molly.cooney@wisconsin.gov
608.266.0266
Hiring people with disabilities is good for business! In 2018 the Wisconsin Legislature passed the Partners with Business initiative. The goal is to help more businesses hire and support workers with disabilities. BPDD carries out this initiative.
Each spring, BPDD selects grantees through an application process. These grantees get support to use best practices to train and support workers with disabilities. These strategies result in cost-effective and inclusive employment. They help businesses fill workforce shortages and diversify their teams.
We must invest in our employment service staff so that they embody the values and skills needed to support people in competitive integrated employment (CIE). We partnered with WI APSE to develop a guide for Supported Employment Program Managers/Supervisors. This guide focuses on strategies and resources to help agencies create an organizational culture to support CIE including strategies for hiring staff, onboarding, training, and building partnerships.
What Is Partners with Business?
Partners with Business is an initiative that was passed by the Wisconsin Legislature in 2018 to assist businesses to hire and support workers with disabilities.
Through the Partners with Business initiative, employers and supported employment service providers use best practice strategies to train and support workers with disabilities. If a worker needs additional support above and beyond what is typically provided by supervisors and coworkers, the employer can receive funding to provide this extra support.
Each year BPDD selects five Partners with Business grantees through a Request for Application process. These grantees receive guidance to implement Partners with Business strategies. Businesses, service providers, schools, Managed Care Organizations, and IRIS Consultant Agencies can apply for the Partners with Business grant.
Real Life Stories
Paid Coworker Support Tools
- Partners with Business Guide
- Partners with Business Templates
- Partners with Business Overview
- Partners with Business Overview FAQ
- Partners with Business Brochure
- Assessing Current Workplace Supports
- Coworker Support Plan
- Agreement Template
- Partners with Business Agreements FAQs
- Employer Invoice Template
Resources for Businesses
- Wisconsin Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR): DVR is an office within the Department of Workforce Development that connects qualified job applicants to employers through a variety of services, including resources for Internships and Temporary Work Experiences https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/dvr/business/
- A Guide to Creating Internal Supports in the Workplace: Provides best practices to develop a solid plan for recruiting, hiring, and supporting workers with disabilities. Developed by DisabilityIN: Wisconsin in partnership with BPDD. https://wi-bpdd.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Internal_support_guide_FINAL.pdf
- Disability:IN Wisconsin: A non-profit, non-partisan business-to-business network that raises awareness and works to advance, improve and expand employment for people with disabilities
https://disabilityinwisconsin.org/ - Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN): Provides comprehensive resources for employers to learn how to recruit, hire, retain and advance employees with disabilities
https://askearn.org/ - Job Accommodation Network (JAN): Provides information, resources and free consultation for businesses about workplace accommodations. Ask JAN. They can help. https://askjan.org/
Tools for Employment Specialists
- Job Coach Self-Evaluation
- Seven Phase Sequence for Balancing Naturalness and Individual Needs
- Systematic Instruction Training and Motivating Strategies
- Instructional Techniques in Job Coaching
- Assessing Work Culture
- Workplace Culture Assessment Tool
- Workplace Inclusion Checklist
- Natural Supports and Fading
Tools for Schools
- Let’s Get to Work Quick Guide
- Beyond 18 programming resources from the Transition Improvement Grant (TIG)
- Community Conversations
- Amazing Race
- Employability Skills Certificate Program
- Youth apprenticeships
- Transition related Discovery & Customized Employment tools that lead to better job matches with employers.
- TIG and University of Wisconsin – Whitewater’s job coaching training for paraprofessionals