The TennesseeWorks Partnership: Elevating employment outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Abstract

Abstract. BACKGROUND:The TennesseeWorks Partnership is an innovative and coordinated effort to ensure youth and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) across the state have the aspirations, preparation, opportunities, and supports to access competitive and integrated work that contributes to their flourishing. Launched in 2012, our systems change project has made a deep and sustained investment in equipping: (a) young people with IDD to aspire toward competitive work from an early age; (b) families to pursue competitive work for their members with disabilities; (c) educators to prepare students for competitive work throughout their schooling; (d) service systems to support competitive work in every corner of the state; and (e) communities to receive the gifts and contributions of people with disabilities. OBJECTIVE: In this article, we describe the origins and organization of our collaborative, present central components of our approach to systems change, highlight progress and outcomes in each area, and share our investment in sustainability. CONCLUSION: We offer reflections on the complexities of spurring statewide change and recommendations for other research and practice in this area.

Family Perspectives on the Appeals of and Alternatives to Sheltered Employment for Individuals with Severe Disabilities

“…The alignment of policies and perspectives is an important consideration within systems change efforts focused on expanding integrated employment (Flippo & Butterworth, 2018). Understanding how key stakeholders view the changes being pursued by state-level teams can provide a valuable source of information and guidance as states make progressive movements in this area (Carter et al, 2017;Gilson et al, 2018). We sought to understand what maintained the attraction of parents and other family members in our state to segregated employment options and inquired about the factors that would lead them to consider integrated employment options as an appealing and viable alternative.…”

Toward Competitive Employment for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: What Progress Have We Made and Where Do We Need to Go

“…Moreover, evidence indicates that a majority of individuals with disabilities and their families prefer competitive integrated employment (CIE) to segregated employment or day services (Gilson, Carter, Bumble, & McMillan, 2018;Siperstein et al, 2014). For youth, adults, and their families, there is reason for optimism and hope with the recent passage of the Workforce Innovations and Opportunities Act of 2014 (WIOA) and commitment of the Department of Justice to close segregated workshops (Carter et al, 2017;Christensen, Richardson, & Hetherington, 2017;Tucker, Feng, Gruman, & Crossen, 2017). Additionally, states are increasingly committing to the Employment First initiative, which recognizes CIE as the only acceptable employment goal for individuals with disabilities (APSE, 2017;Butterworth, Christensen, & Flippo, 2017;Carter et al, 2017).…”

“…Title I of the ADA and the actions of the DOJ, while changing legal policy and enforcement, have also influenced attitudes and behaviors. Furthermore, the Employment First initiative (Butterworth et al, 2017;Carter et al, 2017;Tucker et al, 2017) provides impetus for many states to change their policies by highlighting effective CIE practices within states, disseminating this information to a broader audience including individuals and parents. As a result, more and more of both individuals and parents with I/DD not "settling" for segregated centers or large group placements, but instead aggressively pushing for CIE. 2.…”

Community Conversations on Integrated Employment: Examining Individualization, Influential Factors, and Impact

“…First, community conversations provide an efficient and effective way of listening to diverse stakeholders about pressing needs facing their communities. The context for the present study was a Partnerships in Employment Systems Change grant funded by the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (Carter, McMillan, Willis, & Tennessee Works Partnership, in press). We drew upon these events to help us identify common concerns evident across communities in different regions of our state.…”