Earlier this month, the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) within the Department of Education announced a new funding opportunity with an exciting provision. The Pathways to Partnerships Innovative Model Demonstration Project, RSA’s largest discretionary grant, focuses on building partnerships between the systems that support disabled youth as they transition from school to adult life to increase their opportunities for competitive integrated employment.
For the first time ever, grantees must partner with federally-funded centers for independent living (CILs) to receive funding through this program.
Applications are due June 5, 2023. RSA is hosting a pre-application meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, April 25, from 2:00-3:30 PM ET. Register in advance to receive a dial-in information.
In today’s post on ACL’s blog – copied below – and this video, leaders from RSA’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services and ACL’s Administration on Disabilities share information about the grant, including how ACL and RSA are working together to improve collaboration and coordination between our programs.
Exciting Opportunity: New Grants to Build Partnerships between Vocational Rehab, Education, and Centers for Independent Living
By Jill Jacobs, Commissioner on Disabilities, and Erica McFadden, Director, ACL’s Office of Independent Living Programs
Many people with disabilities move through their entire educations without ever being taught self-advocacy skills, having conversations about possible careers, or getting information about independent living (IL) opportunities. Most are not exposed to the IL philosophy, which centers the right of people with disabilities to control their own lives, until they leave high school. As a result, many leave school unaware of the options available to them – and unprepared to take advantage of them.
Intentional partnerships between CILs, state vocational rehabilitation agencies (SVRAs), and state and local education agencies (SEAs and LEAs) can bridge these (and other) gaps and improve independent living and employment outcomes for disabled youth. However, CILs have not typically been integrated into vocational and educational service systems and therefore have not had the necessary access to support students with disabilities.
A new funding opportunity from the Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Agency aims to change that. The Pathways to Partnerships Innovative Model Demonstration Project, RSA’s largest discretionary grant, focuses on building partnerships between the systems that support disabled youth as they transition from school to adult life to increase their opportunities for competitive integrated employment.
Eligibility for these grants is limited to state vocational rehabilitation agencies (SVRAs) and state educational agencies (SEAs). However, after much collaboration between ACL and RSA, for the first time ever, grant recipients are required to partner with federally-funded CILs to receive the funding. These partnerships will increase the ability of each organization to actively leverage the others’ expertise. Ultimately, the goal is to create a cohesive service delivery model that is truly centered around the concepts of self-advocacy and the IL philosophy. The funding will allow states to test new ideas and support innovative projects that foster this teamwork approach and coordinate funding between SVRAs, SEAs, LEAs, and CILs.
What will this mean for students with disabilities? Bringing CILs into these partnerships means that students with disabilities will have the benefit of the unique services CILs provide, including peer support and training. They will learn that they are not alone – that there are other people with disabilities out there who support them, who believe in them, and who can demonstrate that community living is not only possible but is also happening for lots of people just like them, who can mentor them to get there, too. They will be more empowered to see themselves as people who can work and build careers, to dream about what they want to be when they grow up, and to learn about pathways to achieve those dreams.
As noted in its announcement, the estimated range of RSA's awards is $4 million to $10 million with an average award of $7 million for a five-year project period.* Although CILs cannot apply for funding as a primary grantee, they are a required partner in applications from SVRAs and SEAs. We encourage all of our CILs reach out to their SEA and SVRA to propose collaborative application approaches.
*Correction: updated from an earlier version