We’ve come a long way—but still have much to do.
We all know what supported employment is, but let’s look at how it came to be. According to the Developmental Disability Act of 1984, supported employment is:
Paid employment which (i) is for persons with developmental disabilities for whom competitive employment at or above the minimum wage is unlikely and who, because of their disabilities, need ongoing support to perform in a work setting; (ii) is conducted in a variety of settings, particularly work sites in which persons without disabilities are employed; and (iii) is supported by any activity needed to sustain paid work by persons with disabilities, including supervision, training, and transportation.
Sound familiar? The Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1986 set regulations to guide the standards for supported employment services and the served population. Supported employment was designed for individuals needing varying levels of support to find and maintain employment. Individualized supports are a hallmark of supported employment and are ideally crafted and provided in a manner enabling job retention and career growth.
Conceived in the 1980s, supported employment was an exciting alternative to sheltered workshops because people now had an employment choice. While supported employment strategies could assist many people, there remained many requiring alternative approaches to competitive work. This is where customized employment became particularly helpful.
In 2014, Congress passed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; it was the first legislative reform of the public workforce system since 1998. Congress included customized employment as a supported employment strategy to assist individuals with barriers to employment, especially those with significant disabilities.
Customized employment is a personalized process for achieving competitive integrated employment or self-employment that meets the need of both employee and employer. Customized employment benefits people with disabilities, especially those who might not have been successful using other employment strategies.
We have made great strides since the passing of the Developmental Disability Act, but we still have much to do. To gain a better understanding of deinstitutionalization, employment history, and more, visit the Indiana Disability History Project. There you will find videos of people in the field and hear the stories of people with disabilities through the decades.
Resources
- Customized Employment primer from the Lead Center — The Essential Elements of Customized Employment for Universal Application
- Course offering from the Center on Community Living and Careers— Employment Consultant Training with an Emphasis on Customized Employment
- U.S. Department of Labor webpage — The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act