Women's Employment Issues Committee Meeting

March 28, 2014: 1:00 PM
Frances Perkins Conference Room, Maine Department of Labor
45 Commerce Drive, Augusta ME 04330

WEIC Meeting Notes, 3/28/14 Draft

Attendees: Gayla Dwyer, AMHC and member of CDE, Jennifer Kimble, Maine Medical Center and member of CDE, Christy Cross (DOT), Valerie Carter (UMaine BLE), Gilda Nardone (WW&C), Sharon B. (UMaine WRC), Karen Keim (MEOC), Lib Jamison (Women Unlimited), Jennifer McKenna (Plumbers & Pipefitters/Apprenticeships), Georgia Underwood (EMDC/Disability Training & Dev.)

Committee members provided updates.

Jennifer Kimble, Operations Manager for Vocational Services at MMC and member of the CDE offered an overview of her program and services. Her program has been at MMC for 40 years, and just got a grant to do assessments of people in ASPIRE Program. The results of these screenings will go to ASPIRE case managers at DHHS. One goal of this assessment is to focus on skill development and targeted case management for ?multi-barrier? people.

Some discussion from WEIC members who have been on the TANF Advisory Committee about what happens to these reports. Jennifer stated that her program keeps the data and enters it into their own data base. She is unsure what DHHS does with the data.

The screening is being done for people new to the TANF, but not the existing caseload. Some selected results:

? 79 percent: urgent need to go to work. ? 50%: endorse issues of depression and anxiety. ? About 56%: indicate problem with sleeplessness. ? 25% of Lewiston and 35% of Portland are ESL; language and cultural gaps create problems. ? ?Life changing impacts? of these programs. ? Reliance on MH services decreases, once employed. Employment can be transformative.

This process (for CES) ? Community Employment Services. ? 15-20% of the people we serve also work with voc rehab. ? Other statewide piece: working with people with SSI Disability benefits to discuss employment options ? 10 percent of working adults in ME have SSI disability benefits (about 6% of the population). ? We are #6 in the U.S. ? Our staff is trained; we go all over the state. ? MESSAGE: People don?t realize the high % of people getting SSI benefits. ? TANF/SSI Benefits: We try to help them think differently about work. Categories of Disability: ? Developmental Disabilities/Autism ? Psychiatric ? Orthopedic ? Spinal cord injuries ? Traumatic brain injuries ? hard of hearing ? visual Gayla Dwyer, Aroostook Mental Health Center and member of CDE

? CSN Mental Health Employment Project-in it?s 6th year of providing services. ? CSN Project has 7 Employment Specialists throughout the State housed in 7 Mental health host agencies. ? Each ES (Employment Specialist) has a caseload of 20-25 people ? Part of the ES job is to educate providers and employers about the fact that people with a mental health disability want to /and can work! ? Approx.88 people in CSN Project have found employment thus far this year ? Collaborate with DOL Voc. Rehab.as well ? ESs spend time Convincing MH partners that people with MI can work too ? CSN ESs also support some people who are seeking self-employment. ? ?It isn?t as Difficult as some folks think to convince employers to hire people with mental illness; you have to focus on what skills the person can bring to the employer/employment site?. Shared some successful examples.

Sharon distributed a handout that she shared with SWIB updating the SWIB on the WEIC. One item under discussion in the SWIB Chairs group is to create more cooperation and collaboration between SWIB committees. Having the committee chairs meet has been an improvement, and has already resulted in increased communication and collaboration. Some reflections to date: ? There are some common concerns emerging in the discussion of the SWIB Committee Chairs, such as the desire for accurate data. The WEIC has already begun collaboration with other committees; we worked with veterans, now the disabilities committee. Where are our common intersections?

Gayla asked if we had connected with the Wabanaki Voc Rehab program? (Native VR program) Gayla is a member of the Houlton Band of Maliseets. VR programs among Native groups: we got a grant. Bangor, Aroostook. Contact person in Houlton: Kelly Osborne. 532-2021.

Apprencticeships might be a useful part of a career ladder for people on SSI. It?s a wonderful partnership (between apprentices, employers, etc.) Biggest barrier: getting people to know what an apprenticeship is.

The UMaine Bureau of Labor Education can do workshops and training on worker rights, employment law, etc.; this might be useful.

Minutes from November 15 and January 10 accepted.

Georgia Underwood commented on a recent report on schools, and found:
? lack of parental involvement ? lack of motivation ? lack of info about jobs, and awareness of what colleges are available ? lack of career counseling

She added that EMDC/Disability Training and Development has been teaching parents how to fill out FAFSA forms. A pancake breakfast event attracted a lot of people. Discussion of a lack of training for guidance counselors, especially regarding female career development and opportunities.

Other Announcements:

? Check out a new program for girls? empowerment, the Bossy Campaign

? ME EQUAL PAY DAY: on April 1st. [NOTE: Officially the first Tuesday in April]. ? Students at UMaine are holding an Equal Pay Day Bake Sale ? AAUW: Will help do an ?Elect Her? training in the Fall, Sept. 27th?, open to students from any campus affiliated with AAUW. ? Local initiatives and media efforts for Equal Pay Day are a good idea. People do not believe that a pay gap exists. ? Discussion of women?s STEM aspirations, attitudes, media images, and STEM fields for women.

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