MN Transformation Initiative
What is MTI?
The Minnesota Transformation Initiative (MTI) is a project funded by the Minnesota Department of Human Services as part of a statewide effort to support more people with disabilities to find competitive jobs in their communities. To build capacity for competitive integrated employment and community life engagement, MTI offers individualized technical assistance to provider agencies, counties, and tribal nations; statewide training opportunities; communities of practice; and peer mentoring and education for providers, self-advocates and families.
MTI Success Stories – Episode 3: Customized Employment in Action: https://www.youtube.com/embed/tCP3v9Jhf5w
Competitive, integrated employment means:
- Full-time, part time, or self-employment (with or without supports)
- On the payroll of a competitive business or industry
- Pays at least minimum wage, but not less than the customary wage and level of benefits paid by the employer for the same or similar work performed by workers without a disability
Community life engagement means:
- Opportunities to learn, build skills, and connect with people through day support services
- Activities such as volunteer work; postsecondary, adult, or continuing education; accessing community facilities such as a local library, gym, or recreation center; participation in retirement or senior activities; and anything else people with and without disabilities do in their off-work time
What MTI Support Looks Like
1. Discover
In-person site visit from your technical assistance (TA) team to meet your team, see your services in action, meet important stakeholders (i.e., staff, people in services, employers, family members, case managers, VR counselors, board members, and others). and gain an understanding of your agency culture and where you want to go as an organization.
2. Share
Share observations, strengths, and areas for growth. Review what changes could improve outcomes for people with disabilities.
3. Plan
Create a customized action plan to develop, support, and strengthen capacity and processes to reach competitive, integrated employment and community life engagement outcomes for people with disabilities.
4. Implement
Meet regularly with your organization’s TA team while you work toward plan goals; your TA team will identify helpful resources and information, provide or coordinate training when needed, and check on outcome progress with respect to established goals.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services awarded the MTI grant (# GRK211044 ) in 2022 to the University of Minnesota's Institute on Community Integration.