2021 disABILITIES Awareness Week

What is TVR?

TVR is the Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Program.

What do we do?

• We help Native Americans with a disability that is an impediment to employment with culturally appropriate services to gain and maintain employment by their

iInformed Choice that is consistent with their own Strengths, Priorities, Abilities, Resources, Concerns, and Capabilities

• Offer help, support, assistance, advice, tips, and guidance

• Can help you find out what your interests and abilities are so you can choose an employment goal

• Help you figure out what your barriers to employment are

• Help you overcome barriers that are keeping you from gaining or maintaining employment

• Figure out what you need to get into employment and how to go about it

Where are we located?

We are located at the main Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal building, Ionkwakiohkwaroron at 71 Margaret Terrance Memorial Way in Akwesasne.

Our main phone number is 518-358-2272, direct number is 518-358-2276

What is a disability?

A physical or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses, or activities. Impairment can be physical, cognitive, intellectual, mental illness, or chronic

Physical: anything physical such as a back injury, arthritis, diabetes, or medical condition

Psychosocial: anything mental such as a mental illness like depression, bipolar, anxiety, ADHD or chemical or alcohol dependency

Developmental: learning disabilities such as a cognitive delay

Sensory: such as blindness, deafness, hard of hearing

What is an impediment to employment?

Functional Limitations/ Difficulties/ Challenges that you may have due to your disability to obtain, maintain, or regain employment, examples:

Can learn only simple tasks, Difficulty learning, Little or no work experience, Difficulty reading or writing, or Unable to keep up with physical demands

Who is eligible for services with TVR?

Native Americans age 16 and older who resides within Akwesasne or within a 25 mile radius outside of the territory on either side of the border

And has a disability that is an impediment (barrier) to gaining or maintaining employment

Is a member of a federally recognized tribe (American or Canadian status membership or Mohawk Nation membership (Red Card)

And has a social security number

Require vocational rehabilitation services to become employed or maintain employment

Individuals who receive Social Security are presumed eligible for services based on their eligibility to receive SSA benefits

Who is TVR NOT for?

You don't have a disability that is an impediment to employment

You don't want to work

You are not ready to take responsibility for your own employment

You are here to get other benefits such as food stamps or other temporary assistance

You want help to get Social Security or other benefits

You are required to be here by someone else but do not want to participate in the program

How does the TVR program work (steps in the process)?

Orientation- must call to make an appointment

Intake- counselor assigned to you will call to schedule an Intake appointment

And begin working with counselor

Complete Application and all necessary forms

Eligibility determination (MUST have documentation of disability)

Assessment & Plan preparation

Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE)- An agreement of what the individual is responsible for, what the counselor is responsible for, and what services will be offered to assist the individual= a roadmap to how each individual will reach their goal

Follow through with IPE

Job Placement/ Successful Employment

What services does TVR offer?

Guidance & Counseling

Assessments: Career Cruising, ONET, other medical and psychological assessments necessary to determine eligibility

Referrals to other community resources

Job-Related Services- Job Readiness, Search, Placement, Retention, Follow-Op, On-the-Job Tryout= Employer Incentives for Hiring

Rehabilitation services including technology, telecommunication sensory, technological aids and devices

Books, Training materials

Occupational Licenses, Tools, Materials, Equipment, Clothing, Stocks & Supplies

Maintenance

Transportation assistance (necessary for 1st 3 days of employment if available

Services Traditionally used by Native Americans

Support for Necessary Diagnosis and/or Treatment of a Disability

Medical services and equipment

Services to the Family of an Individual

Interpreter, Reader, Tutorial, and Note Taker services

Supported employment services with NYS VR for Job Coaching

Transition services for High School students

Vocational and other Training services

Technical Assistance for Self-Employment: develop business plan and operation

Specific Post-Employment services necessary to retain or advance in employment

Training/ Tuition- only after ALL other resources have been exhausted

Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Program 518-358-2272 or 518-358-2276

TVR Staff:

Wilfred James Bay, Program Manager

Falon Thomas, Counselor

Tanya Barilko, Counselor

Bettina Whitebean, Counselor

Vanessa David, Administrative Assistant

Facts: Did You Know.....Disabilities...

Has many forms and can be mild to moderate to severe depending upon individual

Are unpredictable and can happen to anyone at any age

Over a billion people live with some form of a disability (15% of world population) and that is only from the documented cases

Between 110 and 190 million adults have very significant difficulties in functioning

Rates of disabilities are rising due to increase in population, aging, and the global increase in chronic conditions

80% of all people with disabilities live in a developing country

Over 100 million disabled persons are children

Children with disabilities are nearly 4 times as likely to experience violence than children who are not disabled

There are 38 million Americans or 1 in 10 who live with a severe disability

There are about 89 Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation programs in the United States

When you talk to someone with a disability, talk directly to that person, not a friend, companion, or interpreter

Disability derives from the interaction between the individual and society

The history for many people with disabilities has been separation, isolation, shame, and institutionalization

At the national level, Native Americans have the highest disabilities rate among working age adults (16%) followed by Blacks (11%), Whites (9%), Hispanics (7%), and Asians (4%)

17-53% have a specific learning disability that is hidden

19-78% have an emotional disturbance that is hidden

19-46% have an attention deficit that is hidden

A person who has mental retardation does not mean that they cannot learn, it only means they cannot learn as quickly or in the same way

Sometimes a person can live their whole life and not know they have a disability or ignore it until it is diagnosed

There are many resources out there for someone with a disability to find employment or go back to school

Many famous people who you would not expect to have a disability:

Jim Carrey- Bipolar Robin Williams- ADHD

Channing Tatum- ADHD

Whoopi Goldberg- Dyslexia

Selma Hayek- Dyslexia

Stephen Hawkings- Physical Paralysis

Tom Cruise- severe Dyslexia

Walt Disney- Learning Disability

President Woodrow Wilson- severe Dyslexia

Albert Einstein- Learning Disability

Alexander Graham Bell- Learning Disability

Cher- Dyslexia

Christopher Reeve- Physical Paralysis

President FDR- Polio

Sarah Bernhardt- Leg Amputee

Thomas Edison- Learning Disability and couldn't read until age 12

Helen Keller- Deaf, Blind, Mute

Beethoven- Deaf

The Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders (5th Edition) (DSM-V) lists 157 specific diagnosis or disorders but some scholars believe the manual is highly misleading and that many of the disorders listed are actually behavioral manifestations- meaning there is no organic or physical etiology to support a diagnosis.

There are 21 Types of Disabilities:

Blindness, Low Vision, Leprosy Cured Persons, Locomotor Disability, Dwarfism, Intellectual Disability, Mental Illness, Cerebral Palsy, Specific Learning Disability, Speech and Language Disability, Hearing Impairment (deaf/ hard of hearing), Muscular Dystrophy, Acid Attack Victim, Parkinson's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Thalassemia, Hemophilia, Sickle Cell Disease, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Chronic Neurological Conditions, Multiple Disabilities including Deaf Blindness

The 10 most common conditions that are considered disabilities:

Arthritis and other muscoskeletal problems, Heart Disease, Lung or respiratory problems, Mental Illness including depression, Diabetes, Stroke, Cancer, Nervous System Disorders, Injuries sustained in accidents, Pregnancy (while pregnancy isn't a disability, employers often provide short-term disability benefits for pregnant women. And if complications arise, long-term benefits may be needed).