South Central Industries, Inc.

PROJECT PURPOSE

South Central Industries (SCI) provides vocational training, employment opportunities, residential services, and social outlets that help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) achieve their maximum potential. SCI currently employs 55 IDD in competitive, integrated jobs. While located in Shawnee, SCI serves the whole state through Oklahoma?s State Use program and as a SourceAmerica AbilityOne contractor, as well as through private business contracts. SCI will address economic impacts of COVID-19 by expanding operations through the utilization of innovative, adaptive technology to create additional sustainable, competitive wage employment opportunities for IDD and low-income individuals. This will help offset 14c waiver elimination, which only accounts for 6% of SCI?s budget, while creating up to 20 additional full-time jobs. We will purchase adaptive equipment such as scanners that alert visually impaired or cognitively delayed clients on current fulfillment counts; virtual training equipment to provide safety to cherry picker operations; an adaptive forklift that allows for better visual acuity during operations; and adaptive box-production and paper converter machinery to allow expansion into manufacturing. The expansion into manufacturing will not only allow SCI to create new jobs, but will allow us to move our clients from a workshop setting into a more integrated environment.

EVIDENCE

The National Governors Association (NGA): Due to COVID-19, ?people with disabilities have been confronted with lost wages, job loss and long-term unemployment.? The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 18% of Shawnee alone (5,647 people) are disabled. Of this population, 4.3% have hearing difficulty, 3.6% report vision difficulties, 7.1% have cognitive difficulties, 10.8% report having ambulatory difficulty, 2.9% have self-care difficulty, and 8.2% have independent living difficulty. NGA recommends four objectives states should address for individuals with disabilities: ?Expand access to essential support services; rapidly connect job seekers to work; advance digital skills development; and enhance job quality of all workers.?

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

Pottawatomie County is the primary beneficiary, but SCI serves the entire state. As of October 15, 2021, Pottawatomie County had 11,809 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 173 deaths. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Shawnee had a poverty rate of 20.5% (state average 15.2%). SCI?s primary clients, individuals with disabilities, are a historically underserved population, facing significant barriers to employment, healthcare, and social inclusion. Likewise, they have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Not only are they six times more likely to die from COVID-19, but the Association of American Colleges states that ?having an intellectual disability was the highest independent risk factor for contracting COVID-19, controlling for race, ethnicity, and other variables.? The COVID-19 pandemic not only disproportionately impacted this already struggling population but is likely to significantly increase the poverty rate in the coming years.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

Holly Ehtisham, SCI?s Chief of Staff, is tasked with measuring project performance, including collecting the required programmatic data. She currently manages SCI?s federal grants and contracts to ensure all performance measures, both financial and programmatic, are met on time, including providing DHS/DDS with quarterly data on each IDD client SCI serves. Holly will oversee the ARPA-funded project, track progress, and provide financial oversight. Some specific outcomes SCI will track as part of this project include number of jobs created, retention rate of employees, and economic impact through increased revenue.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

One-time project will not need continued funding