>> Hi everyone. Thank you for joining us today. My name is Michael Roush and I'm with the National Disability Institute. And we thank you for joining us for our webinar on Financial Inclusion 101. As I mentioned, my name is Michael Roush I'm the Director of the Real Economic Impact Network at the National Disability Institute. Before we get started with our webinar, we do some housekeeping tips that we would like to go over, and I would like to turn it over to my colleague, Al, who will share this information with us. Al?

>> Thank you so much Michael and welcome everyone. Just going to go over a few logistical slides here to make sure that everyone is hooked up correctly and listening to the webinar. So listening to the webinar; the audio for today's meeting can be accessed using computer audio or by calling in by phone. If you select computer audio, please make sure your speakers are turned on or headphones are plugged in. If you do not have sound capabilities on your computer or prefer to listen by phone, you can call in to 1 929 205 6099 the meeting code is 6 -- I'm sorry    the meeting code is 786 777 855. Captioning; real time captioning is provided during this webinar. The captions can be found by clicking on the CC button in your zoom controls at the bottom of the screen. If do you not see the captions after clicking the button, please alert us via the chat box. You may also view captions in your browser at the following address: Streamtext.net Submitting questions: Please use the Q and A box to submit any questions that you have during and we will direct them accordingly. If you're question is not answered during the webinar or if you're listening by phone and not logged in, you may email your questions to Katie Metz and her email address is: Kmetz@ndi inc.org technical assistance; if you experience any technical difficulties during the webinar, feel free to shoot me a edge in the chat box or you can email me directly my email address is: Amilioto@ndi inc.org please not the webinar's being recorded and the materials will be placed on the National Disabilities Institute website at the following address: NationalDisabilityInstitute.org.resources And with that, I will turn things back over to our host, Michael Roush.

>> Thank you Al. So for those of you who are new to knowing about the National Disability Institute, I would like to share with you a little bit of information about our organization. At the National Disability Institute, we envision a society with which people with disabilities have the same opportunity to achieve financial stability and independence as people without disabilities. Our mission at the National Disability Institute is to collaborate and innovate, to build a better financial future for people with disabilities their families. To learn more about the National Disability Institute, please go to www.NationalDisabilityInstitute.org. So this webinar series, this three part webinar series, today is our first webinar, it is being supported by the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities. We appreciate the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities for their support and for supporting this three year initiative on financial wellness for people with disabilities. This three year initiative will work to increase the awareness for residences of the State of Illinois on how individuals can build their financial wellness. Next slide please. So for today's agenda, we're going to spend some time looking at some of the data on disability statistics. We're also going to be talking about the proper goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act. As we look at this idea of financial inclusion, as we look at strategies to help individuals build their final wellness, it's important for us to look at the Americans with Disabilities Act and its proper goals where it stats that economic self sufficiency is one of the proper goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act. We're also going to spend some time, as we have build our knowledge and build our awareness, on defining certain terms. So today's webinar we're going to define financial inclusion, financial wellness, financial well being, financial education, and financial capability. As we begin to look at financial inclusion, it's important that we understand the progression that we take to achieve financial wellness. We also are going to spend some time today looking at financial capability indicators. And financial capability is the positive behaviors that we put into action to build our financial wellness. And at the National Disability Institute we together specific indicators to help an individual to achieving financial wellness. The other thing that we'll be talking about is future training opportunities that we will be providing virtually, but also in person. So we're going to share some information with you at the end on additional training opportunity. This three part webinar series that we're starting off with is, again, building the knowledge and the awareness on this topic. Next slide. Before we get started, actually if you could go back that's all right. Before I turn it over to our presenter, Laurie Schaller we do want to ask a few polling questions. And so Al, if you could put up the polling question for the audience, that would be great. So on your screen you'll see three different questions. So if you could take a couple of minutes to answer each of these that would be great. All right. We're going to give just a couple more seconds for you to answer the question. All right. So thank you all for answer the question, we appreciate it. And then we'll have additional questions at the end of the presentation as well. So with that, what I'd like to do is to turn it over to my colleague, Laurie Schaller who's the Manager of Financial Empowerment at the National Disability Institute. Who's going to share with us information on financial inclusion. With that, Laurie, I'm going to turn it over to you.

