Alaska Works Initiative: Addressing Barriers, Increasing Employment, Creating Change, employment, training, and technical assistance

Welcome to the

Alaska Works Initiative

Work as an Expectation

Outreach and Training

Resources and Funding

Connectivity, Coordination and Workforce Investment

ALASKA WORKS MISSION:

Alaskans who experience disabilities are employed at a rate as close as possible to that of the general population.

Greetings. We have developed this site to share current information

surrounding barriers to employment. Whether you are an individual that

experiences a disability, a support person, an advocate or a worker in the

field of disabilities, you will find information on employment related topics,

programs, workshop and training opportunities, referral resources, and

Social Security Administration (SSA) benefits technical assistance for SSA

beneficiaries that would like to pursue employment.

MORE ABOUT Alaska Works

For the past several years, the Governor's Council on Disabilities & Special Education has been working with individuals with disabilities, state agencies and service providers to implement the Alaska Works Initiative, which is designed to increase the employment rate of Alaskans with disabilities. Together, stakeholders are working to address the major barriers that keep people with disabilities from working.

Some of these barriers to employment include:

  • Fear of losing health benefits
  • Financial disincentives
  • Fragmented systems
  • Lack of comprehensive vocational services
  • General lack of knowledge or use of existing work incentive programs
  • Limited work opportunities

Funding Sources

The Alaska Works Initiative has been funded through a group of federal and state grants. The Rehabilitation Services Administration State Partnership Initiative, Medicaid Infrastructure Grant, SSA Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach Grant, The US Department of Labor Workforce Coordination funds, Workforce Investment Self Employment funds, Micro-enterprise Development funds the state Transition and Mentoring Project and most recently Work Incentives Planning & Assistance Initiative (WIPA) Project.

Collaborations

The Governor's Council on Disabilities and Special Education is managing the project, in coordination and collaboration with the Alaska Works Consortium and the Consumer Advisory Board. The Alaska Works Consortium is comprised of representatives of the Council, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Division of Public Assistance, the Department of Education and Early Development, the Division of Medical Assistance, the Division of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, the Department of Labor and Workforce Development and the UAA Center for Human Development.

Click here to read about the AWI Plan:

A Road Map of Strategies and a List of Focus Areas and Goals