What Parents Need to Know About Supported Employment for Individuals with Multiple Disabilities

Supported Employment (SE) is a program established by the federal government in the 1980s that enables individuals with severe disabilities to become employed. It is a complex system that blends resources from a variety of sources. The following information provides a general description of supported employment.

What Is Supported Employment?

It is a model of employment that provides people with severe disabilities the appropriate, ongoing support necessary for success in a competitive work environment. Most individuals in a supported employment program receive services from a community-based service provider. Generally, community-based service providers offer vocational assessment, locate or develop jobs, and provide job skills training. Most providers have job coaches who work at the job site and help the client learn job tasks, identify job modifications, including assistive technology, and work with the employer to solve behavioral or social problems.

Who Is Supported Employment Designed to Help?

It is for individuals with severe disabilities who need lifelong, ongoing support. An individual who is blind or low vision with additional, severe disabilities would be eligible for supported employment. Most individuals with vision loss only need access to information, not direct support, and therefore are not candidates for supported employment.

Where Is Supported Employment Located?

Supported employment is never segregated, with all coworkers being disabled. The federal government has defined what employment settings meet their definition of supported employment. Examples of employment settings for supported employment would be:

1. In a competitive job with no other individuals with disabilities.
2. Part of an enclave of no more than six individuals with disabilities.
3. Part of a mobile crew of no more than six individuals with disabilities who travel to different locations to provide a service such as cleaning or landscaping.
4. Self-employed business. An example would be a client who has set up a company that shreds documents for various businesses.

When Is Supported Employment Appropriate?

Supported employment can begin as part of a vocational rehabilitation program once an individual has left the public school system. Vocational rehabilitation has a responsibility to provide supported employment services when appropriate. School systems play a role as they are mandated to plan for the transition from school into adult services formally. Schools should also actively provide career education, skills training, and job sampling as part of their services.

How Does Supported Employment Happen?

Supported employment begins with assembling a team of individuals who will explore options and create a plan for supported employment. The planning team for Supported Employment should include the individual with a disability, their family, school staff, adult service providers, and community members who can offer support. Vocational rehabilitation often starts the plan, funding services for a set period, typically a year. Continuous service provision is crucial, with the plan specifying funding sources for extended support. State agencies usually provide this funding, such as those for developmental, intellectual disabilities, and mental health. When state funding is unavailable, alternative solutions like Supplemental Security Income have been used creatively.

During the planning process, a community-based service provider must be located to provide the actual supported employment services. Typically, the community-based service provider begins by providing intensive services in vocational assessment, job location, and job placement but might also include job skill training, assistive technology, necessary job modifications, and on-going support. Once a person has been placed on a job, his or her need for ongoing support may diminish over time. The goal is for the employer to provide the “natural eventually” support from coworkers.

Why Is There Supported Employment?

Supported employment is the end point of the movement to retain individuals with severe disabilities within the communities in which they live. Previously, these same people might have spent their lives in segregated settings such as institutions. Supported employment is a means by which people can be successful in employment that fits their talents, interests, and abilities.