Strategies for Developing Work Experiences for Youth With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 259-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly N. Whittenburg ◽  
Katie A. Sims ◽  
Paul Wehman ◽  
Christine Walther-Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Supported Employment ◽  
Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Work Experiences ◽  
School Work ◽  
Employment Success ◽  
Business Partners ◽  
Effective Relationships ◽  
Special Education Transition

High school work experience is a predictor of postsecondary employment success for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Developing integrated work experiences often requires schools to partner with local businesses; yet, secondary special education transition teams may not have prior experience or preparation in this type of transition work. Drawing on supported employment research, this article provides transition specialists and secondary special educators with practical strategies for identifying and engaging with potential local business partners and creating networking opportunities that build effective relationships.

scholarly journals Good fences make good neighbors: Collaborating with families to create employment opportunity

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Bethany Chase
Keyword(s):  
Parent Involvement ◽  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Supported Employment ◽  
Employment Opportunity ◽  
Job Seekers ◽  
Employment Success ◽  
Job Match ◽  
Employment Supports ◽  
Job Coaches ◽  
Employment Specialists

BACKGROUND: Collaboration between supported employment providers and parents/guardians of job seekers with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities is key to employment success. However, parents are often concerned about the efficacy of employment supports or the capacity of the professionals providing the service. Likewise, job coaches may consider certain kinds of parent involvement as detrimental to a successful job match. OBJECTIVE: This article provides context for why parents/guardians may be distrustful of the employment process, as well as why employment specialists may struggle to build strong partnerships with parents/guardians. METHODS: This article will discuss how to implement practices that not only welcome the critical input of families, but also maintain healthy and well-defined boundaries that affirm the autonomy, professionalism, and competence of the worker.

scholarly journals Toward Competitive Employment for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: What Progress Have We Made and Where Do We Need to Go

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Wehman ◽  
Joshua Taylor ◽  
Valerie Brooke ◽  
Lauren Avellone ◽  
Holly Whittenburg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Postsecondary Education ◽  
Supported Employment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Competitive Employment ◽  
Integrated Employment ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Workforce Innovation ◽  
Research And Policy

Progress toward competitive integrated employment (CIE) for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) over the last 40 years has been mixed. Despite evidence showing that supported employment interventions can enable adults with IDD to effectively get and keep jobs, national rates of integrated employment remain below a third of the working-age population. Progress is being made to improve these outcomes. Pathways have been identified that lead to CIE through supported employment, customized employment, internship experiences, and postsecondary education. The recent passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) has created fresh momentum and increased the onus on interagency collaboration. This article examines what is known about promoting CIE through these pathways and highlights recommendations for future research and policy change. Recommendations for the future provide direction toward positive change for CIE into the 21st century.

Employment: Renewed Investments

Inclusion ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Mank ◽  
Teresa A. Grossi
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Supported Employment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Integrated Employment ◽  
Fair Pay

Abstract Supported employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities emerged in the 1980s, clearly showing the untapped potential of people to work productively in integrated jobs. Expanding across the United States and other countries, supported employment was shown to be an effective approach to employment across communities and cultures. While supported employment has expanded little in the last decade, there is a renewed investment nationwide and in some other countries. The renewed developments include improvements in supported employment methods, interest in funding based on outcomes rather than services, concern about the persistence of segregated workshops, the need for qualified supported employment personnel, investment in Employment First policies in states, the emergence of litigation promoting integrated employment over segregation, renewed investment in transition, investments in other countries, and the increasingly clear voice of self-advocates with intellectual and developmental disabilities calling for community jobs and fair pay. While there is renewed interest in supported employment, threats remain to further improvement and expansion that must also be addressed.

Building an Evidence-Based, Holistic Approach to Advancing Integrated Employment

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Cohen Hall ◽  
John Butterworth ◽  
Jean Winsor ◽  
John Kramer ◽  
Kelly Nye-Lengerman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Supported Employment ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
Integrated Employment ◽  
Policy And Strategy ◽  
Employment Supports ◽  
Substantial Investment ◽  
Services And Supports

Since the introduction of supported employment in the Developmental Disabilities Act of 1984 and the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1986, there has been continued development and refinement of best practices in employment services and supports. Progress includes creative outcomes for individuals with significant support needs including customized jobs and self-employment, community rehabilitation providers that have shifted emphasis to integrated employment, and states that have made a substantial investment in Employment First policy and strategy. Despite these achievements, the promise of integrated employment remains elusive for the majority of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The number of individuals supported in integrated employment by state agencies has remained stagnant for the past 15 years, participation in nonwork services has grown rapidly, and individual employment supports have not been implemented with fidelity. This article presents preliminary findings from activities completed by the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Advancing Employment for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and discusses a framework for organizing state and federal investments in research, practice, and systems change.

Effect of Supported Employment on Vocational Rehabilitation Outcomes of Transition-Age Youth With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Case Control Study

2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 296-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Wehman ◽  
Fong Chan ◽  
Nicole Ditchman ◽  
Hyun-Ju Kang
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Vocational Rehabilitation ◽  
Supported Employment ◽  
Case Control Study ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Transition Age Youth ◽  
Transition Age ◽  
Rehabilitation Outcomes ◽  
Control Study

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of supported employment intervention on the employment outcomes of transition-age youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities served by the public vocational rehabilitation system using a case-control study design. Data for this study were extracted from the Rehabilitation Services Administration Case Service Report (RSA-911) database for fiscal year 2009. The sample included 23,298 youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities aged between 16 and 25 years old at the time of application. The classification and regression tree (CART) method was used to estimate propensity scores and to adjust for selection bias on the basis of all prominent covariates relevant to the dependent variable (i.e., competitive employment). Results yielded six homogeneous subgroups, and receipt of supported employment was found to increase the employment rates across all of the groups. The effect of supported employment was especially strong for youth who were Social Security beneficiaries, special education students, and individuals with intellectual disabilities or autism who were high school graduates. These findings suggest that supported employment is an effective service for enhancing the vocational rehabilitation outcomes of young adults and provides valuable information for policy makers, health care providers, rehabilitation counselors, and educators.

