Jennifer Sullivan Sulewski

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.

Community-Based Nonwork Supports: Findings From the National Survey of Day and Employment Programs for People With Developmental Disabilities

This article presents findings on community-based nonwork (CBNW; activities that do not involve paid employment but take place in the community) from a 2001 survey of state intellectual disabilities/developmental disabilities agency directors. Survey responses indicated that CBNW is a considerable and growing part of the day services mix but that it is loosely defined with respect to requirements, activities, populations served, and goals. Although CBNW has the potential to enhance the lives of people with disabilities, these findings raise some concerns, including how quality can be assured when supports are loosely defined, how CBNW can be provided without taking resources away from supported employment, and whether community connections can be made when people are supported in groups.

Medicaid and Employment of People With Disabilities Findings From the National Survey of State Systems and Employment for People with Disabilities

Recent public policy has sought to broaden the role of Medicaid, which typically serves people with limited income, to include increasing employment among people with disabilities and supporting people with disabilities who are working. In late 2001, we surveyed Medicaid agencies regarding their provision of services to working people with disabilities and collaboration with disability- and employment-related agencies and services. One third to one half of respondents were involved in Workforce Investment Act implementation at the state level and/or were implementing a Medicaid Buy-In option for working adults with disabilities. Collaboration with disability- or employment-focused agencies occurred at similarly moderate rates, with activities such as trainings and working groups being the most common types of collaboration reported. These findings suggest that while policy efforts to expand Medicaids role in supporting employment of people with disabilities have been somewhat successful, there is potential for considerably more engagement of Medicaid agencies in this important issue.

Career development among young disabled artists

This paper reports on the experiences of 47 young disabled artists and the interaction between disability, impairment and the arts in their educational and career pathways. The artists were finalists in the VSA arts/Volkswagen of America Inc. Program, an arts‐based program intended to showcase the talents and accomplishments of young disabled artists aged 16–25. A few artists found their impairment to be a barrier to making art. Many, however, did not think their impairment affected their ability to make art, and a few thought it actually enhanced their artistic ability. These finalists often cited art as a tool for overcoming impairment‐related, disability‐related and other barriers. In this paper we identify effective strategies that these young artists used to further their arts careers. It concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings and provides recommendations to support young disabled artists in their educational and career efforts.