Eniko Rak

“ Improving Diversity through

Supported Employment ”

Employment Outcomes for Transition-Age Youth (TY) with Intellectual Disabilities:

Supported Employment in the Public Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) System in the

USA

Eniko RakUniversity of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Department of Allied Health Sciences

hosted by:

In association with:

OutlineOutline

– State-federal public VR agencies (serve over one million people annually; 8% IDs)• vocational rehabilitation services (Short-term)

– State IDD agencies (~ 500,000 clients with IDD annually)• Facility based work• Facility based non-work • employment supports (Long-term)

– Network of over 12,000 Community Rehabilitation Providers (CRPs) • Supported employment; facility based work or non-work

Employment Services for Persons with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (IDDs)

– Funded by Public VR or State IDD agencieshttp://www.ncdhhs.gov/dvrs/newspubs/pubs/School_to_Life--Services_for_High_School_Students.pdf

– Delivered by Community Rehabilitation Providers (CRPs) • Common: Individual SE models – provided by the

employment specialist/job coach – Assessment & Planning– Job development– Placement– Job coaching– Follow-Up

• Less common: group models (enclaves, mobile crews)

Supported Employment (SE) Services

• Depression and other Mood Disorders (14.1%)• Learning Disabilities (11.8%)• Intellectual Disabilities (7%)• Alcohol and Drug Abuse or Dependence (6.6%)• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (4%)• Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders (3.6%)• Anxiety Disorders (2.8%)• Autism (1.9%)• Traumatic Brain Injury (1.5%)• Diabetes Mellitus (1.5%)• Cerebral Palsy (0.8%)• Epilepsy (0.7%)• Spinal Cord Injury (0.7%)

Public VR Consumers’ Disabilities (FY2012)

Public VR: Process and Services

THE VR PROCESS

•Evaluation – Eligibility Determination•Planning – IPE•Treatment – Services•Termination - Closure

Examples

Job Placement Assistance

VR Counseling and Guidance

Assessment

College or University Training

Job Readiness Training

On-the-Job Training

Reader/Interpreter

Rehabilitation Technology

Occupational/Vocational Training

• To examine employment outcomes of Transition-age Youth with ID served in VR agencies (FY2010-2012)

• To evaluate the benefits of supported employment services

My Study Objectives

• Transition from school into the adult life• Individualized Education Plan (IEP) by the age of 16

(includes a transition plan)• Age: 16-21

Who are Transition Age Youth?

• Data Source: National RSA-911 Dataset (Archival)

• Data Analysis– Descriptive statistics

Research Methodology

All Persons with ID TY with ID

N N % N %

FY2010 612,537 50,472 8.2 25,028 49.6

FY2011 589,773 48,540 8.2 23,445 48.3

FY2012 579,312 47,170 8.1 22,851 48.4

Almost half of customers with ID are Transition Age Youth

* Ns don’t add up to 100% due to missing data

How many Youth with ID Received Supported Employment Services?

All Received SE Did Not Receive SE

N N % N %

FY2010 25,028 5,414 21.6 10,829 43.3

FY2011 23,445 5,186 22.1 10,260 43.8

FY2012 22,851 5,372 23.5 9,684 42.4

N=15,056

Gender: 58% male42% female

Education:38% High School5% Above High School31% Special Education25% Less than High School

Race/Ethnicity:51% European American36% African American8% Hispanic5% Other

Sample Demographics (FY2012)

Findings: Employment Outcomes (FY2012)

Supported Employment Services*

Received (n=5,372)

Not Received (n=9,684)

N % N %

Employed 2,812 52.3 4,376 45.2

Not Employed 2,560 47.7 5,308 54.8

*Statistically significant association (sign. Chi-sq test)

OutlineTypes of Jobs Obtained by Transition Age Youth with ID in SE (FY2012, n=5,372)

Food Preparation and Serving (24%)Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance (21%)Office and Administrative Support Occupations (15%)Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (10%)Production Occupations (8%)

*Valid percentages reported

FY2012with SE

(n=2,812)w/o SE

(n=4,376)

Mean SD Mean SD Hourly Wages* ($) 7.94 1.67 8.45 2.59

Hours Worked Per Week*

20.22 9.98 27.18 10.74

Findings: Earnings and Hours Worked per Week

*Statistically significant differences (sign. t-tests)

• Supported employment is powerful in providing occupations for persons with disabilities

– SE enables better access to employment – Hourly wages almost as high as for those not

needing SE

Conclusion

• Competitive Employment• Integration with treatment providers• Zero Exclusion• Client-driven• Benefits counseling• Rapid job search• Systematic job development• Time-unlimited support

IPS Supported Employment Principles

• Service providers are underutilizing state-of-the art supported employment practices when they assist job seekers with IDD

• high fidelity IPS-programs are underutilized with individuals with IDD

• IPS used with persons with mental illness/substance abuse

IPS with Persons with IDD

• http://www.communityworkforcesolutions.com/; CARF accredited• Referrals from major rehab agencies, such as the Division of Vocational

Rehabilitation in North Carolina• Clients: FY2013-2014 n=888 clients served; 57% intellectual/developmental

disabilities• Business Services:

– Flexible Production and Assembly (packaging, kits assembly, printing, mailing, labeling, warehousing)

– Clean Reusable Cotton Diaper Service – Thrift Store

CRP Case Study North Carolina

• Supported Employment – provided by job coaches, employment specialists • Commonly used: individualized and customized supported employment

practices • Less often used: group models (mobile crews, enclaves)• Typical process:

– Assessment & Planning– Job Development: Identifying potential jobs/employers/businesses in the

community– Job Placement– Intensive training on the job– Needs based extensive long-term supports

Programs•Comprehensive Vocational Evaluation Services•Organizational Employment Services (Agency based services) •Employee Development Services (Work Adjustment/Work Adjustment Job Coaching)•Ex. job skills training

• Germ Busters: janitorial skills• Cantina: customer service skills• Cooking Matters: cooking skills

•Community Employment Services (Supported Employment and Placement/Job Coaching Services)•Community Integration (Community Pathways; Gateway Clubhouse)

Transition Services: Linking Students to WorkServices: •Community-based assessment of work skills•Job seeking skills assistance•Job placement assistance•Job coaching•Follow-up

References Inge, K.J., Wehman, P., Revell, G., Erickson, D., Butterworth, J., & Gilmore, D. (2009). Survey

results from a national survey of community rehabilitation providers holding special wage certificates. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 30, 67–85.

http://www.realeconomicimpact.org/data/files/reports/NDI_financial_capability_report_july_2014.pdf

Boeltzig, H., Timmons, J. C., & Butterworth, J. (2008). Entering work: Employment outcomes of people with developmental disabilities. International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 31(3), 217.

Butterworth, J., Smith, F., A., Hall, A.C., Migliore, A., Winsor, J., Domin, D., Timmons, J.C. (2012). StateData: The national report on employment services and outcomes. Boston, MA: University of Massachusetts Boston, Institute for Community Inclusion.

Mank, D. (2003). Supported employment outcomes across a decade: is there evidence of improvement in the quality of implementation? Mental Retardation, 41(3), 188-197.

Butterworth, J., Migliore, A., Nord, D., & Gelb, A. (2012). Improving the Employment Outcomes of Job Seekers with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Training and Mentoring Intervention for Employment Consultants. Journal of Rehabilitation, 78, 2, 20-29.

Thank You!

Questions?