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In this month’s E-News Exclusive, learn about the efforts of an impressive program designed to find work for individuals with disabilities. It’s an inspiring story about the lengths people are willing to go to make lives better and add value to society.
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Despite the Pandemic, Ticket to Work Remains a Vital Resource for Individuals With Disabilities
By Diane Winiarski
While COVID-19 has increased unemployment nationwide, individuals with disabilities have been disproportionately affected by pandemic-induced unemployment. The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is historically double the national rate, and at the height of the pandemic it surged from 7.3% to a high of 18.9%. Even as nationwide employment has improved, the unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities still stands at 11.1%.
The consistently high unemployment rate for these individuals is largely due to persistent myths and false stereotypes about people with disabilities in the workplace. That rate has slowly begun to decline, however, in large part because of the success of programs designed to help people with disabilities return to work.
One such program is Ticket to Work (TTW), a free, federally funded initiative that is available to help all individuals who receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) navigate the process of returning to work. For the past 20 years, TTW has provided thousands of individuals with the guidance and resources they need to safely explore employment options while combatting the fear of losing their SSDI benefits. It is overseen by the Social Security Administration (SSA).
The TTW program utilizes locally based Employment Networks (ENs), which provide services such as career counseling, job placement, and ongoing support once a disability recipient begins working. These tools could mean the difference between an individual remaining on a more limited income with SSDI or successfully returning to work. It’s estimated that up to 18% of individuals receiving disability benefits could be capable of working in some capacity following their recovery.
Full story » |
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Key Takeaways From CSWE’s Annual Meeting
More than 2,180 people registered for the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) 66th Annual Program Meeting (APM) this year, beginning with a week of live education sessions and keynote speakers focused on the theme, “Leading Critical Conversations: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion.”
“In many ways, I believe this year’s APM was the best yet. The research presented at APM this year was not only timely, addressing topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion in a year where educators saw these conversations shift into the mainstream, but the mix of live and on-demand sessions will allow people to consume this content at their own pace,” says CSWE President and CEO Darla Spence Coffey, PhD, MSW. “We are so thankful for our attendees and sponsors for supporting the first-ever virtual APM.”
Recordings of the 60 live sessions that aired November 16–20 will be added to the library of more than 600 on-demand sessions that debuted during the live event. CSWE is also proud to say that more than 150 sessions qualify for continuing education credits.
One session from each of CSWE’s 40 APM tracks was presented live during the week as well as keynotes from all parts of academia.
Read more » |
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Change Healthcare Launches Social Determinants of Health Analytics
Change Healthcare has launched an innovative national data resource that connects the circumstances of people’s lives to the care they receive. The solution, Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) Analytics, is a resource to help health systems, insurers, and life sciences organizations explore how geodemographic factors affect patient outcomes.
Scientific research has shown that 80% of health outcomes are SDoH-related. Barriers such as food and housing availability, transportation insecurity, and education inequity must be addressed to reduce health disparities and improve outcomes. Change Healthcare’s SDoH Analytics links deidentified claims with factors such as financial stability, education level, ethnicity, housing status, and household characteristics to reveal the correlations between SDoH, clinical care, and patient outcomes. The resulting dataset is deidentified in accordance with HIPAA privacy regulations.
“All the work I do—for Mayo Clinic, the COVID-19 Healthcare Coalition, and The Fight Is In Us—is predicated on equity,” says John Halamka, president of Mayo Clinic Platform. “The only way we can eliminate racism and disparities in care is to better understand the challenges. Creating a national data resource on the social determinants of health is an impactful first step.”
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When We Can’t Say Goodbye
Restrictions on visiting policies during the pandemic have altered the dynamic of losing a loved one. Social workers can help mourners better cope with these unique circumstances. Read more »
Telebehavioral Health: Now a Social Work Imperative
In these urgent times, efforts to connect remotely with patients have been a life-saver. Read more » |
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Beyond the Illness: How COVID-19 Is Negatively Impacting Those Who Are Not Infected
Side effects of the pandemic include an increase in domestic accidents in children; Zoom fatigue among office workers, teachers, and students; closures of meat-packing plants due to high infection risk; and disruptions in the supply chain for farmers, according to the Society for Risk Analysis.
Social Work Faculty Uses AI to Fight Substance Abuse in Youth Experiencing Homelessness
A number of factors can lead to substance use disorder in youth experiencing homelessness, so researchers are turning to artificial intelligence to help social workers predict and identify which young people may be at greatest risk, reports the University of Denver. |
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