>> And next slide.

>> I [inaudible] okay. There you are. Great.

>> Great. Thank you very much. So we wanted to start today's presentation sharing the prevalence of disabilities for working age adults within the state of Illinois. So we pulled these stats from Cornell University Yang Tan Initiative and we can see here that ambulatory disabilities is in about 4.4% and independent living is 3.2. A cognitive impairment is 3.5. Self care, the ability to manage once self is reported at 1.7% and hearing is 1.6 and visual disability is 1.7 okay. Next slide. Overall disabilities reported in the State of Illinois are at that 11% of the population reported disability. 9%of working age adult population, and that's age 21 to 64 have a disability, and that's the same statistics reported on the previous page. 39% of adults are employed who have a disability    excuse me    39% of adults are employed compared to 80% of those who do not have a disability are employed in the state of the Illinois. 24% of adults with a disability work part time and the median household income for a family with a disability is 47,000 and without a disability it is $74,800 a year and 25% of people with a disability live in poverty and 20% receive supplemental security income, meaning that they're income is so low that the Social Security Administration is providing supports in the form of SSI to help that individual and members of the household to afford basic living necessity, and again, these stats were pulled from Cornell University. Okay. Next slide. Okay. Households headed by working age persons with a disability; the use of Alternative Financial Services or ASF, for transactions such as check cashing, purchasing money orders and remittances has declined between 2013 and 2017 for households with and without people who have disabilities. Yet, those with disabilities continue to be more likely to use those services. 28% of households with a disability use alternative financial service for transactions compared with 19% of those without a disability. So we want to encourage people to access more affordable checking and savings accounts available in their communities. Only 39% of households with a disability save for unexpected expenses compared to 63% of those without disabilities who are able to save. Among those who saved, households with a disability were much more likely to save at home or with a family or a friend, and that's 18% versus 10% rather than in a savings or checking account. Next slide. The promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act; the nations properly goal regarding individuals with disabilities are to assure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self sufficiency for such individuals who have a disability. Next slide. Financial inclusion is the ability to have access to a full range of useful and affordable financial products, programs, and services that meet an individual's need to achieve financial well being. For persons with disabilities, each part of this definition has broader implications. For example, we were talking about access to financial products, program and services that are appropriate and usable for individuals who have a disability. Access to protected savings opportunities, such as an ABLE account or a Special Needs or Pooled Trusts. Access to financial coaching, counseling programs and those services would be designed to understand that sometimes there are complex disability service system issues that pertain to people that may come in for those services, including public benefit programs and Social Security Administration income, resource limits, and work supports. And this was pulled from the Center for Financial Inclusion, ACCION. Next page. Financial capability; that's a combination of knowledge and skills to inform financial decisions and behaviors, identify opportunities to improve financial wellness, and manage financial resources effectively. For persons with disabilities, there are additional considerations to ensure individuals have an opportunity to learn about their right to education and training that leads to protective, competitive employment, in many cases, while managing public benefits. So we certainly understand that many individuals who have a disability, may not receive public benefits, but we want to be listening for that so that we can help individuals to move forward. People benefit from exposure to opportunities to learn the fundamentals of money management, opportunities to practice, and advance their money management skills. Money management includes: Learning sound steps towards increasing income, growing savings through investing and developing long term assets. Next page. So here, we're displaying steps towards moving forward financial education versus financial capability versus financial wellness. So with a sound base of financial education, knowledge and skills, we move towards financial capability where an individual is able to take positive actions with the use of that financial education that moves them towards financial wellness. And we all share in those positive outcomes, as those in our community are more financially capable and they're able to function more independently and display financial wellness. Okay. Next slide. So these desired behaviors, actions, what we're going to see is financial decisions are based on good information and actions driven by positive financial goals. So we want to see that people are earning money, individuals work to their full potential, and utilize available employer benefits and work incentives. Not that we're starting at a low threshold for employment, but that we're seeking that the individual will work to their fullest potential. Using money; individuals budget to meet their needs and attain their goals. They utilize affordable financial products, so that means they can make that decision, what is affordable for them, and they can research, connect to the most affordable financial products that we all can choose from. And they use credit wisely, including proactive debt management. So for example, preparing a spending plan so that the person can identify how much income they need to afford their monthly expenses and they can identify money left over at the end of the money to be save to save. And that leads to the next bullet here, saving money. Individuals pay themselves first by saving for their future. Have emergency funds and use max savings programs and other protected savings opportunities to build assets. So