The Center for Personal Assistance Services provides research, training, dissemination, and technical assistance on issues of personal assistance services (PAS) in the United States. The Workplace PAS Project is developing best practices for Personal Assistance Services in the workplace to facilitate employment of people with disabilities. The Center also houses resources for PAS Users that includes tips on training a personal assistant.

The California Health Incentives Improvement Project (CHIIP) is a multi-agency collaborative effort working to remove barriers to employment and self-sufficiency of people with disabilities, particularly health care and personal assistance barriers.

The California Department of Social Services All County Letter No. 04-43 (ACL 04-43) describes how In-Home Supportive Services can be used in the workplace. For more information see DB101’s section on IHSS.

The Institute for Community Inclusion (Boston, MA) provides Bobby Silverstein's valuable Policy Brief entitled The Applicability of the ADA to Personal Assistance Services in the Workplace.

The Workplace RERC identifies, designs, and develops devices and systems to help people with disabilities be more productive in the workplace. A primary focus of the Center is the use of universal design concepts -- the design of products and environments to be usable by all workers, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. The site also includes an Information Resources page that has assistive technology solutions to workplace accommodations.

assistivetech.net is an Internet database of assistive technology products, including those that may be used as workplace accommodations.

Tech Connections

The Governor’s Committee on Employment of People With Disabilities (GCEPD) is responsible for providing leadership to increase the numbers of people with disabilities in the California workforce.

The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is a free consulting service designed to increase the employability of people with disabilities by: 1) providing individualized worksite accommodations solutions, 2) providing technical assistance regarding the ADA and other disability related legislation, and 3) educating callers about self-employment options.

The California Department of Rehabilitation works in partnership with consumers and other stakeholders to provide services and advocacy resulting in employment, independent living and equality for individuals with disabilities.

The American Association of People with Disabilities provides a national list of employment opportunities.

DisabilityInfo.gov is a comprehensive federal website of disability-related government resources and information for job seekers and businesses.

The World Institute on Disability’s Access to Assets (ATA) program provides training and technical assistance to asset building and disability organizations seeking to improve the inclusion of people with disabilities in poverty reduction programs. In addition, ATA provides information and referral services to individuals with disabilities and conducts federal and state policy analysis on related issues.

Proyecto Visión, the first national technical assistance center to increase employment opportunities for Latinos with disabilities, provides culturally and linguistically appropriate services to employers, service providers and jobseekers to address barriers that preclude Latinos from effectively utilizing disability services and connecting to work.

National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth assists state and local workforce investment systems to better serve youth with disabilities. The website has a newsletter, a database on promising programs and practices in the workforce development system, and a listing of events, resources, and publications on topics surrounding youth with disabilities.

The official website of the Social Security Administration (SSA) provides comprehensive information on SSA, including frequently asked questions, contact information, service and benefit descriptions, news articles, and legislative information.

Use the Social Security Office Locator to find local Social Security Offices.

SSA provides a thorough reference to Social Security program rules.

SSA has an online Benefits Planner Service that assists individuals with planning their financial future by providing estimates of retirement, disability, and survivor benefits.

The Social Security Administration's Red Book is a complete overview of Social Security's disability programs and work incentives.

Social Security PASS Cadre staff are available to advise and provide information on the SSI Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) program.

Social Security Area Work Incentive Coordinators (AWICs) provide services and information on employment support programs for people with disabilities who want to start or continue working.

Social Security holds regular Work Incentive Seminars (WISE) to provide SSI or SSDI recipients with information on different choices to help them go to work for the first time, return to work, or reach other employment goals. Seminars include information on SSA's Ticket to Work program as well as other work incentives. To register, click here.

The federal government pays benefits planners in communities around the country to help people think ahead about benefits issues. The Social Security Administration (SSA) replaced the Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach Project (BPAO) with the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Program in October of 2006.

The new program emphasizes work incentives over work supports for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries. Benefits planners who are funded by SSA and trained under this new program are called Community Work Incentives Coordinators (CWIC's).

To find a benefits planner near you, use DB101's Benefits Planners Directory.

Various community-based organizations provide staff to work with people concerning a range of options on state, federal, public, and private health and income programs. Counseling about benefits, as a community service, is an emerging field of expertise with different levels of services available. Some organizations may work with specific populations while others work with individuals with any type of disability.

Goodwill Industries services range from personal evaluation and office skills training to career counseling, childcare, and transportation. Some of these centers conduct Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach for Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries related to work activity.

Find locations at http://www.goodwill.org, or by calling (voice) 800-664-6577.

The California Foundation for Independent Living Centers lists 29 centers serving individuals with all disabilities. Many of these centers conduct Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach for Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries related to work activity. Most independent living centers can refer callers to local benefit program information if they do not have these services.

Find the list of independent living centers at http://www.cfilc.org, or by calling (voice) 916-325-1690 or (TTY) 916-325-1695.

The AIDS Hotline database contains 1,300 organizations providing HIV/AIDS services throughout California. Some of these organizations offer case management, benefits planning, and benefits counseling services that can include assistance with public and private benefits programs.

Find the list of AIDS organizations at http://www.aidshotline.org, or by calling (voice) 800-367-AIDS (2437) or (TTY) 888-225-AIDS (2437).

Protection and Advocacy, Inc. (PAI), a federally funded program in all states, provides representation for consumers of public programs who are disabled. Website publications include topics on health care, benefit programs, and In Home Supportive Services. PAI’s Protection & Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) Program protects the legal rights of Social Security beneficiaries in their efforts to return to work.