Having a disability should not require one to live in poverty. Receiving public benefits should not discourage employment. Yet many Americans with disabilities who receive public benefits feel trapped by the maze of rules and requirements and shy away from work for fear of losing their much needed benefits.

National Disability Institute (NDI), the first national non-profit dedicated exclusively to building a better economic future for people with disabilities, aims to make things a little easier. For more than 10 years, NDI staff members have hosted in-person benefits trainings in Florida, Arizona, New York, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Texas, Virginia, DC, Maryland, California, Ohio and more. With support from the Florida Development Disabilities Council, NDI has developed a self-paced benefits training entitled The Changing Face of Benefits, available as a downloadable workbook (pdf) or as a self-paced online course (www.floridabenefits.org).

For further learning, we created Samuel's Journey, a supplemental guide that will provide beneficiaries with a real life example of work and benefits. Download Samuel's Journey.

The Changing Face of Benefits was created for:

• Families of Persons with Disabilities
• Disability Service Providers
• Self-Advocates

What you'll learn about in The Changing Face of Benefits - Florida:

• the impact of earnings on public benefits and incentives to work
• opportunities available in Florida to increase income and assets through financial stability programs
• making informed decisions about employment, earning and investment

For your convenience, The Changing Face of Benefits - Florida is divided into 8 Modules, and also includes a Glossary of Terms.

• Module 1: Meet the Players
• Module 2: Being an Advocate
• Module 3: Developing an Initial Application
• Module 4: SSDI and Medicare
• Module 5: Earning Wages and SSDI: More Incentives to work.
• Module 6: SSI and Medicaid
• Module 7: Earning Wages While Receiving SSI and Medicaid
• Module 8: Pathways to Advance Economic Self-Sufficiency for Persons with Disabilities in Florida

National Disability Institute is proud to offer CEUs to those who successfully complete the online version of "The Changing Face of Benefits - Florida" at www.floridabenefits.org.