Deborah Metzel

Pushing the Employment Agenda: Case Study Research of High Performing States in Integrated Employment

Organizational variables, including policies, practices, collaborations, and funding mechanisms resulting in high performance in integrated employment, were described through case study research in 3 states. Findings address how contextual factors, system-level strategies, and goals of the system are related as well as how they sustain systems change. Strategies such as flexibility in funding and practices; communication of values through data, rewards, and funding incentives; and innovation diffusion through relationships and training were most successful when they were embedded within the context of a solid values base, a network of dedicated stakeholders, and clarity about systemic goals. Implications are presented with respect to state systems, community rehabilitation providers as partners in planning, and future leadership in the field.

Achieving Community Membership through Community Rehabilitation Provider Services: Are We There Yet?.

Findings from an analysis of the characteristics and services of community rehabilitation providers (CRPs) in the early years of the 21st century are presented. Services provided by CRPs can be categorized along two dimensions: purpose (work, nonwork) and setting (facility-based, community). The number of individuals with disabilities present provides a third perspective for analysis. The majority of CRPs provided both work and nonwork services, and the majority of those that provide employment services offered both integrated and facility-based employment. Individuals with developmental disabilities were most likely to be supported in facility-based work (41%), followed by nonwork services (33%), and integrated employment (26%). Despite some changes in CRP characteristics, the goal of community membership has not yet been widely achieved.

Locations of Employment Services and People With Disabilities A Geographical Analysis of Accessibility

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services and One-Stop Career Centers (One-Stops) are the 2 principal public services intended to increase the employment rates of people with disabilities through employment and training services. As a first step in assessing accessibility of the locations of employment services, this study compared the location of VRs and One-Stops with areas of high numbers of nonemployment among people with disabilities and high numbers of unemployment in the general population. Using geographic information science and the spatial technique of the Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA), we analyzed the locations of the 2 programs and the concentrations of nonemployed people with disabilities at national and intrastate scales. We found that areas with high numbers of nonemployed people with disabilities are geographically underserved by both VRs and One-Stops, which raises questions about site selection and geographic accessibility.

State-Level Interagency Agreements for Supported Employment of People With Disabilities:

Supported employment for people with disabilities has been a national policy since the late 1980s. Because its implementation usually requires the resources of at least 2 funding and service state agencies, written interagency agreements have been a formal strategy for policy implementation. This qualitative study analyzes interagency agreements for supported employment and the resulting collaborations of 6 states to identify the crucial characteristics that reinforce their utility and value. Commonalities and differences indicated three broad categories: outcomes, characteristics of the written agreements, and characteristics of the midlevel staff. Specific elements are discussed to improve creation and implementation of interagency agreements to expand supported employment for people with disabilities.