1. Bringing National Service
Opportunities to Scale within
your UCEED and Community
Association of University Centers on Disability 2010 Annual Meeting

2. Presenters
Sheila Fesko
National Service to Employment Project, UMass/ICI
Diane Lenz
Institute for Human Development, Northern Arizona University
Bob Shogren
Arizona Governor’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism
Anne Riordan
Association of University Centers on Disability
Jason Wheeler
National Service Inclusion Project, UMass/ICI

3. Agenda
• Welcome & Introductions
• Overview of National Service & Volunteerism
• National Service Inclusion Project & National
Service to Employment Project
• Snapshot of UCEDDs & National Service
• Profile of Arizona State Partnership
• Bringing it to Scale…
• Strategies for Developing Local Partnerships

4. Corporation for National and
Community Service (CNCS)
• CNCS has a mission to improve lives, strengthen
communities and foster civic engagement through service
and volunteering by providing opportunities for all
Americans of all ages and backgrounds to engage.
• Since its inception, with the 1993 National Community
Service Act, CNCS has been committed to the active
participation of Americans with disabilities in all of its
programs and initiatives.
• Thousands of people with disabilities serve in CNCS’s
three major programs: AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and
Learn and Serve America.

6. VISTA Leaders
HQ
Sponsoring Agencies
Senior Corps
Foster
Grandparents
Sponsoring Agencies
State Offices
RSVP
Sponsoring Agencies
State Offices
Senior Companions
Sponsoring Agencies
State Offices
Nat’l Demonstration
Projects
Nat’l Organizations
Sponsoring AgenciesAmeriCorps
Nat’l Demonstration
Projects
HQ
Nat’l Organizations
National, Regional &
Local Projects
SE Region Campus
NE Region Campus
Central Region Campus
Western Region Campus
Capital Region Campus
State Grants
State Commissions
Ed Award Program
Grants
State Commissions
Nat’l Organizations
Tribes & Territories
Tribes &
Territories Grants
National Directs Grants
Nat’l Parent Organizations
* Sub-Grantees
* Sub-Grantees
Learn & Serve America
State Ed Agencies (K-12)
Higher Ed Institutions
Community-based Orgs
Tribes
Presidential Freedom
Scholarships
HS Jrs & Srs
Learn & Serve
America
Nat’l S-L
Clearinghouse
All S-L practitioners &
researchers
AState & NationalAState & NationalANCCCANCCC AVISTAAVISTA
Sponsoring Agencies
The National Service Network
Programs & Partners
Local Projects
Sponsoring
Agencies
State Offices

7. AmeriCorps (AC) supports a broad range of local service programs that
engage thousands of Americans in full or part-time volunteering to meet
critical community needs. AmeriCorps program grants go to states,
national nonprofits, Indian Tribes and U.S. territories. US Citizens 17
years or older, with a H.S. diploma/GED or working on one, or with an
Independent Educational Assessment are eligible to apply.
AC State and National members are eligible to receive a living
allowance, health insurance, child care, and an education award upon
successful completion of the service period. The HEART Act of 2008
made it possible for the living stipend to be disregarded as income for
SSI eligibility purposes.
Limited funds are available to members and volunteers in all streams of
service through State Service Commissions for reasonable
accommodations.
AmeriCorps

8. AmeriCorps VISTA provides full-time volunteers to community
organizations and public agencies to create and expand programs that
build capacity and ultimately bring low-income individuals and
communities out of poverty.
AmeriCorps VISTA members or volunteers are eligible to receive a
living allowance, health care, child care and an education award upon
completion.
The VISTA living allowance is not regarded as income for purposes of
SSI or SSDI eligibility
AmeriCorps VISTA

9. The AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps
(NCCC) is a full-time residential program for men and
women aged 18-24 that strengthens communities while
developing leaders through direct, team-based national and
community service.
NCCC members receive a living allowance, health care and
an education award upon completion.
AmeriCorps National Civilian
Community Corps (NCCC)

10. In addition to the many benefits, in exchange for
volunteering in a National Service program
participants are eligible to receive:
–A living stipend
–An Education Award
–Health Insurance, as needed
–Child care benefits, as needed
Member Benefits

11. Senior Corps offers a network of programs that tap the rich experience,
skills and talents of older citizens to meet community challenges.
– Foster Grandparents Program – connects volunteers age 55 and
over with children with exceptional needs
– Senior Companion Program – brings together volunteers age 55
and older with adults in their community who have difficulty with
the simple tasks of day-to-day living
– RSVP – provides one stop shopping for all volunteers 55 and over
who want to find challenging, rewarding and significant service
opportunities in their local communities
Senior Corps

12. Learn and Serve America provides support to schools, higher education
institutions and community-based organizations, that engage students,
their teachers, and others in service-learning.
Service-learning
Service-learning is a method of teaching and learning that connects
classroom lessons with meaningful service to the community. Students
build academic skills while strengthening communities through service.
Benefits include improved academic achievement, increased student
engagement and civic skills and stronger communities.
Learn & Serve America

