complex and challenging, new approaches to innovation and systems change requires working with other organizations and diverse work teams. Effective leaders now need better information to order to appraise complex situations, clarify priorities, and determine how to gain commitment to achieve the best courses of action with the involvement of the right people needed for success. This workshop will explore why change is the new normal as well as identify the key strategies for leading change that differentiate the more effective change leaders from others. The workshop will also introduce an analytical process that can be used with individuals or groups from different programs and/or professional/technical backgrounds to enable leaders to assess complex issues, break those issues into manageable concerns, and clarify actions needed to move forward with clear responsibilities.
Faculty:
Phil Friedrich has extensive experience working with senior managers to assess strategic environments, deconstruct complex issues, prioritize concerns, and identify actions needed to move forward to improve operations with the best use of resources. He emphasizes a culture of inquiry with a focus on the “people side” of the business. Phil’s 30 years of experience includes positions ranging from Director of Human Resource and Organizational Development for a large government agency to Senior Consultant and Partner with an international consulting firm where he studied how effective leaders manage difficult business challenges and worked to incorporate those skills into repeatable, consistent methods that could be adopted by others.
Class Presentation:
Copies of the class presentation are available in three formats: Microsoft PowerPoint, PDF, and Rich Text Format.
Click here to listen to and view a recording of the June 10th class.
Suggested Readings:
Workshop #5: Developing You: Assessing and Strengthening Your Leadership Skills
Date: Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Time: 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Eastern (2 p.m., Central; 1 p.m., Mountain; Noon, Pacific)
There is no better framework to guide improvement than actual feedback. Prior to this workshop, participants will be asked to complete The Leadership Practices Inventory, a 360-degree assessment instrument that helps leaders assess the extent to which they use established leadership practices and then identify areas in where they excel as well as where they need to strengthen skills. The Leadership Practices Inventory has very strong reliability and validity and today, it is one of the most widely used 360-degree leadership assessment instruments available. More than 250,000 leaders and nearly one million observers have completed it.
During the workshop, participants will be provided assistance in how to understand the results of the Leadership Practices Inventory and the implications for their own self-assessment and that of their observers (i.e., bosses, peers and colleagues, and subordinates). The workshop faculty will offer suggested actions to address practices in which participants are less strong and assist participants to make plans for improvement. Two one-hour private coaching sessions will also be made available to all registered participants of the five series VLI workshops (at the option of the participant). This allows workshop participants the chance to talk individually with a skilled coach to review their concerns, assess progress toward their leadership improvement plans, and work on development plans to strengthen leadership skills.
Faculty:
Nancy Weiss, MSW is currently the co-director of the National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities at the University of Delaware. She has more than 30 years experience in the disability field, including 11 years as the Executive Director of TASH, an international advocacy association committed to full inclusion for people with disabilities. Ms. Weiss was the Director of the Department for Community Services at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore and the Executive Director of Community Systems, Inc.
Elizabeth Vasquez is a Partner of Management Consulting Associates. She has over 25 years experience as a management consultant for not-for-profit organizations, government agencies, and for-profit companies in the United States as well as internationally. She specializes in organizational development, and typical projects involve her in strategic planning, partnership development, stakeholder involvement, leadership development, organizational problem solving, training, or program evaluation.