The Illinois Department of Human Services- Division of Rehabilitation are recipients of two Disability Innovation Fund federal grants. The purpose of the Disability Innovation Fund (DIF) Program, as provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (Pub. L. 117-103), is to support innovative (as defined in the notice) activities aimed at increasing competitive integrated employment (CIE) as defined in section 7 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act) (29 U.S.C. 705(5)), for youth and other individuals with disabilities.
Subminimum Wage to Competitive Integrated Employment (SWTCIE) (84.421D)
Award Amount: $14M
Award Period: 10/1/22-9/30/27
The SWTCIE Innovation model demonstration projects assist individuals with disabilities currently employed in, or contemplating, subminimum wage employment (i.e., SWTCIE program participants) to engage with State vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies so they may obtain competitive integrated employment (CIE). The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) recognizes that models to obtain CIE are needed for students and youth with disabilities seeking subminimum wage employment and individuals with disabilities who are employed or contemplating employment at subminimum wage by entities holding special wage certificates (employers or entities holding 14(c) certificates) under section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) ("under section 14(c) certificates").
The purpose of the project is to increase the opportunity for SWTCIE program participants - students and youth with disabilities seeking subminimum wage employment and potential VR program applicants or VR-eligible individuals with disabilities who are employed or contemplating employment at subminimum wage - to obtain CIE, defined in section 7(5) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act) and in the Definitions section of this notice. Projects funded under SWTCIE will create innovative models, for dissemination and replication, to: (1) Identify strategies for addressing challenges associated with access to CIE ( e.g., transportation, support services); (2) provide integrated services that support CIE; (3) support integration into the community through CIE; (4) identify and coordinate wraparound services for any individual served by the project who obtains CIE; (5) develop evidence-based practices and share those practices with other entities holding 14(c) certificates, State VR agencies, local rehabilitation providers, State and local workforce agencies and regional and local employers; and (6) provide entities holding section 14(c) certificates with readily accessible transformative business models for adoption.
Pathways to Partnerships (84.421E)
Award Amount: $10M
Award Period: 10/1/23-9/30/28
Pathways to Partnership is a model demonstration project focused on the creation of systemic approaches to transition services for children and youth with disabilities (as defined in this notice). Ensuring that key agents of change and required partners (State vocational rehabilitation agencies (SVRAs), State educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and federally funded Centers for Independent Living (CILs)) are actively collaborating to support coordinated transition processes is critical to the success of children and youth with disabilities.
The project projects fosters the establishment of close ties among agencies, transforming collaboration into partnership. Project partnerships are comprised of, at a minimum, each of the following entities: SVRAs, SEAs, LEAs, CILs and demonstrating how services might be improved in the field, by developing and piloting a cohesive service delivery model that better manages its unique resources while coordinating efforts to improve outcomes for children and youth with disabilities and their support systems and facilitate successful transitions.
