We investigated the extent to which employment consultants implemented job development practices recommended in the literature when assisting job seekers with intellectual or developmental disabilities. We contacted 83 employment consultants from 25 employment programs in Minnesota and Connecticut. Fifty-nine participants were eligible and…

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies provide a range of services to help people with disabilities become employed. How services are delivered, however, depends on several factors including client interests and abilities as well as economic opportunities within the local community. For better or worse, rural and urban clients face vastly…

It has been known for decades that individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), including those with significant impairment or who have behaviors that others find challenging, can work when they are given appropriate supports (Smith, Belcher, & Juhrs, 1995). It is also clear that individuals with ASD can benefit from employment. Benefits…

This paper explores the stakeholder values, desired student outcomes, organizational purposes, and operating model of the Community-based Education Alliance (CBEA), a transition program operated by a partnership between the Center for Disabilities Studies of the University of Delaware, and two school districts in New Castle County, Delaware. The…

The conference excerpts highlight job development techniques for hard-to-place clients. Myths about employment are cited, including that the most qualified person gets the job and employers know what they are doing in hiring. The job developer's role in understanding and accessing the job market is considered, along with time management…

Formerly incarcerated adolescents with disabilities face additional barriers to a successful transition to adulthood when released from the youth correctional facility often with societal expectations of transitioning directly to adulthood. Employment and post-secondary enrollment may serve as protective factors and reduce the likelihood of future…

Four Tennessee agencies participating in a job development project for people with disabilities used either the cold-call model or referral. They experienced substantially fewer rejections and more placements with referral. The business approach to job development improved the quality and quantity of efforts. (SK)

Surveys of Portland and San Francisco employers about their reactions to job development activity found most were favorable or indifferent to being contacted by representatives serving the disabled. The hiring of state vocational rehabilitation agency clients increased with the number of employees and the number of positions filled. (Author)

Exemplary projects which help disabled people use technology (particularly computers) expand their employment opportunities include: Project Entry (Seattle); Georgia Computer Programmer Project (Atlanta); Perkins Project with Industry (Watertown, Massachusetts); Project Byte (Newton Massachusetts); Technology Relevant to You (St. Louis); Special…

Factors (planning, relevance, involvement, follow-up, and compromise) influencing the commitment of an employer to developing jobs for handicapped persons are reviewed and conceptualized in the Employer Interaction Process. (CL)

Describes employment policies and programs, incentive plans, and job creation programs to aid disabled young job seekers in Japan, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, and the United States. (Author/JOW)

"Case Management and Rehabilitation Counseling" discusses procedures that are useful to rehabilitation professionals working in many settings. Specifically, this book reviews the finer points relating to diagnosing, arranging services, monitoring program outcomes, arranging for placement, planning for accommodations, ethical decision making,…

A job club approach for secondary disabled youth focuses on mastering job seeking skills by behaviorally sequenced steps learned in situational experiences within a self-help group process framework. Students learn to penetrate the hidden job market, to use social networking via the telephone, and to participate successfully in job interviews. (CL)

Cites some examples of effective employment creation, but warns that this is likely to be more difficult in the future due to increasing unemployment and underemployment, demographic shifts, strains on social support systems, and changes in the nature of work. (Author/CT)

Examines the roles of job development and placement within the career counseling process and explores four unique approaches now used with handicapped individuals. Counselors of the handicapped must do both decision making and job placement because of the added difficulty of employer resistance. (Author)