13. Volunteering is the practice of people working on behalf of others or a
particular cause without payment for their time and services.
Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity, intended to
promote good or improve human quality of life, but people also
volunteer for their own skill development, to meet others, to make
contacts for possible employment, to have fun, and a variety of other
reasons both personally and professionally.
Volunteering takes many forms and is performed by a wide range of
people. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work
in, such as education or emergency rescue. Other volunteers serve on
an as-needed basis, such as in response to a natural disaster or for a
local-cleanup.
Community-based Volunteering

14. Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act
April 21, 2009

15. Serve America Act, 2009
• Reauthorizes CNCS and all programs
• Expands the service programs
• Increased focus on inclusion of individuals
with disabilities
• Identification of service contributing to
employment for participants

16. The Serve America Act…
Even more explicitly emphasizes a
commitment to the inclusion of people
with disabilities as active participants in
national service…
Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act

17. Disability Inclusion
• Increases money for outreach and
placement
• Expands reasonable accommodation
funding to to all national service grant
programs
• Allows members to serve up to the
equivalent of 2 full-time educations awards
Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act

18. Select Highlights…• …collaborate with organizations with
demonstrated expertise in supporting and
accommodating individuals with disabilities,
including institutions of higher education, to
increase the number of participants with
disabilities
• …outreach to …agencies and
organizations serving veterans and
individuals with disabilities…
Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act

19. is a Corporation for National and Community Service training and
technical assistance provider. Through comprehensive training,
technical assistance, and product dissemination, NSIP strives to
ensure meaningful service experiences for all members and
volunteers, regardless of their abilities.
NSIP offers:
• Regional, state, and program training to AmeriCorps, Learn and
Serve America, and National Senior Service Corps programs
• Individualized technical assistance and assistance establishing
state-based inclusion teams
• Resources on service and disability issues such as recruitment,
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with
Disabilities Act, providing accommodations, and much more
• Partnership development and strategic planning

20. National Partnerships
The National Service Inclusion Project partners with the
following organizations to further enable all CNCS
grantees to collaborate with the disability community.
These disability organizations are committed to
promoting national service and volunteerism as a valued
option for individuals with disabilities to their respective
communities.
Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD)
Association on Higher Education and Disability
(AHEAD)
National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC)
National Council on Independent Living (NCIL)

21. – Identify effective practices that support national
service leading to employment for individuals with
disabilities
– Develop training and TA materials to promote
employment opportunities through service
• Corporation for National and Community Service
(CNCS) providers
• Disability organizations/agencies
• Individuals with disabilities/family members
• Employers

22. NextSTEP activities
• Service Demonstration
– National Organization on Disability
– Center for Training and Technical Assistance—Denver
Options
• Policy Demonstration
– Developmental Disability Agencies –in conjunction with
the State Employment Leadership Network
– Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies
• Employer Outreach
– US Business Leadership Network

23. Service Options for Individuals with
Disabilities
 Structured service career exploration
 Help develop their resume
 References
 Educational Benefit and Living Allowance
 Option for health insurance and day care
 Encourages civic engagement

24. The National Service to Employment Project (NextSTEP) is
Corporation for National and Community Service Training and
Technical Assistance Provider.
NextSTEP is a collaboration of the:
– Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at UMass Boston;
– Center for Training and Technical Assistance at Denver Options;
– the Start on Success program at the National Organization on
Disabilities;
– the State Employment Leadership Network of the National Association
– US Business Leadership Network.

25. Snapshot of UCEDD & National Service
Since 2001…
NSIP has sub-awarded to:
•38 UCEDDs
•1 LEND
Representing:
•34 States
•58 sub-awards

26. UCEDD Grants
2010
• Arizona-University of Arizona, Sonoran-Project
and Fellowship
• Mississippi-University of Southern Mississippi,
Institute for Disability Studies-Project
• North Carolina-University of North Carolina,
Carolina Institute for Developmental
Disabilities-Project

27. UCEDD Grants
2009
• Maine-University of Maine Center for
Community Inclusion and Disability Studies
• Vermont- University of Vermont Center on
Disability and Community Inclusion

28. UCEDD Grants
2008
• Idaho - Center on Disabilities and Human
Development, University of Idaho
• Iowa - Center for Disabilities and
Development, University of Iowa
• New York - Westchester Institute for Human
Development, New York Medical College

29. Profile: Arizona Partnership
• Overview & Highlights
• Forming the Partnership
• Establishing a Partnership at the UCEDD
• Accomplishments & Challenges
• Benefit to the UCEDD
• Sustainability

30. Conversations…
• How does national service currently fit into your
UCEDD?
• What ideas or strategies do you have to
intentionally integrate national service into
UCEDD programs and/or activities?
• What resources are still needed to further
develop or establish lasting collaborative
relationships with national service in your state?

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32. Click to edit Master title styleContact Information:
National Service Inclusion Project
888.491.0326 [V/TTY]
NSIP@UMB.EDU
www.SERVICEandINCLUSION.org