Federal legislation, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504, and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, mandates that individuals with disabilities be integrated in all aspects of life from education to employment to independent living. A recent development involves a settlement reached between the United States and the…

The cost efficiency of supported employees with intellectual disabilities who were served by vocational rehabilitation agencies throughout the United State from 2002 to 2007 was explored. Findings indicate that, on average, supported employees with intellectual disabilities were cost-efficient from the taxpayers' perspective regardless of whether…

This study examined the extent to which employment specialists implemented the job development practices recommended in the research literature when assisting job seekers with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Self-reported data were collected through a Web-based survey from 163 employment specialists from 74 employment programs in 28…

This article examines the cost of services and employment outcomes obtained by adults with autism within the United States vocational rehabilitation (VR) system. It found that the number of such individuals has increased by more than 121 percent from 2002 to 2006. Moreover, though adults with autism were employed at higher rates than most…

This study explored the cost-efficiency of all 231,204 supported employees funded by vocational rehabilitation throughout the entire United States from 2002 to 2007. Results found that supported employees returned an average monthly net benefit to taxpayers of $251.34 (i.e., an annual net benefit of $3,016.08 per supported employee) and generated…

Describes the main forms of supported employment and the essential components of effective vocational rehabilitation programs for those with severe disabilities, considers their cost effectiveness, and outlines successful programs in the United States, Britain, and Italy. (JOW)

The emergence of supported employment programs in the United States has substantially raised expectations concerning the viability of employment in promoting the integration, productivity, and independence of persons with severe disabilities. Frank R. Rusch and David Braddock, in their article "Adult Day Programs Versus Supported Employment…

Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency program (TTW) was designed to enhance the market for services that help disability beneficiaries become economically self-sufficient by providing beneficiaries with a wide range of choices for obtaining services and to give employment-support service providers new financial incentives to serve beneficiaries…

This document contains nine papers from the social and ethical issues section of an international conference on vocational education and training (VET) for lifelong learning in the information era. The following papers are included: "Attitudes of University Faculty Members toward Students with Disabilities" (Marie F. Kraska);…