this can be like a Match Savings Program, for example, to be able to purchase a home in the future. By protecting money, the individuals access and use available insurance options to protect the money they have and their ability to earn more. So for example, this would be renters insurance, for example, that if something should happen at that apartment, that their belongings are protected. And perhaps if they need to stay in the interim until their apartment is livable again, that the insurance will pay for like a hotel room until the person can find more stable living arrangements. So then this next component, understanding money; individuals build their knowledge of money, connect to trusted entities for advice, and use available resources and supports within their community. Okay. Next slide. Financial capability indicators for people with disabilities. NDI has created financial capability indicators for people with disabilities to identify and address the unique needs of this population. The needs that pertain to each individual Because we know we all have different goals and different needs. Each indicator provides action steps to complete and outcomes to measure personal achievements towards that individual's goal. Okay. Next slide. Financial capability indicators for persons with disabilities. So that person would begin by having dialog and be able to set financial goals for themselves for the short term and for their long term lifestyle. That they take steps to improve income production. Access and manage public benefits and work support programs, so if that person receives any type of public benefit, maybe SNAP, maybe HUD, maybe SSI and or SSDI, that they learn about the benefits and work supports that are available to them, so that they can maximize their income and savings for the future. That they can manage affordable health coverage and learn about, for example, if they receive SSI, SSDI, how their health coverage continues while they are taking steps towards employment and can continue indefinitely, in fact, while that individual works. So that the person can manage monthly expenses and debts. So they development and manage credit appropriately. So within the field of employment or accessing services, for each of us, having positive of credit history is very important so that we can save money. For example, when we sign up for a cell phone or for utilities or we're seeking employment, that our positive credit history is telling an employer that we are reliable and that we have made good decisions regarding our money. And select and manage financial products and services, plan and save for the future, increase financial knowledge and make informed decisions regarding one's financial well being. So really a first step is to understand that had all of us have an opportunity to learn more about finances and how to manage our money and save for our future. And then ten; to identify and connect with trusted sources for advice. So to know who is providing reliable information and that's an alternative, again, to information that's out on the street that may not be reliable in many cases. Okay. Next slide. Set and achieve one or more financial goals; individual goals are a Corner Stone of financial counseling and coaching. And they can help to motivate an individual to improve their financial skills, knowledge, and actions and align with a person centered culture of the disability community. So there's an opportunity to include financial goals and individual plans for transitioning out of school, transitioning out of foster care, securing and maintaining employment and independent living, and even when we're looking at our education to take the steps towards securing that education that will lead to a good paying job for ourselves and for individuals in our community. So that positive outcome is the individual changed their financial habits to achieve their financial goal that they have identified. Next slide. Okay. Improve income production; employment is a given for many subsets of the population. Unfortunately, significant barriers to employment and working to ones full potential still exists for individuals with disabilities. So this creates that opportunity to utilize individual budgets and financial goals to ensure financial needs are met by that individuals earned income. And a big part of that is that individuals receiving work support benefits counseling services. And that person can share their employment goal and that the outcome will be that the individual increases their hours and their earnings to meet their monthly expenses, and to save for their futures. Next slide. Access and which manage public benefits and work support programs. The use of public benefits can create a safety net for individuals with disabilities. Understanding public benefit rules and utilizing available work incentives provides opportunities to increase earnings and savings, while maintaining one or more benefits. So this opportunity is to connect job seekers and workers to benefit planners to ensure they are maximizing their use of work incentives. And, again, it helps that person to have that dialog about what is your financial goal and then to prompt an individual to feel that it's a safe place to share their financial goal with a benefits planner, and that the employment will be focused around helping that person to meet their financial goals. And the positive outcome, individual's total income is increased through the use of work incentives. And of course, their saving has the potential to increase as well. Next slide. Manage affordable health coverage. For individuals with disabilities, access to healthcare can be critical to maintaining ones financial capability and it provides protection against medical debt, which can wreak havoc for an individual's finances. So this creates the opportunity to support individuals in making informed decisions, regarding healthcare choices and the benefits of blending public and private health coverage, for example, Medicare coverage and employer based insurance to best meet that persons needs for medical care. So the positive outcome is the individual increases access to care, while reducing deductibles and potential for medical debt. Okay. Next slide. Manage medical expenses and debts. So three in five, 58% people with disabilities said that they are either struggling to get by and are going further into debt each month or living paycheck to paycheck, versus only 34% of people without