EMPLOYMENT FOR
INDIVIDUALS WITH
DISABILITIES:
INTRODUCTION AND
OVERVIEW
Whitney Ham, M.S, CRC
What will be covered?

Research
 What
are the stats?
 Importance of transition practices
 Why is employment important?




Post-Secondary Employment Options
Supported Employment
Job Development
Case Study Examples
Employment for Individuals with
Disabilities

Employment: this area represents largest gap in
quality of life factors between individuals with and
without disabilities
 17.1%
employment individuals with a disability
 64.6% employment rate for individuals without a
disability
 (http://www.bls.gov/news.release/disabl.nr0.htm)
Underemployment: low status, low paying
 Individuals with disabilities desire employment
(Lindsay et al., 2015)

“The meaning of work is
personal and often relates to
how happy someone feels
about himself and the impact
of his life on others.”

(Wehman, 2013, p. 61)
Employment


Americans spend the majority of their time at work
American culture
 Focused
on choice and making something of one’s self
 Making your own success

Benefits of Employment:
 Income
 Social
relationships
 Social inclusion
 (Lindsay et al., 2015)
Post-School Outcomes for Youth with
Disabilities




Less likely than their peers without disabilities to
finish high school
Less likely to pursue postsecondary education
Significantly more likely to be unemployed for their
adult life
Youth with disabilities require coordination of
service delivery between exiting high school and
entering the community
 (Luecking
& Luecking, 2015)
Barriers to Effective Transition





Lack of coordination in school-based services
Low exposure to work experiences in school
Limited participation of youth in transition planning
Low family involvement in transition planning and
services
Low or lack of connection to postschool supports
that support employment
 (Luecking
& Luecking, 2015)
Barriers to Employment







Power and influence
Health care benefits and Social Security Administration
Policies
Employer reluctance to hire
Concerns of the costs associated with hiring
Concerns about additional supervision and loss of
productivity
Concern of not being able to terminate employment
Concern that people with disabilities are not competent
Effective Transition Practices
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Student-focused planning
Student development
Interagency collaboration
Family involvement
Program Structures
(Kohler & Field, 2003)
Brief History of
Employment of Persons
with Disabilities
1968 -75



Deinstitutionalization litigation based on debate
whether persons with severe disabilities able to
benefit from treatment
Application of applied behavior analysis (ABA) to
teaching basic self-care skills
Expansion of ABA into teaching individuals to
perform complex chains of complex behaviors
(Marc Gold, University of Oregon)
1968 -75



Applied Behavior Analysis becomes a validated
technology to teach skills to individuals previously
thought to be incapable of learning
Individuals taught to perform complex vocational
skills in isolated settings
1972: The Principle of Normalization: move into
mainstream society
1976 - 83



Applied Behavior Analysis is applied to complex
multiple tasks in community based jobs in the local
economy
Initial demonstrations started in Virginia, Seattle,
Illinois and Vermont
Emergence of the concept of job coach
Rehabilitation Act of 1986





1) Definition of supported employment (SE)
2) Funds provided for provision of SE
3) Case dollars for SE for individuals served by VR
programs
Initial focus on interagency collaboration
Increase in choice of employment options
The VCU Model of Employment




Initially attempt to place clients into jobs that other
people can apply for
Job is performed to the employer’s satisfaction from
the first day of employment
Use of systematic instruction (ABA) for initial
acquisition, fluency, and fading of learning aids
and job coach supervision
Prepare clients for success in a single work setting
Application to New Populations

1986 – Individuals with severe (IQ less than 40)
intellectual disabilities
1987 – Individuals with traumatic brain injuries

1988 – Transition age youth



1991 – Individuals with spinal cord injuries and
persons in need of assistive technology
1994 – Individuals in remote rural settings
Increasing Momentum of Disability
Movement



Move towards inclusion and self-determination
1990’s: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
signed into legislation
Supported Employment Research:
 Improving evidence based practices
 Continued research develops surrounding
employment of individuals with disabilities:
barriers, facilitators
ADA





Title I: Employment
Title II: Public Services
Title III: Public Accommodations
Title IV: Telecommunications
Title V: Miscellaneous Provisions
Title I of ADA




No discrimination against individuals with disabilities
Opportunity to compete for available positions
Reasonable Accommodation
Office of Disability Employment Policy at the
Department of Labor
U.N Convention on the
Rights of IWD’s

Workforce Innovations and Opportunity Act
• Limits sheltered workshop placements
• Limits sub-minimum wage
• Persons with disabilities 24 and younger
must earn $7.25 +
• State Vocational Rehabilitation must work
with transition age youth.
Importance of Employment


“In addition many people remain so focused on
disability that they fail to embrace the simple truth
that with proper resources and supports, individuals
with disabilities can be successful at work”
(Wehman & Bricout, 2001)
“For young people with disabilities who are leaving
school, competitive work prior to graduation or exit
is the best way to negate these poor employment
outcomes” (Wehman, 2001b; Wehman & Revell,
1997)
Transition Personnel




