Official Launch: Take Your Legislator to Work Campaign

People with disabilities are encouraged to take their legislator to work!

The Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities (BPDD) conducts the Take Your Legislator to Work Campaign every fall to raise awareness about the importance of community-integrated employment for people with disabilities in Wisconsin. Inspired by National Disability Employment Awareness Month (October), the campaign highlights how everyone wins when people with disabilities have community-integrated jobs.

People with disabilities who have community-integrated jobs are encouraged to participate in the campaign! During the campaign, employees with disabilities invite their legislator to visit them at work and the legislator gets to see first-hand the value of community-integrated employment for people with disabilities. Last year, 40 legislators including the Governor visited people working in the community! Check out the report.

A visit usually lasts less than one hour. During a visit, the participant can:

• give their legislator a tour of their workplace,
• introduce their legislator to their co-workers, and
• discuss why their community-integrated job is important to them!

People with disabilities who are interested in participating in the campaign can use the Get Started Kit. The kit provides everything needed to get started, including the Participant Application. The first step for potential participants is to get permission from their employer to have their legislator visit their workplace.

BPDD is now accepting applications and people with disabilities who have community-integrated jobs are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Applications will be reviewed in the order they are received. Once approved, participants will receive the Campaign Tool Kit, which will include everything necessary for a successful visit, including the official Take Your Legislator to Work Campaign t-shirt.

If you have questions, please contact Joshua Ryf at joshua.ryf@wisconsin.gov or call 608-261-7829.

Joshua Ryf

Communications Director

WI BPDD

(608) 261-7829

joshua.ryf@wisconsin.gov

Learn more about disability-related issues on BPDD's Facebook page!

Take Your Legislator to Work: Participants Needed in Your County

Take Your Legislator to Work in November or December!

The Take Your Legislator to Work Campaign has been very successful this year! Legislators from all over the state of Wisconsin have been visiting people with disabilities who have community-integrated jobs at a competitive wage. During the visits, participants have been showing their legislators why community-integrated employment is good for everybody people with disabilities, employers, communities, and the state.

Despite the success of the campaign, we still need participants in your county. Dont pass up this great opportunity to show your legislator why your job is important to you! The campaign will be conducted throughout the rest of November and into December, so act now and get a visit scheduled.

If you are interested in participating in the campaign, contact Beth Moss at beth.moss@wisconsin.gov or (608) 266-5038.

More information about participating in the campaign is available. For stories and photos about some of this years great visits, go to the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities (BPDD) Facebook page.

The campaign is a project of BPDD.

Help make the campaign a success in your region; stipends available!

In October, the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities (BPDD) will conduct the Take Your Legislator to Work Campaign to raise awareness about the importance of community-integrated employment for people with disabilities. During the campaign, people with disabilities who have community-integrated jobs at a competitive wage invite their legislator to visit them at their workplace. Legislators see firsthand how people with disabilities utilize their talents, enhance their work environment, and ultimately contribute to Wisconsins tax base.

Our goal is for every legislator in Wisconsin to have a visit. Thats where you come in.

To help accomplish this goal, the BPDD is recruiting Regional Coordinators (RC) who know people with disabilities who are working in community-integrated settings for competitive wages and/or have connections to find such people. RCs may also recruit facilitators, help schedule visits, etc.

For the campaign, the state is divided into 14 regions based on legislative districts. Most regions include two or three Senate districts and six or nine Assembly districts, respectively.

RCs will participate in conference calls with BPDD staff so we can work together to execute an effective and successful campaign in every region. RCs will be paid a stipend of $250 at the conclusion of the campaign.

If you are interested in being a Regional Coordinator, complete and submit a Regional Coordinator Application by noon on Friday, August 24, 2012. Qualified applicants will be selected and assigned to regions immediately, so apply as soon as possible.

More information is available on the BPDD website http://wi-bpdd.org/

If you have questions about coordinating a region, please contact Joshua Ryf at joshua.ryf@wisconsin.gov or (608) 261-7829.

Hi Everyone,

The WI Board for People with Developmental Disabilities is pleased to announce the second round of Request for Proposals through the Lets Get to Work grant. Lets Get to Work is seeking up to four Wisconsin high schools interested in a professional development project focused on improving the employment outcomes of their students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) ages 15 to 17. Successful applicants will receive a grant of up to $15,000 in the first year (with an option of continuing on a step-down payment basis for up to three years) and will work closely with a Coaching Team that provides training and technical assistance in a variety of employment-related areas.

Our first round of participants are already seeing results in community employment opportunities for their students for the summer! School transition staff, Special education directors, Special Education teachers are all encouraged to apply.

Application Deadline: May 23, 2012

For more details, please review the RFP, which is attached or can be found at

http://www.wi-bpdd.org/Docs/2012/Lets%20Get%20to%20Work%202012%20RFP.pdf

Thank you,

Beth Moss, Interim Project Coordinator

Beth.moss@wisconsin.gov

Take Your Legislator to Work Campaign

Showcasing the Employ-Ability of Workers with Disabilities

An invitation to Wisconsin lawmakers to visit constituents with disabilities on the job

To celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month, the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities (BPDD) is mounting a campaign to acknowledge and celebrate Wisconsin workers with disabilities. People with disabilities can be contributing members of our Wisconsin workforce.

Governor Walker has made job creation a top priority for our state. Its time to showcase the skills and talents people with disabilities make to Wisconsins economic success. We want legislators to see the employ-ability of individuals with disabilities and their valuable contribution to Wisconsins workforce.

BPDD is looking across the state for individuals with disabilities who love their jobs and employers who love them! We invite people with disabilities and their families to share their employment experiences with their legislator. By having your legislator visit your workplace, we will spread the word that people with disabilities are valuable employees with essential skills who enhance the work environment for everyone. All people want to work in a positive, engaging environment in their community. Their contributions not only benefit their own economic status but contribute to Wisconsins economy as well. Additionally, it improves the cost effectiveness of our Long-Term Care System. Everyone wants to help contribute to a brighter future for our state and our country.

To facilitate the campaign, the BPDD is looking for regional organizers who can work with individuals in their area to present their story to their legislator and host a visit to their workplace. We want to showcase the talents of people working in meaningful employment in our local communities and how they play a part in the future success of our state.

For more information on telling your story or acting as a regional coordinator for those with inspiring stories, please contact Beth Moss at the BPDD at beth.moss@wisconsin.gov. You can also call 608-266-7826 or 888-332-1677.