Exploring Employment Supports (Who helps)

Many people with disabilities benefit from working with professionals and programs who specialize in supporting people with disabilities on the job. These programs vary depending on impact of the disability and funding sources. It is often challenging to know how to access services or what services are offered. Families and youth are encouraged to learn as much as they can about who can help support the employment process.

American Job Centers

American Job Centers (also known as Workforce Centers or One Stop Centers) are a key feature of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA). These centers deliver a wide range of services through a network of centers in each state. They provide job training, education, and employment services at a single neighborhood location. Every individual, including those with disabilities, has the right to access the basic services offered by a Center. Services include help identifying career interests and skills; information on employment and training opportunities; job search and placement assistance; and up-to-date information on job vacancies.

WIOA Youth Programs

American Job Centers also have programs that are designed to help youth reach their career and educational goals. Services for youth age 14-21 who are in school include after-school tutoring, study skills training, and instruction to help students graduate from high school. Services and employment supports are also available for youth age 16-24 who are out of school. Other examples of services for youth include:

• Postsecondary preparation and transition activities
• Paid and unpaid work experiences — with an academic and occupational education component
• Occupational skill training, with a focus on recognized postsecondary credentials and in-demand occupations
• Leadership development activities (e.g., community service, peer-centered activities)
• Financial literacy education
• Entrepreneurial skills training
• Adult mentoring
• Comprehensive guidance and counseling, including drug and alcohol abuse counseling
• Follow-up services for at least 12 months after program completion

Youth with Disabilities

Are youth with disabilities eligible for these services? Very likely. All youth with disabilities ages 16-24 who are not attending school are eligible for out-of-school services. Youth with disabilities up to age of 21 are eligible for in-school services if they are low-income or meet other eligibility criteria. It is very likely that youth with disabilities will meet the low income criteria for in-school youth because income for youth with disabilities is determined based only on the youth’s income, not their family’s income. Any youth with a disability who is eligible for government cash assistance programs, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI), is automatically eligible for WIOA youth services. In addition, not all youth participants in a program are required to be low income. Up to 5 percent of participants in local WIOA youth programs do not even have to meet the low income criteria.

People with disabilities have more choices in the American Job Center system than they had in the past. Individuals who need more than the basic services offered by American Job Centers can also apply for vocational rehabilitation services at the same place.

Visiting an American Job Center is a great way for youth to explore employment supports available from federal and state-funded programs. A visit makes for a great career exploration activity for a youth on an IEP, or a possible resource for a youth self-advocate looking for adult employment support options.

Supported Employment

Supported Employment is for persons:

• with the most significant disabilities,
• who need intensive or ongoing job support,
• who have traditionally been excluded from competitive work settings, or
• whose work has been interrupted or intermittent because of their disabilities.

Supported employment is based on the principle that individuals with severe disabilities have the right to be employed by community businesses where they can earn comparable wages, work side-by-side with co-workers with or without disabilities, and experience all of the same benefits as other employees of the company. This idea is often referred to as “Employment First.” Supported employment assists people with severe disabilities by providing individualized supports that enable them to choose the kind of job they want and to become successful members of the workforce.

Accessing supported employment services may vary by state, but the typical path is either through county Developmental Disabilities programs or through federally-funded Vocational Rehabilitation agencies (possibly referred to as VR, DVR, or DRS in your state). Some states have separate Vocational Rehabilitation agencies for persons who are blind.

Organizations that deliver supported employment services include Day Training and Habilitation agencies (DT&H), Community Rehabilitation Programs (CRP), and Community Support Programs (CSP). Parents are strongly encouraged to gather as much information as possible about agencies that offer employment support for persons with disabilities to insure a good fit.