Ad Hoc Committee on Employment and Community Participation Issues Final Report

As a result of the Colorado Division for Developmental Disabilities' Strategic Plan published in July 2003, an Ad Hoc Committee was formed to explore and submit recommendations for new viable approaches to supported employment and community participation.  The Ad Hoc Committee met for more than 18 months and formed subgroups that met separately during this period.  As of June 30, 2005, the Ad Hoc Committee published its Final Report on Employment And Community Participation Recommendations to Fred DeCrescentis, Director for the Division for Developmental Disabilities.  Bill Baesman, Executive Director of The Arc of Colorado, was a member of the Ad Hoc Committee and participated throughout the 18 months.  The following are links to the Report along with links to the Appendix of the Report.

For those who are eligible, DDS, through local Community Centered Boards, provide supported employment and other day services and supports through the Comprehensive Services Program and Supported Living Services Program. However, at the time of this writing, there may be inadequate funding available and a lack of local service provider expertise in supported employment services, within some Colorado counties.

People seeking eligibility for DVR services must have a physical or mental impairment which must constitute or result in a substantial impediment to employment, and the person must need vocational rehabilitation services to prepare for, enter into, engage in or retain gainful employment. No matter how severe a disability, a person is presumed to be able to become employed, unless DVR has clear and convincing evidence he or she cannot be employed. Persons who experience a disability and who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) through the federal Social Security program are automatically eligible for DVR services. This system also tends to suffer from inadequate funding and limited expertise in the provision of supported employment services at the time of this writing.

What is supported employment?

Supported employment is paid work in integrated employment settings with ongoing support. Supported employment is designed for all people with disabilities who choose to work, no matter how severe a disabling condition may be.

Paid work: Unpaid (volunteer) work is not considered to be supported employment, and while some agencies may suggest less than minimum wage payment, it is recommended that people steer clear of this option. Piece-rate or less than minimum wage arrangements are most common within "work crews" or "enclaves," which congregate and segregate people with disabilities.

Integrated employment settings: "Getting ready" for community employment through attendance at sheltered workshops or other day program experience is not necessary and is seen as a waste of time or actually harmful to some people. Integrated settings include any setting where nondisabled people work. However, there has always been emphasis on assuring that people have access to working in employment settings that allow regular ongoing interaction with nondisabled coworkers.

Ongoing support: Ongoing support refers to the provision of services and supports that assist an individual in planning for, obtaining, learning and maintaining a job. A job development or career plan should be completed and will guide career exploration and job development activities. This process should allow for the determination of the kinds of jobs that may best match a particular persons employment characteristics and support needs. Initial efforts may include job try-outs (also referred to as work experience or situational assessment) within community businesses to better determine those jobs a person enjoys and is proficient in. Once a job is located, a "job coach" or "employment consultant" may provide support to the new employee and the employer to assure that orientation proceeds, job duties are learned and necessary accommodations are identified and arranged for. Once a person is stable in their new job the job coach, a coworker or another person (sometimes a family member), provide ongoing support to the employee to assure that employment issues are identified and resolved. The development of "natural supports" (utilizing coworkers or supervisors for ongoing support) has been considered the best approach for providing unobtrusive, non-stigmatizing support over long periods of time. When issues arise that require supports that are currently unavailable in the natural work environment, a family member or job coach should be ready to provide more intensive supports to stabilize the work situation. When people do not require ongoing support to locate, learn and maintain a job, it is sometimes referred to as competitive employment.

Sheltered workshops

Sheltered workshops may be suggested as an alternative to real community employment. Sheltered workshops are typically housed in warehouse-like buildings where large groups of people with disabilities are segregated with no contact with nondisabled, typical coworkers. Wages are typically paid by piece rate, on the basis of productivity and are often well below minimum wage. "Downtime," periods of time during which no work is available, is present in a majority of sheltered workshops. While sheltered workshops, also known as "community rehabilitation programs," affirmative industries, or enterprises were considered "state of the art" in the 1950s and 60s, supported employment is now considered by most families and professionals to have a number of preferred characteristics including better pay, benefits and integration.

Community participation

Community participation has expanded over the last decade to be the most used day service in Colorado. These programs are typically oriented toward recreational activities or other non-work options. The Arc of Colorado has concern that these programs often amount to "day-wasting" as small groups of people go out in vans to a park or a shopping mall with limited opportunities to learn meaningful work or life skills. This option was developed over a decade ago (with the best of intents) to serve those individuals whose interdisciplinary team had determined that employment would not be in the individuals best interest at that point in time. It was not meant to exclude large numbers of people from receiving the informed choice so often necessary to make career decisions. At that time, it was felt that the number of people choosing this option would be about the same percentage of individuals without disabilities who choose not to work due to lack of interest, medical fragility, trust funds, or whatever the reason. Sadly, this option has become an "easy out" for agencies who have low expectations for their customers or who do not have the expertise to implement a quality supported employment program.

Employment links

Arc of the United States National Employment and Training Program:

http://www.thearc.org/netp

Association for Persons in Supported Employment:

www.apse.org

Center on Technical Assistance and Training:

http://ctat-training.com

Colorado Department of Labor and Employment Programs:

http://www.coworkforce.com/emp/

Colorado Workforce Program:

http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/wdc/wdc.htm

Colorado Workforce Program, Local Center Locator:

http://www.workforcecenters.state.co.us/statemap.htm

Employer Assistance Referral Network:

http://www.earnwork

Employment Link

www.emplink.org

Job Accommodation Network:

www.jan.wvu.edu

New Freedom Initiative:

http://www.disabilitydirect.gov

Office of Employment Supports Program:

http://www.ssa.gov/work/index2.html

Presidents Committee on the Employment of People with Disabilities:

http://www50.pcepd.gov/pcepd/

Presidents task Force on the Employment of Adults with Disabilities:

http://www.dol.gov/_sec/programs/ptfead/main.htm

Rocky Mountain Disability & Business Technical Assistance Center:

www.ada-infonet.org

Tax credit for hiring people with disabilities:

http://workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/employ/wotcdata.asp

Training Resource Network, Inc.:

www.trninc.com

Virginia Commonwealth University Rehabilitation Research & Training Center on Workplace Supports:

www.worksupport.com