disabilities. So managing monthly expenses and debt allows an individual to identify their current expenses and debt, and develop a plan for meeting those costs monthly, including positive connections to debt management programs and services and savings opportunities. So this creates that opportunity to include information and tools to manage monthly expenses and pay down debts as part of personal budgets. And then the positive outcome, the individual uses a spending diary to track spending behavior and creates a monthly budget that meets their needs and goals. And sometimes, you know, it needs to be something really simple, like simply keeping receipts for all purchases in the month and then totaling them up in the different category so we can get a true image of what a person's spending is. Okay. Next slide. Manage credit appropriately. Credit has become an indicator of responsibility in the workplace, in rental housing, and in the local markets. Many individuals with disabilities are discouraged from engaging in credit opportunities for fear of predatory practices. So this creates that opportunity to connect individuals to programs that report rent payments, for example, to credit bureaus to help that person establish credit without that person needing to pay extra for that step to be able to develop positive credit. And the positive outcome is that the individual establishes a good credit score, improving their employment and living options as well. Okay. Next slide. Select and manage financial products and services. An estimated 48% of people with disabilities are unbanked or underbanked, putting them at risk for predatory services to participate in the financial marketplace. So that means that, you know, when they go to make a purchase, they could potentially end up paying much more not knowing that there Is a less expensive route to get that same item. So banks, credit unions, and prepaid card services offer a range of affordable financial services to meet the needs of people at all income levels. So this creates that opportunity to look at earnings or public benefits, prompt review of banking, and prepaid card services to choose the most affordable financial service that will help that person meet their needs. So for example, if someone needs assistive technology, they would understand that in the community of Illinois, there is an alternative financing program where a person can purchase assistive technology with a loan that is offered at very low interest rates, in comparison to what many assistive technology vendors over in a community. So that individuals can save money then by avoiding payday loan services and other overdraft fees and other extraordinary fees that are often available. And so just providing this information and connecting that person to affordable financial services, can help that person to reach their financial goal without paying extra for these services. That way, these services that we all use, but we are informed and we can make informed decisions about the most affordable product to select. Okay. Slide    the next slide, please. Plan and save for the future. Individuals on public benefits are often discouraged from participating in saving opportunities from fear of loss of current or future eligibility for public benefits. A range of mainstream and protected savings opportunities exists, providing savings opportunities for all individuals regardless of benefit status helping them to save for their future. So this opportunity to have dialog about employment and independent living plans and services include -- should include expectation that individuals will save money for their future needs. So the positive outcome would be individuals who are eligible participate in ABLE savings account program. Or maybe they save in a 401K plan or a Pooled Trust and they are saving 3% of their monthly income for the future. But if a person hasn't had a chance to save in the past, maybe they want to start with a higher rate of savings, so that they can meet their expectation for the future. So this, again, is different for every person, given where they are today and what they have been able to achieve to date, but having that dialog is so important. Okay. Next slide. Increase financial knowledge and ability to make informed decisions regarding ones financial wellness. So many people with disabilities have never managed a budget. They have never opened a savings or checking account or they maybe rely on others to help them to manage all those things and they're sort of taken, you know, the passenger's seat here, not learning skills that would help that person to manage their moneys more appropriately. And so this applies for assistive technology loan or understand how to build assets. Like all Americans, the lack of financial literacy creates knowledge barriers to accessing affordable services. So this creates that opportunity for financial education that is a required component for transition services and employment programs. So we, you know, statistics are telling us that the younger we are, that we start to have dialog around managing money and learning skills appropriately for managing our own money and saving for the future, the more likely we are able to achieve that. So we are suggesting that this creates that opportunity that education, systems, and transition services and employment programs integrate financial education within their program services. And then the positive outcome is that individuals will complete a financial education class and that helps them to improve their ability to make financial decisions. And you might see and be able to help individuals track, for example, their savings rates, as a result of participating in those information sessions. Okay. Next slide. Identify and connect with trusted sources for advice. So 30% of working age adults with disabilities are not taught how to manage their finances by their parents or guardians, and are not afforded financial education from their school or employer. So, again, this creates an opportunity to have dialog, to build a circle of support, and use other tools to identify formal and informal supports that includes who to turn to for accurate financial information. And the positive outcome will be that the individual meets with a financial counselor to overcome barriers identified in achieving individual financial goals. Okay. Next slide. So I'm going to turn this over now to Michael. And I thank you for this opportunity, Michael.

