A four-year study of 111 supported employees showed that job coaches do not decrease their presence over time, regardless of workers' IQ or the placement approach. Job coaches were present less frequently at job sites of African-American workers. (SK)

Discusses how restructuring of New Zealand public agencies benefits disability services; managed care environment; Workbridge disability employment service; the Association for Supported Employment in New Zealand; and the Accident Rehabilitation and Compensation Insurance Corporation. (SK)

Supported employment is growing in Spain, assisted by models from other countries and national legislation. The Spanish Association of Supported Employment is providing a framework for program development. The field must deal with the lack of systematic evaluation and with funding problems. (SK)

An intervention had three phases: (1) a worker who was taught instructional skills then taught a disabled worker a new task; (2) the nondisabled workers encouraged others to interact with the disabled worker; and (3) the disabled worker was taught appropriate conversational exchanges. Coworker instruction alone did not increase the disabled…

Case studies of three adults with spinal cord injury illustrate the role of assistive technology, employment specialists, and types of workplace supports needed to enable them to secure and maintain employment. Employment specialists are able to analyze accommodation needs and help employers understand them. (SK)

Presents a cost-benefit analysis of a supported-employment program using natural support strategies to assist 59 workers with severe disabilities in integrated employment settings. Results suggest substantial benefits to participants, the taxpayer, and society resulting from the choice of a natural support approach over the sheltered workshop…

Discusses the following: employment legislation for people with disabilities in Japan; roles of the Ministries of Labor and Health and Welfare; roles of vocational counselors and social workers; and the Third-Sector Project for employment of persons with severe disabilities. (SK)

In King County (Washington) government agencies, jobs were developed for 55 people with severe disabilities through leadership by county officials and developmental disabilities staff. The program was cost effective and also resulted in improved wages for the workers with disabilities. (SK)

Examines the effectiveness of conversational skills instruction in increasing the integration of workers with severe disabilities in supported employment settings. Results demonstrate that conversation script instruction and questioning asking instruction both increased workers' social interactions. (Author/JOW)

This paper reports on a process analysis of a three-year research and demonstration project evaluating a supported-employment program serving 20 adults with psychiatric disabilities. Staff were found to have frequent, brief contact with participants at varied times of day and through varied means of contact, with much of this contact spent…

This article describes amendments of the 1992 Rehabilitation Act Amendments which address choice and self-determination for people with disabilities. It also considers barriers within the vocational rehabilitation service system that prevent many individuals with severe disabilities from choosing integrated employment. (Author/DB)