What does the Career Horizons Project do for family members?
Do you have a family member who has had to stop working or is struggling to maintain employment due to a disability accompanied by or resulting from Long COVID? The Career Horizons Project (CHP) provides employment services to help improve Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) outcomes for Mississippi residents between the ages of 16 and 70 who have a disability accompanied by or resulting from Long COVID Syndrome, a chronic condition causing fatigue, cognitive issues, and breathing problems for weeks or months after COVID-19, substantially limiting major life activities. Once eligibility has been verified, an individual can be enrolled as a CHP participant to receive CIE Placement or Retention services based on the individual’s employment needs for up to eight months from date of enrollment. CHP staff will work with participants to develop a CIE plan that will include a statement of the participant’s long-term career objectives and the supports from CHP and MDRS that may be needed to achieve those objectives. Family members and social support providers will be included as valuable resources in the CIE plan. Once a CHP participant has completed their CIE Plan securing or maintaining CIE or their eight-month service period has elapsed, CHP staff will conduct an exit interview and close the participant’s case. CHP staff will make final contact with CHP participants 12 months from their date of enrollment to conduct a follow up survey.
CIE Placement services will be accompanied by a comprehensive network of family, social, mental health, and healthcare supports that facilitate CIE and address the social determinants of health and employment. These supports will include a family engagement curriculum developed in Year 1 with input from CHP’s Project Advisory Council (PAC), transportation, housing, food security, childcare, opportunities for assistive technology, counseling and support groups, parent advocacy, guardianship, adult protective services, probation and parole, corrections, child and family services, disability benefits, Veterans Administration (VA), medical and mental health services, substance abuse treatment, adult and postsecondary education, job training programs in addition to MDRS, Pre-ETS and transition services, public health and safety, and financial literacy. CHP staff working directly with participants will make referrals to agencies throughout the state that provide these supports based on the participant’s individual needs.
Acquired Disabilities & Employment Portal
In partnership with the Center for Disability Information (CDI) at West Virginia University (WVU), the CHP team has developed an Acquired Disabilities and Employment Portal. The overall goal of the portal is to provide resources that will help people with acquired disabilities be better able to return to work or to stay at work successfully. Visitors to the portal can indicate their roles as workers with disabilities, employers, healthcare professionals, rehabilitation practitioners, etc. and are able to select the types of subject matter in which they are interested. The portal provides visitors with examples of accommodations that have proven effective in addressing the limitations caused by COVID-19 and other disorders in addition to research results and other materials relevant to their needs. The portal features multiple filters that may be applied to target users’ most immediate needs. Links are provided to other accommodation and ADA implementation resources.
To access the Acquired Disabilities & Employment Portal, click the button below.
Acquired Disabilities & Employment Portal
Refer Your Family Member to the Career Horizons Project:
Do you know someone who wants to work but has had to stop working or is struggling to maintain employment due to a disability accompanied by or resulting from Long COVID? Refer them to the Career Horizons Project for competitive integrative employment (CIE) placement or retention services by completing our online referral form.