Background: Autism typically begins in childhood and affects over five million adults across the United States. Although most adults with autism would like to work, only about one-fourth are employed, and only 1% of working-age adults with autism receive employment services paid for by Vocational Rehabilitation or Medicaid. Individual Placement…

People with disabilities are employed at a rate much lower than people without disabilities (Erickson et al., 2022). People with disabilities can be excellent employees who bring a wide range of skills and abilities to their work. Businesses may experience increased productivity and positive publicity as benefits to hiring people with disabilities…

This report discusses findings from a descriptive and cost study of the Bridges from School to Work (Bridges) program. The program helps young adults with disabilities find and maintain competitive employment. It is part of the Next Generation of Enhanced Employment Strategies (NextGen) Project, which seeks to rigorously evaluate employment…

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by Title IV of the Workforce Investment Opportunities Act (WIOA) of 2014, defines Competitive Integrated Employment as, "work that is performed on a full-time or part-time basis for which an individuals is: (a) compensated at or above minimum wage or commensurate with individuals without disabilities…

The field of developmental disabilities is as multi-faceted, varied and intricate as anything imaginable. Most of the author's management and professional experience has centered on vocational opportunities and supported employment for people with significant disabilities. The author shares some thoughts and experiences about supporting people in…

Supported Employment is an evidence-based practice that helps people with mental illness find and keep meaningful jobs in the community. Given these outcomes the challenge for Supported Employment programs is to rethink the emphasis on immediate work for everyone and help consumers utilize appropriate education and training opportunities available…

Traditional employment often excludes those individuals with severe and moderate mental retardation. This paper describes three strategies that can be used by employment specialists and one strategy that can be used by job coaches in obtaining and maintaining employment for mentally retarded adults, using the supported competitive employment…

These guidelines developed out of a study identifying support systems for supervisors of people with moderate special needs (MSN) in training internships and employment situations. Generally MSNs are dependable, loyal employees who are eager to please and to do a good job. Problems occur because the MSNs are insecure about their role at work, have…

The Pioneer-Syracuse University Project was designed to help people with severe disabilities find community jobs and become integral participants in their work places, using on-site and off-site resources and supports from job personnel and other community members. Specifically, project staff who had directly trained and supported people with…

These profiles of Minnesota individuals with severe disabilities were developed as part of an evaluation of the impact of supported employment on their lives. The profiles describe individuals who have severe disabilities, who receive assistance from a wide variety of programs, and who were evaluated through both qualitative and quantitative…

A 20-state survey of supported employment personnel (131 direct training staff and 79 supervisory staff) serving people with mental retardation identified the importance of training in such areas as "matching the job to the applicant,""gathering information on job prospects,""understanding transition from school to…

This report presents case studies of 4 adults with autism who enrolled in a work-training program utilizing a behavioral social interaction approach, and were subsequently competitively employed for 6 to 30 months. Success was associated with such factors as appropriate communication and interpersonal skills, gradual fading of supervision, and…

The purpose of the study reported in this paper was to identify support systems for supervisors of people with moderate special needs (MSN) in training internships and employment situations. A questionnaire was mailed to 105 cooperating practitioners who had served in previous years as on-site supervisors (ONS) for students in a job…

This paper presents a collaborative employment placement and training structure which provides a flexible format for implementing various natural support models for the employment of individuals with severe disabilities. A team approach is used to develop and implement job assessment, training, and follow-up activities. Each team may be composed…

Wisconsin Works (W-2) is a time-limited employment assistance program that, in September 1997, replaced cash entitlements provided to low-income families under Aid to Families with Dependent Children. W-2 provides subsidized or unsubsidized placements for participants, based upon their level of preparedness for employment. Participants in both…