What is Supported Employment for Students with Special Needs

Introduction

When students with special needs reach a certain age, they can be exposed to employment opportunities after vocational assessment has been complete. There are three options; Competitive employment, supported employment and sheltered workshops. This is the first in the three-part series which addresses supported employment. Two aspects must be considered when confronted with vocational decisions–finding a job and keeping a job. The student may require little or no help with one or both aspects, or he or she may require a great deal of help. As we have seen, help with finding a job comes from the school system, in partnership with the vocational rehabilitation agency.

Supported employment (SE) enables people with disabilities who have not been successfully employed to work and contribute to society. SE focuses on a person’s abilities and provides the supports the individual needs to be successful on a long-term basis. It allows people experiencing disabilities, their families, businesses, and their communities to experience the successes of people with disabilities. The partnership that SE has established between individuals experiencing disabilities and their communities is having a lasting impact on the way the public perceives people with disabilities. SE affords the public the opportunity to see the person for who they are rather than seeing the disability (The Association for Persons in Supported Employment, 2003)

Supported employment is a job with pay at a business in the community. Supported employment is for adults who:

• traditionally have not been considered part of the workforce
• need long-term support to be employed
• have one or more disabilities, such as mental retardation, autism, mental illness, traumatic brain injury, physical disabilities, severe learning disabilities, or severe behavioral challenges
• require intensive, repetitive, or adaptive assistance to learn new tasks

 

How Do Parents Know If Their Children Need Supported Employment?

If a child is already involved in a work situation or has been involved in the past, parents should be aware of several signals that may indicate the need for supported employment services. These include, but are not limited to:

• repeated failures to maintain employment without support
• failure or inability to generalize skills from pre-employment training programs
• problems acquiring skills
• significant communication problems where job-site advocacy would help
• social integration with co-workers and supervisors
• the need for extended training and support to develop production rates

 

Help for the child is provided by the same companies that specialize in finding employment for adults with disabilities. They can provide a job coach to give help directly to the child with disabilities. Optimally, the job coach will train the child’s co-workers and supervisors to provide the supports that are needed to maintain his or her effectiveness on the job. Other services that are provided by job coaches include:

• travel training
• task analysis
• hands-on instruction
• developing job-modification accommodations
• developing visual or other tools to improve productivity
• training in appropriate job behaviors
• developing natural supports and social skills
• employee liaison-problem solving
• parent liaison
• advocate for employee with disability

The amount and kind of help that is provided to find and keep a job should be based on the needs and abilities of the student with disabilities. When a parent is involved with an agency that will provide employment services for the child, the parent will need to learn as much as possible about the agency in order to assess its ability to meet the child’s vocational needs and goals. Therefore, parents should ask the following questions:

1. What types of jobs are available?
2. How does the agency select a job for an individual with disabilities?
3. Where are the actual job locations?
4. Does the agency provide individual or group placements?
5. How does the agency promote integration?
6. What are the average wages of employees?
7. What is the average number of hours worked per week?
8. What type of support does the agency provide?
9. Is transportation provided? What type, and by whom?
10. What are the average benefit packages available to employees?
11. What provisions does the agency have for employee and parent or family input?

Supported employment is a major avenue to inclusion of persons with disabilities in their communities. As a service, it also reflects the growing conviction by persons with disabilities and their families that they have the right to be involved in decisions affecting the quality of their lives.

While the transition from high school to adult life is a complex time for all students, it can be especially challenging for young people with disabilities. The goal of parents and professionals is to help the child make this transition to the world of work as easily as possible. Being informed and educated as to options, rights, and resources can only enhance the child’s transition into the vocational phase of his or her life.