This newsletter theme issue focuses on accomplishments around the country in finding new and alternative funding sources and support strategies for supported employment programs serving people with disabilities. It looks at the impact of long-term supports, their relationship to a range of supported employment services, and different types of…

This topical newsletter focuses on ways to convert segregated day programs for people with disabilities into community integrated employment programs. Individual sections cover: common "conversion" myths and appropriate responses; a national status report on conversion; Florida's innovative use of the Medicaid waiver to fund conversion;…

This fact sheet summarizes evidence on the work status of successful rehabilitations/closures for people with mental retardation in light of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1992, which strengthened the focus of state vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs on community employment outcomes. Data analyzed were drawn from the Rehabilitation…

This fact sheet reports data from a national survey of state mental retardation/developmental disabilities (MR/DD) agencies. The survey was designed to investigate the distribution of people supported by state MR/DD agencies in integrated versus facility-based day and employment services and the levels of funding. Results indicate that while the…

This brief paper reports on an evaluation of 10 community rehabilitation providers, six that successfully closed a facility-based program between 1989 and 1994, and four who are currently involved in a change process. Data collection consisted of participant observation, in-depth interviews, and document analysis. Findings indicated: (1)…

This fact sheet summarizes data on integrated employment (supported and competitive) and facility-based employment activities (sheltered workshops) from two national surveys of community rehabilitation providers (CRPs). The 1986 survey used a random sample of 952 CRPs from all states, while the 1991 survey used a stratified sample of 643 CRPs from…

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 qualitative study examined the perspectives of people with significant disabilities (N=23) and their family members about their overall employment experiences, outcomes, and expectations. Four focus groups were convened, two groups of people with significant disabilities and two groups of family members. Disabilities represented included…

This newsletter theme issue contains several articles on postsecondary education for individuals with disabilities. "Supported Education for People with Psychiatric Disabilities...Issues and Implications" (Karen V. Unger) describes three prototypes for postsecondary education of individuals with psychiatric disabilities--the self-contained…

A 1992 conference on strategies to secure and maintain employment for person with long-term mental illness brought together providers, consumers, family members, researches, and others to develop as complete an overview as possible of the current state of knowledge in the field. This booklet summarizes findings from the conference. There were many…

This consensus report on supported employment for people with severe mental retardation was a product of a conference which brought together the expertise of consumers, practitioners, researchers, family members, and analysts. Determinants of success in supported employment for this population are identified along with critical issues for…

This newsletter issue provides rehabilitation professionals with various information pieces concerning consumer leadership in supported employment of people with disabilities. First, a chart lists five questions concerning self advocacy and supported employment, and provides consumer responses to the questions. A second item describes…

The Job Designs Project, a 3-year federally funded project, provides students (ages 16-22) at an Oregon residential treatment center for youth with emotional and behavioral disorders with supported paid employment in the community. The project has provided job supported employment services to 36 students working in such positions as restaurant bus…

This organizational vignette is the second in a multi-part series highlighting community rehabilitation providers. This particular issue focuses on Columbia MetroWest Human Services of Ashland, Massachusetts, an organization that works with people with developmental disabilities and has undergone major transformation resulting in greatly expanded…

This Policy Research Brief explores the strengths of qualitative research and the types of information it can make available to policymakers concerned with issues affecting persons with disabilities. The naturalistic methodology employed in qualitative research is described. Three specific studies using qualitative methodology are excerpted and…