Let’s Get to Work Wisconsin: Launching youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities into the workforce

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Beginning in spring 2012, Wisconsin's Let's Get to Work (LGTW) project spent four years working with pilot school sites and state agency personnel to implement practice and policy changes designed to elevate expectations along with employment outcomes for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). This need was underscored by data demonstrating inconsistent transition practices across the state in conjunction with policy obstacles hindering employment for individuals with I/DD. Analysis of Wisconsin's 2010 post-school outcomes survey of high school students who exited in the 2008-09 school year indicated that only 14% with I/DD were employed at integrated competitive jobs. Similarly, individuals with I/DD enrolled in the adult long-term care system achieved community-based employment rates of less than 15%. To foster improved employment outcomes, LGTW employed a multi-level approach including: 1) direct work with high school pilot sites to increase utilization of evidence-based transition practices and identify policy needs; 2) coaching for school staff to implement effective transition strategies, develop resources, and generate policy ideas; 3) quarterly consortium meetings comprised of key state-level stakeholders; and, 4) policy work to formalize and take action on school and consortium recommendations. OBJECTIVE: This article discusses the characteristics and impact of Wisconsin's Let's Get to Work (LGTW) project. CONCLUSION: Over the course of the project, 73% of students who received interventions through school coaching had one or more paid work experience, a strong predictor of employment in adulthood. Numerous local and statewide policy changes were made, including expanded application of project strategies and resources. Analysis of the 2016 post-school outcomes survey data placed the rate of competitive integrated employment for 2014-15 high school exiters with I/DD at 24% in Wisconsin, up 10 percentage points statewide over the six-year period between 2010 and 2016.

Demographic and Transition Service Predictors of Employment Outcomes for Youth Receiving Supplemental Security Income

“…These strategies include community-based employment programs that include school and VR partnerships, individualized-customized supports, data-based decision-making (Choiseul-Praslin & McConnell, 2020), IPS employment services (Noel et al, 2018), customized employment (Riesen et al, 2015), and programs that provide internship and apprenticeship opportunities for youth with disabilities, such as Project SEARCH (Schall et al, 2020) and Wisconsin’s previous Let’s Get to Work grant that aimed to improve the employment rates of youth with IDD. Employment rates increased when schools implemented evidence-based transition services (Molfenter, Hartman, Neugart, et al, 2017).…”

Stages of Change Scale to Measure Work Readiness of Transition-Age Youth With Disabilities: A Promising Approach

“…Counseling individuals through the SOC is important for increasing motivation to change and ultimately achieving the desired behavior change and outcomes (Norcross et al, 2010). it is anticipated that an individual's progress through the stages will predict their future behavior, in this case, increased motivation to seek out employment opportunities (Levesque et al, 1999).…”

“…This, along with the misguided belief that individuals with disabilities cannot work, contributes to the comparatively high unemployment and underemployment rates for people with disabilities (Lui et al, 2010;Tremblay et al, 2004Tremblay et al, , 2006. More recently, research has demonstrated that through the use of an array of SSA work incentives, youth with disabilities can increase their income and still maintain access to services and supports including health care, thus positively impacting overall quality of life (Molfenter et al, 2017). Therefore, research on better understanding work motivation and work readiness among transition-age youth receiving SSi is important to help improve employment outcomes and progress toward achieving greater financial self-sufficiency.…”

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

“…First, special educator involvement in the work experience development process may differ depending on whether or not a transition specialist is available for support. If a transition specialist is not involved, the special educator may need release time from school-based responsibilities to do work experience development in the community (Farnon-Molfenter, Hartman, Neugart, & Webb, 2017). If the school district employs a transition specialist, then the special educator's role may focus more on helping students identify work-related strengths/interests and suggesting possible work experience matches.…”