Transition Specialist, Vocational Specialist, Special
Educator
Began the competitive work process while students
with disabilities are still in high school
Provided by Vocational Rehabilitation services or
transition personnel in schools
Job coach
Employment Options



Day support/ sheltered workshop
Rehabilitation Center: multi-dimensional
Job placement and sample careers
 VR




programs
Self-employment
Telework
Supplemental staffing: “temp to perm”
One stop career centers: collaboration
Supported Employment

First defined Developmental Disabilities Act 1984
 (i)
paid employment for persons with developmental
disabilities for whom comprehensive employment at or
above minimum wage is unlikely and who need ongoing
support to perform in a work setting, (ii) is conducted in
a variety of settings in which persons without disabilities
are employed, and (iii) is supported by any activity
needed to sustain paid work including supervision,
training, and transportation (p.2665)
Supported Employment

Goals:
 Integration
 Competitive
pay
 Self-determination
 Co-worker training
 Independence
Values of Supported Employment








Presumption of Employment
Competitive Employment
Control
Commensurate Wages & Benefits
Focus on Capacity & Capabilities
Importance of Relationships
Systems Change
Importance of Community
9 Best Practices









Choice
Control
Career Development
Full community inclusion
Long- Term Supports
Community and Business Supports
Continuous Quality Improvement
Assistive Technology
Person-Centered Planning
Evidence Based Principles of Supported
Employment
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Participation in the employment program based on consumer
choice
Employment supports integrated with medical treatment
Services are focused on employment as the goal
A rapid job search approach is used
Job finding is individualized with attention to consumer
preference
Supports are ongoing
Benefits counseling is used to educate consumers on the effects
of earnings on benefits *
What is Supported Employment?






Competitive Employment
Real Work for Real Pay
NOT a Sheltered Workshop
Job Coaching Supports
Natural Supports
Informed Choice
Supported Employment/ Customized
Employment

Supported Employment
 Existing
position
 Essential duties

Customized Employment
 Some
of the essential duties
 Combination of existing duties
 Created position from several pre-existing job
descriptions
Job Coach




Assist person with disability to achieve real work for
real pay
Have knowledge of business community
Understand job seeker’s abilities, preferences, and
interests
Include the voice of the person with a disability
 individualized
Job Coach Functions
1) Consumer Profile
2) Career Development
3) Employment Match
4) Jobsite Training and Supports
5) Long-term Supports/ Extended Services
Consumer Profile/ Assessment

Critical first step
 Learn
about individual’s interests, skills, abilities and
preferences
 Employment goals are discussed and identified

Variety of Interviews
•
•

Consumer
Family
Observations
 Situational
Assessments
 Community Assessments
 List of potential support needs developed
Job Development

Pre-employment activities
 Meeting
with employers
 Identifying opportunities
 Developing relationships
 Workplace Analysis
 Applications

“Creative job search”
 Friends
and networking, developing relationships
Organizational Marketing


Marketing to businesses and potential customers
Sell values of Supported Employment
 Large
pool of resources
 Employment centered consultation
 2 customers: client and employer

Goal is to build a strong network of relationships
Self-Determined Job Search







Include the customer as much as possible
Individualized
Strengths, interests, preferences
Disclosure of disability
Roles and responsibilities
Environment that matches skillset
Ends in Employment Selection
Good Training is Good Training
“A
lack of learning in any particular
situation should first be interpreted as a
result of inappropriate or insufficient use
of teaching strategy, rather than
inability on the part of the learner.”
Marc Gold
Job Site Training






One to one
Develop supports
Independence is goal
Customer is included in the development of job
supports, behavior plans
Customer is included in the fading plan
Focus on integration and relationship building
Types of Supports



Environmental: physical
Natural: cues that naturally exist in environment,
typically available
Workplace supports:
 Visuals
 Compensatory
strategies
 AT

Behavioral/ PBS and ABA
Follow Along Services






Provision of long term support services
Customer and job coach assess employment
stabilities
Assess employment satisfaction
Address potential advancement options
Employer is updated
Options for intensifying supports are available
Long Term Supports

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


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
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Monitor work performance including work quality and work
rate
Facilitate job changes and career movement
Crisis intervention
Monitor socialization and overall integration
Support training for employer and co-workers
Retraining of previously learned skills
Assess job satisfaction
Training in new skills
Support to family
Assess employer satisfaction
What is a successful outcome?





Satisfying Work
Mutually Enjoyable and Supportive Relationships
Career Advancement
Improved Resources
Reduce Reliance on the Service System
Benefits of SE





Large labor pool
Reduced Recruitment costs
Help “meet the bottom line”
Increased education opportunities
Increase diversity
“Work is an important social and financial involvement
for persons with disabilities and provides a potentially
rich venue for social inclusion; supported employment
has become an accepted best practice in employment
of persons with intellectual and other developmental
disabilities”
(Wehman, 2013, p. 62)
Other Local Post-Secondary Options
Project SEARCH
ACE- IT

What is Project SEARCH?

