This paper documents the experiences of a group of parents who came together to form a human service cooperative in their local community to address the needs of their adult children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Each parent felt that their child's needs were not (or could not be) met by existing providers. Parent leaders who…

An analysis of employment outcomes of 109 persons (mean age 28) with severe/profound mental retardation from over 90 local community programs indicated that 93 percent were competitively employed, with the mean wage being $3.63 per hour and mean hours of weekly employment being 22. Twelve months after placement, 81.5 percent of clients were still…

This report provides guidelines and a process for people with disabilities living in Massachusetts to follow to evaluate employment service options that will allow them to receive services best meeting their individual needs. Strategies for finding out information about the different programs and a checklist are given by which to evaluate…

Major ongoing supported employment studies conducted at the Rehabilitation Research Training Center at Virginia Commonwealth University are profiled in this newsletter. The training center involves individuals with disabilities in the design, implementation, and interpretation of the research. The first research study examined the opinions of 110…

This booklet is intended for individuals with disabilities, their families, friends, and advocates who are interested in supported employment. It begins with a description of the system that provides supported employment, explaining that vocational rehabilitation agencies and social services agencies "buy" supported employment services from direct…

A project created linkages in Service Delivery Area 12, Clermont and Warren Counties, Ohio, to improve services for welfare recipients. During the project, the original grant seed money of $22,000 grew to more than $220,000 in grants for cooperative programs. In addition, integral, completed linkage treaties were forged between various agencies…

"Jobs Rally" is a community event that can be coordinated by a human service program or institution to help communities become more responsive to the independent living and career development needs of people with severe disabilities. This manual outlines how to conduct a jobs rally. The manual begins with a very brief four-step community…

The Richland County (Ohio) Welfare Coordination Project had three main goals: (1) to examine the roles, functions, and allowable service activities of each of four agencies involved in adult education, training, and job placement efforts; (2) to develop a systematic approach to the selection of service providers for clients; and (3) to develop…

This paper describes a successful model of supported employment developed by a single small agency previously providing services as a segregated day activity center. Included is discussion of the service agency, program methodology, barriers to successful community-based employment, manner in which barriers were overcome, program outcomes, and…

This document contains a transcript of a hearing concerning the proposed Community Partnership for Employment and Training Act (H.R. 5320) and two related bills (H.R. 5461 and H.R. 5533). The transcript York, New York). Act proposes to establish a community public-private training and employment assistance system and to provide employment and…

Jobs-Plus is an intensive, place-based initiative for increasing employment among public housing residents. Closely aligned with the goals of the 1998 federal Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998, Jobs-Plus aims to transform public housing communities by increasing employment among residents. Tests of this new employment approach…

The Toledo Area Welfare Coordination Task Force, coordinated by the Private Industry Council and funded by the Job Training Partnership Act, brought together more than 20 community leaders representing private and public organizations that have a role to play in implementing the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) program in Lucas and Wood…

This first of two volumes reporting a study of employment and training programs for adult felony offenders addresses three study objectives. They are to recommend (1) ways of more effectively coordinating training and employment programs for offenders; (2) methods for program planning, funding, and evaluating; and (3) methods for providing…

An assessment was made of the staff structures of Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs, recommended staff backgrounds, current staff backgrounds, and staff development measures. Recommendations were made on how staff development could be improved. Data for the study were gathered through a survey of all state JTPA directors and a random…

This second of two volumes reporting a study of employment and training programs for adult felony offenders is divided into two sections: (1) an inventory of employment and training resources and (2) program descriptions. Section 1, Inventory of Employment and Training Assistance Resources, is an annotated list of resources and organizations in…