MMI grant to improve job access for individuals with disabilities

The UNMC Munroe-Meyer Institute has received what is likely the largest grant in the organization’s history.  

The $9.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education is designed to ensure individuals with disabilities between ages 14 and 24 have access to in-demand, good-paying jobs.

“This is perhaps the biggest grant in the history of MMI, and it is life changing for the families we serve,” said Munroe-Meyer Institute Director Karoly Mirnics, PhD, MD. “It not only allows us to grow our services, but most importantly, expands employment services for individuals with disabilities in Nebraska.”

The grant was awarded to Rachel Ray, assistant professor, and Mark Shriver, PhD, director of the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities.

“It’s going to be really exciting to enhance and expand our training,” Ray said.

In addition to Ray and Dr. Shriver, the grant will involve other MMI and UNMC staffers, as well as community partner Nebraska Vocational Rehabilitation. Those partnerships, Ray said, will allow the UCEDD to aid individuals across the state, including in rural areas.

By the end of the five-year grant, Ray said, the goal is to have worked with 2,500 individuals on employment activities across the state.

That effort may include lighter touches, like career interest inventories and assessments.

“We’re not just getting them jobs because there are jobs available,” Ray said. “We’re tailoring training and career exploration to their interests. We can demonstrate the individual’s skill level, as well. These teens and young adults have the aptitude and capacity to do the work.”  

This grant will help to complement existing programming at MMI.

MMI already offers an employment training program for students between ages 18 and 21. In addition to placing students in roles they are interested in, the program offers assistance with filling out job applications, interviewing skills and lining up references.

Similarly, the Practical Assessment Exploration System Lab, which opened last winter, gives students a taste of various careers. Participants choose a career path and, as in a typical job, undergo an onboarding process before eventually clocking in and completing their work.

The grant will help to expand the Practical Assessment Exploration System Lab, allowing more students to participate.

In addition, the grant will use virtual reality to enable students to explore additional career paths and take part in additional training programs.

Dr. Shriver said: “This grant builds on the model programming and collaborations in transition and employment that Rachel Ray and her team have developed and extends MMI’s impact across the state by building capacity to connect individuals with disabilities to competitive integrated employment.”