Work-Based Learning: Student Perspectives on Quality and Links to School

1998 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathleen Stasz ◽  
Dominic J. Brewer
Keyword(s):  
Work Experience ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Program Participation ◽  
Work Experiences ◽  
Student Survey ◽  
School Work ◽  
School Activities ◽  
School Learning

Programs that incorporate work-based learning (WBL) experiences in connection with school activities are proliferating, yet we know very little about their quality as learning experiences for young people or the costs associated with participating in them. This article examines two programs operating in the same school district, where students receive course credit for participating in WBL. One program provides unpaid internships each year of high school; the other provides paid work experience for one semester. We contrast the kinds of learning opportunities each offers to students, as measured by a student survey and a case study of program operations. We focus on two issues: the quality of students’ work experiences in these programs and the relationship between program participation and school learning, including effects on school work and social experiences. We find that students perceive the quality of their work experiences to be very similar across the programs despite differences in the type of work involved and in several structural features of the programs. We find that both programs have weaknesses in establishing connections between school and work and that the number of hours students work negatively affects some aspects of school performance, such as having time to do homework and the desire to stay in school. Our findings raise questions about the value added of WBL, given costs associated with the program design and delivery and, in some cases, with participation.

The Role of Community Rehabilitation Providers in Employment for Persons With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Results of the 2010–2011 National Survey

2013 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 215-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daria Domin ◽  
John Butterworth
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Supported Employment ◽  
Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Employment Services ◽  
Integrated Employment ◽  
Community Rehabilitation ◽  
Employment Supports ◽  
To Receive

Abstract Based on the 2010–2011 National Survey of Community Rehabilitation Providers, findings are presented on people with all disabilities and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who are served in employment and nonwork settings by community rehabilitation providers. Findings suggest little change over the past eight years in participation in integrated employment. Overall, 28% of all individuals and 19% of individuals with IDD were reported to receive individual integrated employment services. The results suggest that 15% of individuals with IDD work in individual integrated jobs for pay. Group supported employment continues to play a smaller but significant role in employment supports, with almost 10% of individuals with IDD participating in enclaves or mobile work crews. Data do reflect a decline in participation in facility-based work for individuals with IDD, from 41% to 27.5% and a concurrent growth in participation in nonwork services to 43% of all purchased services.

scholarly journals Trayectorias de empleabilidad de los jóvenes que abandonan el sistema de protección

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (3 Noviembr) ◽  
pp. 485-504
Author(s):  
Estefanía Alonso Bello ◽  
Lidia E. Santana Vega ◽  
Luis Feliciano García
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Supported Employment ◽  
Job Placement ◽  
Work Experiences ◽  
Life Project ◽  
Protection Systems ◽  
El Sistema

Las trayectorias de empleabilidad de los jóvenes que salen del sistema de protección se ven condicionadas por su situación de exclusión social. Nuestra investigación persigue: a) analizar las trayectorias de los jóvenes extutelados y b) examinar cómo sus experiencias vitales y laborales influyen en su situación de exclusión. Se realizó un estudio de casos múltiples con cuatro jóvenes inmigrantes y tres nacionales. La selección de los casos tuvo en cuenta: a) haber estado acogido al sistema de protección, b) haber pasado un mínimo de 6 meses en un programa de inserción laboral, c) haber transcurrido 6 años después de finalizar el proyecto de inserción. En el estudio se utilizaron entrevistas, planes de inserción, fichas de trabajo, diarios de campo y registros de control para triangular la información y dar credibilidad a los resultados. Los resultados señalan que: 1) Los jóvenes valoran positivamente el apoyo en el proceso de transición al mercado laboral; b) la inserción social y la salida de la situación de exclusión son más factibles con metas claras y un proyecto de vida definido; 3) la escasa formación y experiencia laboral obstaculizan la adquisición y consolidación de competencias de empleabilidad. Los programas de inserción sociolaboral deben fomentar: a) el análisis de los proyectos de vida, b) la ampliación de las redes de apoyo, y c) el diseño de planes de empleo con apoyo. Employability trajectories of young people leaving protection systems are conditioned by their situation of social exclusion. The objectives of this study are: a) to analyse the trajectories of young people leaving public protection systems and b) to analyse how their lives and work experiences affect their social exclusion. A multiple case study was conducted. Four young immigrants and three young nationals participated in the study. The participants were selected on the basis of three criteria: a) they should have lived in residential care institutions, b) they should have been in a job placement program for at least 6 months, c) 6 years should have passed since the end of their job placement program. The data were collected using interviews, insertion plans, worksheets, field notes, control records; this allowed the triangulation of the information and gave the results credibility. The results indicate that: 1) young people value positively the support provided in the transition to the labour market; 2) social inclusion and leaving a situation of exclusion are more feasible with clear goals and a well defined life project; 3) poor training and work experience hinder the acquisition and consolidation of employability skills. Labour integration programs should promote: a) the analysis of life projects, b) the expansion of support networks and c) the design of supported employment plans.

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