At the Crossroads: Supported Employment a Decade Later

Abstract

Supported employment has grown rapidly within the past decade, fueled by the consumer empowerment and inclusion movements. The program has resulted in thousands of people with severe disabilities entering the labor force for the first time. Many consumers have expanded their vocational expectations, and employers have developed a new appreciation of the potential contribution individuals with disabilities can make to the workforce. Unfortunately, despite these dramatic gains, the supported employment movement appears to have lost much of its early momentum and is increasingly at a crossroads. This article addresses major challenges that consumers and professionals alike must face. Conversion of day programs to integrated work options, expansion of program capacity, the need to insure consumer choice and self-determination, and the achievement of meaningful employment outcomes in a highly competitive economy are among the challenges that those dedicated to the supported employment movement must solve in the years ahead. Specific recommendations are offered to meet each challenge. Ultimately, the way to expand and reenergize the supported employment initiative will be to educate and empower more consumers and families.

Funding Supported Employment

“…Although this group is the target population of the supported employment program, they are often underrepresented (Revell et al, 1994;Wehman & Kregel, 1995). The findings of this investigation indicate that vendors who are able to negotiate rates have more financial incentive to include members of this group in their service populations.…”

“…Wehman and Kregel (1995) have described a number of ways in which funding mechanisms can have a dramatic effect on the quality of supported employment services. For example, funding mechanisms may create in-equities in reimbursement rates between supported employment and facility-based vocational pro-grams such as activity centers and sheltered workshops, making it less likely that agencies will convert segregated employment programs into inte-grated, communitybased employment alternatives.…”

Community‐based cooperative ventures for adults with intellectual disabilities

“…But this has not deterred some advocates from continuing to advance independent support in the community, because they believe that it represents potentially a much better quality of life for people with intellectual disabilities (Wehman and Kregel 1995;Murphy and Rogan 1995).…”

Do Social Systems Really Change? Retrospective Interviews with State-Supported Employment Systems-Change Projectors

“…Across states, this has been cited as a concern by many stakeholders, including committed providers who have noted a reduction in federal and state commitment to supported employment (e.g., Albin, Rhodes, & Mank, 1994;Wehman & Kregel, 1996).…”

“…However, at least some proponents have maintained that the initiative needed to establish stability in individual outcomes can be achieved by restructuring the systems that support these individuals (Bellamy et al, 1988;Mank, 1994). Recent articles have questioned the extent to which systemic change is occurring (Davis, 1993;Mank, 1994;Wehman & Kregel, 1996).…”