>> Great. Thanks so much, Laurie. And thank you for sharing this great information for us on financial inclusion and financial capability and looking at the ten financial capability indicators on possible strategies that we can do. As we work together with webinar series in the upcoming training, we will go even deeper in some of these different indicators and look at resources specifically. But one thing we do want to share with you before we get into the Q and A portion, is we do want to share with you our upcoming webinar. So the next webinar will be October 10th at 10 a.m. central time and that webinar is going to focus on the five key strategies to financial wellness. This webinar will look at these five key strategies that we focus on at the National Disabilities Institute and also highlight different resources and tools that individuals can access within each of those five key strategies. So please be sure to sign up and you'll receive a link right after the link next week, where you'll be able to sign up for that. Our November 14th webinar, it will also be at 10 a.m. central and that topic is still to be announced. One of the things that we want to ask each of you as the attendees is, what else would you like to hear about? And so at the end you're going to receive a post webinar survey, and so please include your thoughts there. Next slide. We also want to share with you that at the beginning of 2020, as part of our Financial Wellness for People with Disabilities Initiative, we will have a training session that's free, it's a two day, but it'll be a three day training the trainer event. It's designed to provide individuals with disabilities, family members, service professionals and self advocates an understanding of how individuals with disabilities can become more self sufficient, less dependent on benefits, and build a financial future that promotes choice and greater community participation. Lunch will be provided. We're still determining the dates that this training will take place in February and the location, but we wanted to give you the heads up. If you're interested in becoming a trainer and spending a few days with us in an extremely interactive and engaging training, please send an email to our colleague Katie Metz at: K M E T Z@M D I I M C.org we will make sure to    as the announcements for the training comes out, we will make sure to add you to the list to make sure that you got the invite. Please note that this particular training, we will be offering three of them over the three year and they're thirty plus open in each training. The trainings are free. All right. Before we get into the Q and A, we do want to do one more polling, based on the information that we shared. So Al, could we pop up for the Questions please? So if everybody could take a few minutes or few seconds to answer these questions. That would be great. All right. I think we need a couple more seconds. And then we'll get started. All right. Al we can go on and close the questions. Thanks everyone for answering. So what we like to do now is to go into the Q and A portion. We have some great questions that have come in and so I will read the questions and then, Laurie, if you have a response or Katie Metz   

