Indiana has been ambitious in setting disability hiring goals, especially for individuals receiving a state waiver. The Family and Social Service Administration (FSSA) aims to increase the number of waiver-supported individuals pursuing competitive, integrated employment (CIE) by 23% to 38%, which equates to roughly 1,500 more individuals. To accomplish this goal, FSSA dedicated transformation funding for community rehabilitation providers (CRPs), engaged in a robust waiver redesign effort, and focused on creating a more coordinated system that supports Indiana’s Employment First legislation.
Indiana’s waiver redesign focused on:
- improving team dynamics through shared outcomes and communication,
- enhancing case management and system navigation, and
- focusing on key supports to build independence.
Indiana’s Path Forward report underscores the critical role of waiver supports in empowering individuals with significant disabilities. By providing necessary assistance, these supports can help individuals effectively engage with Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services and successfully pursue, attain, and maintain CIE.
Phaseout of Facility Prevocational Services
Indiana has a phased plan to eliminate waiver-funded, facility-based prevocational services, commonly known as sheltered workshops. Phase 1, initiated in July 2024, prohibits new transition-age youth from entering these programs. Phase 2, beginning in January 2025, extends this restriction to individuals of all ages. Phase 3, slated for early to mid-2027, will completely cease waiver reimbursement to agencies providing prevocational services.
To support this transition, Indiana launched a two-year Employment Transformation Collaborative. This initiative provides CRPs with grants to facilitate their shift from sheltered employment to CIE outcomes. These transformation grants, which began in 2023 and conclude in March 2025.
Elements of Successful CIE Outcomes: Families, Individuals, and Agencies
The Center on Community Living and Careers (CCLC), from their upcoming publication, “Breaking Barriers: Navigating the Shift from Sheltered Workshop to Competitive Integrated Employment” cites, “The ongoing shift away from sheltered options will significantly impact families and individuals involved in these programs.” CCLC underscores that comprehending family viewpoints is critical given their primary influence on employment outcomes for a loved one with disability impacts. CIE resistance, often grounded in fear, requires the CRP to partner with families by providing clear and consistent communication, acknowledging legitimate concerns, and engaging in proactive planning.
CCLC has created the following resources for families:
CRPs face several challenges in providing effective CIE services. Staff require specialized expertise to support job seekers with significant disabilities. Additionally, CRPs must develop new business models to sustain their operations without relying solely on waiver funding. Overcoming staff resistance, often rooted in fear of change, is another significant hurdle. As the CCLC notes in their upcoming publication “Breaking Barriers: Navigating the Shift from Sheltered Workshop to Competitive Integrated Employment”, successful CIE outcomes “require reshaping agency services around CIE, emphasizing a person-centered approach and adapting program practices and procedures.”
CCLC has created the following resources for CRPs:
Success Stories
Yes, CIE is possible for people who previously attended a sheltered workshop. The CCLC research team, with the support of transformation collaborative agency staff, conducted interviews with individuals, families, support staff, and leadership across Indiana to gather insights into what it takes to transition successfully from working in a sheltered workshop to being competitively employed in the community. We invite you to learn more about these individual employment stories.
December marks significant global observances: the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3) and Human Rights Day (December 10). Take a moment to review the informational links in this blog and honor these important days.