Employment specialists play an integral role in supporting individuals with disabilities to access competitive integrated employment; their skill or lack thereof has the potential to influence employment outcomes. A scoping review was conducted to identify the status of the empirical literature on employment specialist competencies and training to…

Recent legislation, especially the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, generated the closure of institutions for people with disabilities and inclusion into community residences and employment. It has been well documented that individuals with developmental disabilities often experience difficulties with employment including both obtaining…

Many public programs providing employment services and support to developmentally disabled adults foster dependency and work disincentives and fail to provide adequate vocational service. Programs should be better coordinated, focus on transitional and supported work activities, and provide incentives to motivate clients to attain the most…

Sheltered workshops for severely disabled persons should be reformed to emphasize job placement, transition to more independent work environments, and retraining and replacement of workshop staff. A national policy on the employment of disabled persons focusing on supported employment, least restrictive work environments, and career development is…