>> Sure.

>>    who is still on the line, please each of us can go through and answer these. So the first question is, regarding building credit, would the credit limit on a credit card count towards the 2,000 limit in order to remain eligible for SSI? That's a great a great question. Laurie would you like to --

>> That is a great question. Sure. So no, the credit limit would not pertain to the resource limit for SSI recipients. And in fact, for example, when a person receives a student loan to be able to go for college, that loan is not an accountable resource for that individual.

>> Great. So the next question is, can you explain what an ABLE account is?

>> Sure. So this is Laurie, an ABLE account is for a qualified individual who has had a significant disability that began prior to age 26 and they can open an ABLE account in their name and families and friends can contribute to that ABLE account. If that ABLE account owner is working, they can contribute additional moneys into their ABLE account from their earnings, if they are not participating in an employer's sponsored retirement account. And that does not count towards SSI until the balance is more than $100,000 for an SSI recipient. So for someone who receives like SSDI, Medicaid, Medicare, it does not matter how much money the person has saved in that ABLE account, that individual will retain eligibility for those benefits, including HUD and SNAP as well, regardless of the savings amount in their ABLE account. So it's a protected savings account, in that, it doesn't count as accountable resource for that individual. And interest earned on that account is not taxable. So that person can choose in ABLE account an investment opportunity, so that their funds could potentially grow, helping them to meet, like, retirement goals for themselves in the future and the person can spend those moneys on qualified disability expenses. So we'll be going in more detail into the ABLE savings accounts within that training session within the curriculum, and we invite you to take a look at the ABLE National Resource Center to learn more about the ABLE savings accounts. And just one more thought. A person can open an ABLE account at any age. So a newborn infant who has a significant disability, the parents or guardians can open an ABLE account for that child. That individual who is 19 years old can open an account in their own name. An individual who had a disability that began prior to age 26, can open an able account even, though they're 76 years of age now. Thank you, Michael.

>> Great. Thank you, Laurie. I mean, often regarding ABLE accounts you can go to: Illinois ABLE where they have information, and we'll put the link in the chat box as well. We do have another ABLE question that came in, and you touched on this, but maybe if you could elaborate a little bit more. The question: I have an ABLE account for my son, ABLE's rules are not clear on what these moneys can be used for. For example, you're not supposed to use at a grocery store, but you could use it at a restaurant. Where can I go to get clear and correct information?

>> Okay. So that's a great question. So the ABLE National Resource Center posts accurate information there, and as updated information becomes available, that's sent out there their newsletter. So you're welcome to sign up for that newsletter at the ABLE National Resource Center website. So the rules regarding ABLE accounts and qualified disability expenses is defined by the IRS, and the IRS has indicated that food is not a qualified disability, unless the person has a disability condition that requires that they need to purchase specialized foods. So let's say it's a person who has a diabetic condition and they need to buy special food that is rather expensive. So then for that individual who has a script on file that they need to purchase specialized food, given their medical condition, food is a qualified disability expense. So then if somebody wants to go, let's say, to a restaurant, well, is going out to dinner with friends and family a qualified disability expense? Well, if that person is learning skills around socialization, perhaps for that individual that is a qualified disability expense. So it does, in some instances, relate specifically to that individuals disability, but purchasing a home is a qualified disability expense. Purchasing a vehicle, even though that vehicle may not need to be modified for a individual who has the disability, and let's say it's the child in the household, the parents can purchase that vehicle to be able to transport that child back and forth, for example, to medical appointments or to classes or sporting events, that is a qualified disability expense. So we'll be going into ABLE accounts in more detail, and I invite you to explore the ABLE National Resource Center for accurate information. Thank you, Michael.

