Ken-Ton SEPTSA

Dear Fellow Parent,

I am asking you to provide input for a project on employment for people with disabilities. The letter below describes the project and the process. Please click on the link provided to respond to a short two question survey. The concept mapping process allows you to respond to the survey as many times as you would like before August 9, 2009. You may also view the responses of others.

Thank you for your participation and your interest in improving employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Jacalyn Yingling

Yingling@advocacycenter.com

Concept Mapping: Invitations to Brainstorm

Dear Colleague:

I am reaching out to you on behalf of the New York Makes Work Pay (NYMWP) initiative given your in-depth knowledge and understanding of issues facing people with disabilities as they attempt to go to work. The NYMWP initiative is a comprehensive employment systems Medicaid Infrastructure Grant sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to the Office of Mental Health and their management partners, Cornell's Employment and Disability Institute and the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University. The primary purpose of the initiative is to work collaboratively with the Employment Subcommittee of the Most Integrated Settings Coordinating Council to develop a five-year strategic plan to remove obstacles and develop pathways to work for New Yorkers with disabilities. Toward that end we are asking individuals with experience like yourself, to participate in an online conceptual mapping process that will take less than ten minutes of your time.

The Concept System® concept mapping methodology will be used to maximize stakeholder input while minimizing the burden on participants. If you would like more information on concept mapping, please click here to view the concept mapping fact sheet http://www.conceptsystems.com/download/conceptmappingfacts.pdf

This concept mapping process will solicit input from employment stakeholders including employers, people with disabilities and their families, disability service providers and advocates and policy makers.

The results will be combined into visual representations, maps and action-oriented reports. The survey should take less than 10 minutes of your time and your input is invaluable.

The brainstorming phase for this initiative is a two step process to collect valuable data from invited stakeholders on the barriers and enablers to employment for individuals with disabilities. Once you have completed Step 1, you will be automatically directed to complete Step 2.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BRAINSTORMING

Go to the website.

http://www.conceptsystemsglobal.com/NYMWPBarriers/brainstorm

Please note that some computers block direct linking from a document. If this link does not work for you, please cut and paste this URL into your web browser.

?Self-Register ? Sign Up? by clicking on the button and create a username and password. By self-registering you will be able to save your work and return later to finish. We strongly recommend that you use your email address as your username. This will allow us to remind you of your password if you forget it and it will also allow us to communicate any important notices to you about this project. All information you submit will remain confidential!

Brainstorming Step 1. Read the instructions on the main page. Click on Brainstorming under Next Steps. Think of ideas to complete the statement below, enter one idea at a time in the box; you may enter as many ideas as you like:

?A specific barrier that prevents an individual with a disability from being hired, maintaining, and advancing in employment is...?

Brainstorming Step 2. Once you have completed Step 1, you will be automatically directed to complete Step 2. Think of ideas to complete the statement below, enter one idea at a time in the box; you may enter as many suggestions as you like:

?A specific action or thing (program element, policy, practice, etc.) that would enable an individual with a disability to be hired, maintain, and advance their employment is?

Please complete both brainstorming activities no later than August 9, 2009 at 10:00 PM (EST). If you do not have access to the Internet, or would prefer to give your ideas to us through email, fax, or mail, please contact Ellen Kong at 1-800-260-1602 or email at

ekong@conceptsystems.com.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR RETURNING TO BRAINSTORMING

Please feel free to return to the brainstorming website at a later time to contribute additional ideas or to view responses from other participants.

To ?Sign In? use the username and password you created during ?Self-Registration ? Sign Up.?

To add additional statements to Step 1: ?A specific barrier that prevents an individual with a disability from being hired, maintaining, and advancing in employment??

Go to http://www.conceptsystemsglobal.com/NYMWPBarriers/brainstorm

To add additional statements to Step 2: ?A specific action or thing (program element, policy, practice, etc) that would enable an individual with a disability to be hired, maintain, and advance their employment is??

Go to http://www.conceptsystemsglobal.com/NYMWPEnablers/brainstorm

For more information on the New York Makes Work Pay (NYMWP) initiative, please visit

http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi/nymakesworkpay/index.cfm.

Thank you in advance for helping us with this important work.

Sincerely,

Jacalyn Yingling

Parent Partner Coordinator

The Advocacy Center

Rochester, NY

Yingling@advocacycenter.com