This article presents results from the 1990 fiscal year survey of state supported employment implementation conducted by the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Supported Employment at Virginia Commonwealth University, and a longitudinal analysis of findings from the 5-year course of this investigation. State vocational rehabilitation agencies reported a total of 74,657 supported employment participants and 2,647 provider agencies for 1990. Persons with mental retardation continue to be the primary service group, but there has been a dramatic increase in the proportion of supported employment participants with mental illness. Among participants with mental retardation, those with mild retardation continue to be the primary recipients of services. Use of the individual placement model has also increased substantially, with a corresponding decrease in the use of most group options. The availability of extended services funding was found to be limited across a number of disability groups. Findings are discussed in relation to the achievements of the states in implementing supported employment, and challenges to the states for improving service access and delivery for individuals with severe disabilities.

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The objective of this study was to identify barriers and facilitators to the use of evidence by professional staff of state Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies. Data were collected via an online survey administered to 355 staff at three state VR departments. Over half of respondents could locate and comprehend research findings. Evidence-based practice (EBP) was not widely encouraged, but there was a positive relationship between the agency having sufficient funds and its support for EBP (r = 0.27, p = 0.001). The top two sources of information respondents used on the job were professional collaboration and the Internet, but not social media. State VR agencies tend not to expect that counselors will use EBP and provide limited incentives for them to do so. While VR staff value research and are open to trying new strategies based on research, translating evidence into usable and accessible products and developing efficient delivery strategies present challenges that the authors intend to investigate further in upcoming research. Knowledge translation strategies need to be developed for this audience.

This article describes different methods used by state Vocational Rehabilitation agencies to fund time limited supported employment services. Findings are reported from a survey of 385 vendored supported employment provider agencies regarding types of reimbursement method used, the influence of different types of methods on key consumer outcomes, and recommendations for improving funding systems. The findings consistently pointed to significantly more positive response of vendors to funding methods that incorporate negotiated rates at the individual provider level as compared to statewide fixed rates for all vendors. Statewide fixed hourly rates were found to discourage both conversion to community integrated employment opportunities and the reopening of supported employment cases after job loss. The same response pattern held true for respondents' perceptions of reimbursements covering the costs of services. Statewide rates for specified outcomes or for daily, weekly or monthly service units were found to cover the cost of services at levels significantly lower than the other funding methods.

This article addresses the issue of availability of competitive employment for individuals with significant disabilities compared to segregated day and work services. Despite the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Supreme Court decision in the Olmstead v. L. C. (1999) case and its emphasis on full community integration for individuals with significant disabilities, and the blending of individualized support strategies with the philosophy of self-determination in the 1990s, the majority of individuals with significant disabilities currently are not working in competitive employment. In addition, the measures used to define quality supported employment outcomes and programs frequently lack clarity. In this article, the authors briefly discuss the underlying values that should be used to guide all competitive employment programs designed to support individuals with disabilities. Second, they detail benchmark indicators through which the quality of supported employment programs should be measured. The article concludes with a description of the importance of using quality indicators in assessing the validity of supported employment services, particularly in the current environment of strained and finite fiscal resources.