>> So in the chat box, I did include the link to the Illinois ABLE Program, as well as the link to the website for the ABLE National Resource Center. So you will have those links as well. So another question that came in is, will one of the resources use the building financial wellness from UIC in Chicago? So yes, we will include that as their resource. We recently had the opportunity to look at that curriculum and it's a great resource and it's a great tool. And so as part of the curriculum that we use, which is an eleven module curriculum, we have include different tools and resources in that curriculum, that people can access and so that is -- that is one of them to look at. All right. We have a few more questions here. So the question that came in is, do you have examples of financial education curriculums that I can access? So I can start answering this one and then open it to up to my colleagues as well. So with the training that we'll be providing, as I've just mentioned, it is an eleven module curriculum that looks at a variety of financial capability strategies. And so that training will be a resource or a curriculum that people will be able to use and we help organizations, like how to integrate it into their system. The other great resources that are out there, and we can put these in the chat box, which you'll also learn more about the different financial education Curriculums at our next webinar in October because one of the five key strategies is financial education and financial coaching. And so you'll learn more about the different curriculums there too, but FDIC, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, has a great curriculum that's free to access and to download and it's FDIC's Money Smart. They have a variety of audiences that the financial education curriculums are guided to. Youth, adults, seniors, small business owners and there's one more, I think, there's a kid version. Also, the FDIC Money Smart has a supplemental guide that includes case studies, specifically for disabilities and also provides information on specifically for people with a disability. All right. So I do see that there is a hand raised, and actually I'm sorry if I'm saying your name wrong, but [inaudible] if you could type your question in the chat box, you raised your hand then I can    we can be sure to address it. So learn more about financial difference curriculums in our next webinar and Katie Metz had put the link to the FDIC's Money Smart in the chat box. All right. So the next question, is what is the best resource for me to learn more about public benefits? That too would be a part of the next webinar, but Laurie, would you want to share a couple examples of resources they can access?

>> Sure. So if an individual receives SSI and or SSDI, there are specific work supports that those individuals are eligible for or perhaps have used, not realizing that when they worked, they were using some of those work supports. So that information is available at choosework.SSA.gov and there, a person can find, for example a WIPA and that is Work Incentives Planning associate or a CWIC, a Community Work Incentive Coordinator, who can meet with that person regarding that persons specific financial goals. What public benefits that person receives. And then inform them, for example, when they engage in employment, how that will affect the public benefits and what work supports that person is eligible for that can help that person to perhaps retain those benefits longer, to be able to increase their savings while they are attempting work in their community and moving and developing their career as well.

>> Great. So the next question is, how do we motivate individuals to set financial goals when they think they can't save when receiving benefits?

>> Okay. So some of the work supports provided through Social Security Administration, for example, allow that person to save money specifically towards goals that help to support education and employment that leads to that person being more independent in their opportunities. So that's    I think, that WIPA and CWIC's can really help that person to move forward, but having that dialog, exploring career choices, training that can help to increase earnings, can help that person to save more money in protected savings opportunities that are available.

>> Great. Thanks Laurie. And I'll just add to that too. That's a great question, how do you motivate individuals? One of the things about the training program in the curriculum that we offer, is that it provides the different resources and tools that individuals can access. That we believe that when individuals understand how to navigate, you know, the different programs that are available to help them achieve financial wellness, that it opens the door for individuals to see, hey, this is possible, this is possible to be able to achieve financial wellness. And in our coming webinar's you will hear more about that. Up at our website we have a couple resources on motivating individuals to want what they need. And so that also provides some great resources on helping individuals to access the different programs and support. So great. Well, we have several other questions, but we'll have to hold off on those. We thank everybody for asking those questions and for participating today. If we could go to the next slide. So in addition to the training session that we mentioned about emailing Katie Metz, if you have any questions on this project or if you have questions on general questions on financial wellness with people with disabilities and some strategies, please note you can also connect at: Ask@ndi inc.org again that's ask@ndi inc.org and you can ask different questions there as well and someone will get back to you. Next slide please. Again, I'd like to say thank you to the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities for their support of the financial wellness for People with Disabilities Initiative. We're excited to be working with the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities and all of you to help increase the awareness and knowledge for individuals with disabilities. And the realization that achieving financial wellness is possible when we access the different strategies and the different resources that are available. I would like to also say thank you to my colleagues, thank you to Laurie Schaller for sharing this information. Thank you to Katie Metz for all of her work on this initiative and also thank you to Al and Maggie who are also part of the team at National Disability Institute that made all of this happen for us. So again, thank you all so much for joining us today and we look forward to connecting with you in October for our next webinar. Have a great day.