Began in 1996
 Nurse



Practitioner and Special Education Director
Collaboration between local stakeholders
Spend one school year learning job skills
Addressing the research gap in effective
employment models for individuals with disabilities
Project SEARCH

Components of Project SEARCH
 School-to-work
transition program
 Serves individuals with the most significant disabilities
 Total immersion in the workplace – “host business”
 Classroom instruction 1.75 hours/day to address
employment skills
 Internships/Worksite Rotations that lead to transferrable
skills

Main Goal:
 Competitive
employment in the community
VCU ACE-IT





Inclusive college experience for individuals with
intellectual disabilities
5 semesters at VCU
Apply for program
Participate in internships, inclusive classroom
experiences, and focus on employment after
participation, inclusive social experiences
Goal upon completion: COMPETITIVE EMPLOYMENT
VCU ACE-IT



Receive a certificate from VCU School of Education
Coursework is based on career interests
Partner with:
 Education
Coach
 Job Coach

(http://www.aceitincollege.org/about/index.html)
Case study examples of
Supported Employment in
the Community
Christopher
Personality Characteristics


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
Organized
Detail oriented
Does well with a routine and high expectations
Friendly
Communication

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


INTERESTED having in relationships
Can come across as sarcastic
No filter
Lack of boundaries
Perseverates on a few topics
 Quite
knowledgeable in these
 Weather, Godzilla, Werewolves
Challenges





Communication
Sensory challenges : does not like liquids to touch
him or loud noices
Scripting in public areas
Anxiety: change and changes in weather
Requests more support at work than is needed
 Lack
of confidence
Skillset

Strong work ethic
 Finish



to completion
Ability to follow written schedule
Very skilled with technology
Excellent recall
What causes frustration?

Correction
 Work




related, social
Changes to schedule
Fights with family members
Weather
Noises
 Beeping,
lots of talking and conversation
Learning Needs




Detailed schedule
Repetition
Clear expectations
Clear instructions
 Multiple
times
 Forewarning

Firm/ concrete
Current Employment Situation




Works in the Coronary Care Unit
Stocks patients rooms and bedside carts
Stocks isolation carts used throughout the unit
Checks for expired patient nutrition items
Supports at Work



Checklists: check off each task, provide forewarning
of what is to come next
Signs off on tasks to increase accountability and
improve communication between supervisor and
Christopher
Social stories for patient and co-worker
communication
Darnell
Communication Style



Voice prosody
Voice volume
Syntax
 “I
like to say good bye to you now.”
 “I doing fabulous, I take the turns”
Learning Needs



Repetition
Very visual
Clearly defined expectations
Environmental Needs



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Limited access to computers/ technology
Firm rules surrounding food
Consistency
Schedule
Expectations
What can cause frustration?





Changes in routine
Correction
Upset with support circle
Too much instruction
“ Baby Talk”
 Think
of how typically developing individuals
communicate with individuals with disabilities.
Skillset







Energetic
Accurate
Detail oriented
Organized
Work ethic
Excellent memory
Comprehension
Current Employment Situation




Working in the In-Patient Pharmacy for 4 years
Routinely checks all medications used in the hospital
to make sure they are not expired
Delivers medications to chemotherapy patients in
the Out Patient Infusion Center
Labels medications for patient use
Employment Supports

Behavior Plan:
 Appropriate
behavior in hospital setting
 Reviews each day with his supervisor
 Focuses on what he SHOULD be doing rather than what
he CANNOT do

Maintains his own log to document number of
deliveries he has made and which medications he
has checked
Questions

Whitney Ham, MS, CRC
 [email protected]
Resources




Calfee, R. C., & Valencia, R. R. (1991). APA guide to preparing manuscripts
for journal publication. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Brooke, V., Inge, K., Armstrong, A., & Wehman, P. (1997). Supported
Employment Handbook: A Customer-Driven Approach for Persons with
Significant Disabilities. Virginia Commonwealth University: Rehabilitation
Research and Training Center.
Lindsay, S., McDougall, C., Menna-Dack, D., Sanford, R., & Adams, T.
(2015). An ecologlical approach to understanding barriers to employment
for youth with disabilities compared to their typically developing peers:
views of youth, employers, and job counselors. Disability and Rehabilitation,
37(8), 701-711.
Luecking, D., & Luecking, R. (2015). Translating Research Into a Seamless
Transition Model. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional
Individuals, 38(1), 4-13.
(VCU-RRTC, 2015)
Resources



Wehman, P. Life Beyond the Classroom: Transition
Strategies for Young People with Disabilities. Baltimore,
MD: Paul H. Brooks Publishing
Wehman, P., Inge, K., Revell, G., & Brooke, V. (2007).
Real Work for Real Pay: Inclusive Employment for
People with Disabilities. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes
Publishing Co.
Wehman, P. (2013). Transition From School to Work:
Where Are We and Where Do We Need to Go?.
Career Development and Transition for Exceptional
Individuals, 36(1), 58-66.