Alaska case study: Pathway to employment for all in the last frontier!

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Alaska has been no stranger to initiatives targeting enhancement of employment services for people with disabilities. However, the infusion of Partnerships in Employment funding into Alaska enhanced interagency collaboration and supported a high level of system change dialogue. From self-sustaining employer engagement and interagency collaboration work, to the development of a common definition and sequence of employment services across the system, the Alaska Integrated Employment Initiative (AIEI) has been a vehicle for cross systems dialogue and propelled policy change and legislative change. OBJECTIVE: This article discusses the Alaska Integrated Employment Initiative (AIEI) and its impact in Alaska. CONCLUSION: During the project, Alaska became an Employment First State, repealed the high school graduation-qualifying exam, and passed the Alaska Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act. AIEI specifically sought to find innovations for enhancing transition in its rural and remote regions, including the development of distance delivered trainings for providers and teachers. The Alaska economy changed drastically during the life of this grant, from oil prosperity that allowed for a robust service system, to a present state government in a fiscal crisis due to the extreme drop in oil prices. However, AIEI has successfully shown the relevance of continuing to focus on employment services and its potential to not only enrich the lives of Alaskans with disabilities, but also provide the state with a long-term cost savings strategy.