Disability Pride Month in Honor of the Signing of ADA
- AVRSP
- Jul 2, 2024
- 5 min read
In honor of ADA, check out all the ways you can Learn, Grow, and Advocate.
Call for Peer Reviewers Summer 2024: The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) is seeking qualified peer reviewers for the Fiscal Year 2024 Disability Innovation Fund (DIF) – Creating a 21st Century Workforce of Youth and Adults with Disabilities through the Transformation of Education, Career, and Competitive Integrated Employment Model Demonstration Project (Assistance Listing Number 84.421F). Individuals who have subject matter expertise in the following area(s) of interest are encouraged to apply:
Youth and/or Adults with Disabilities
Competitive Integrated Employment
Advanced Technology and/or Assistive Technology
Justice-Involved Youth with Disabilities or with the Juvenile Justice System
Acquired Disabilities
Disconnected Youth and/or Disconnected Adults with Disabilities
Special Education
Vocational Rehabilitation or related discipline
Qualifications to Serve as a Peer Reviewer:
You must have a general background and related experience in the area(s) of interest; and
You must have an active account in G5/G6.
Interested reviewers must be able to participate in virtual review panels and provide written analysis and scoring of submitted grant applications, which will be filed as official records of reviewers’ assessment on the quality of the applications and be used to provide constructive written feedback to applicants. The Department is seeking individuals who are excellent writers, good critical thinkers, and committed to completing assigned tasks in a professional and timely manner.
Instructions to Apply to Become a Peer Reviewer:
Electronically complete the OSERS Peer Reviewer Data Form by clicking the link;
Email a copy of your resume to the Lux Team at Alexander.Fu@luxcg.com;
Register and submit your resume within your profile under the documents tab in G5/G6 (www.g6.ed.gov). G5/G6 will require you to submit documents in a PDF format only. When the G5 system prompts you for your areas of specialization, select all that are applicable to you, but please ensure you select each of the aforementioned content areas for which you have expertise: for example, “technical assistance center,” “vocational rehabilitation,” “cultural competency,” “pre-employment transition services,” etc. For technical assistance, contact the G5/G6 helpdesk at obssed@servicenowservices.com or call 1-888-336-8930.
Please note that submitting your resume and/or registering in G5/G6 does not guarantee that you will be selected as a reviewer.
Responsibilities: Reviews take place over 3 to 5 days over a two-week period and are scheduled for July 22 through August 2, 2024. You will be expected to:
1) Complete a one-hour self-guided website training titled “Introduction to Being an Effective Peer Reviewer”;
2) Participate in a 1-2 hour orientation webinar;
3) Read, review, evaluate, and score up to 25 full length applications in the Department’s G5/G6 e-Reader system;
4) Participate in approximately three to four panel discussion calls (each several hours in length);
5) Complete written evaluations of and assign scores to applications based on the selection criteria; and
6) Make revisions of your reviews following the panel discussion, if necessary, and ensure that once approved the written evaluations are in a status of submitted in G5/G6.
Payment: In appreciation for their time and effort, reviewers will receive an honorarium after successfully completing the peer review process, including the successful submission of all required forms. More information will be forthcoming.
Reviewer Selection: Potential reviewers will be contacted by the RSA team and asked for additional contact information, availability, and potential conflicts of interest. Those not selected may remain in the RSA reviewer pool for future fiscal year competitions.
Conflict of Interest: You are not eligible to be a reviewer if you will be applying to the competition, if you will be involved in the preparation of a grant application, or if you would stand to benefit from an application in this new competition should it be funded. You are eligible, however, if you are a current or past RSA grantee and are not submitting a new application under the RSA competition.
The White House Office of Science and Technology Seeks Input on Disability Experience: Members of the disability community may respond to a request for information from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). OSTP is asking the public for feedback to understand the full scope of inequities faced by disabled people and to identify gaps in our current knowledge. This information will steer the development of the Federal Evidence Agenda on Disability Equity, which will ultimately support the government in making data-informed policy decisions to advance equity in all areas—including health, employment, education and others—for people with disabilities. You may submit comments until July 15, 2024.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report, Higher Education Could Improve Information on Accommodations for Students with Disabilities, which illuminates a significant increase in the number of college students with disabilities. Primarily due to mental health issues or attention deficit disorders, the percentage of college students with disabilities increased from 11% to 21% between 2004 and 2020. (Source, CEC Policy Insider).
In a February 2024 Dear Colleague Letter, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) Commissioner Danté Allen prioritized elevating community expectations for competitive integrated employment by showcasing success stories of individuals with disabilities who receive services from RSA Programs. This is the first RSA Success Story in a series that will run through November 2024.
ED and DOL Update WIOA Performance Guidance (TAC 17-01): Through joint policy guidance issued on March 22, 2024, ED and DOL announced the Departments would update the joint policy guidance related to the WIOA Performance Accountability system to incorporate the regulatory definition of Effectiveness in Serving Employers during FFY 2024. On June 11, 2024, ED and DOL announced this update is complete and RSA reissued TAC-17-01 titled Performance Accountability Guidance for WIOA Core Programs. This joint policy guidance rescinds and replaces TAC 17-01, published on September 15, 2022.
RSA Publishes Commissioner’s Letter on Mental Health Awareness: On May 20, 2024, RSA published a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL 24-03) from Commissioner Allen in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month and to highlight the importance of mental health and the power of the VR program to help individuals with mental health conditions live fulfilling and meaningful lives. The letter also highlights mental health resources from a range of Federal government agencies and encourages the VR agencies to support participants as they navigate mental health-related barriers and seek competitive integrated employment and integration into the community.
RSA Shares New "Raise the Bar" Data Viz
RSA is pleased to support the U.S. Department of Education’s Raise the Bar initiative, specifically its goal of ensuring every student has an onramp to postsecondary education and training by establishing and scaling innovative systems of college and career pathways that integrate high schools, colleges, careers, and communities and lead to students earning industry-recognized credentials and securing in-demand jobs.
In supporting this goal, RSA is pleased to announce significant improvement in the delivery of pre-employment transition services to students with disabilities, which is one of the metrics the Department tracks under Raise the Bar: Postsecondary and Career Pathways:
In FFY 2022, 42 States met the requirement to reserve and expend 15 percent of the State’s matched Federal VR allotment to provide pre-employment transition services to students with disabilities. This is an increase of 14 States from FFY 2021.
From FFY 2021 to FFY 2022, 37 States increased the percentage of Federal funds reserved and expended for these services. This amounted to over $46 million in additional Federal dollars being spent on pre-employment transition services in FFY 2022.
In Program Year 2022, VR agencies provided over 1.6 million pre-employment transition services to roughly 280,000 students with disabilities.
This progress is highlighted in a new Data Visualization that the Department recently published.
RSA conducts annual reviews of each State to determine whether States are substantially complying with requirements in their WIOA Unified or Combined State Plans.
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