Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation - Volume 12, issue 3

Authors: Christy Lynch,

Article Type: Other

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 125-125, 1999

Authors: Patricia Noonan Walsh, | Stephen Beyer,

Article Type: Other

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 127-129, 1999

Authors: Paul Wehman,

Article Type: Other

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 131-133, 1999

Authors: Phillip Rumrill,

Article Type: Research Article

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 135-136, 1999

Authors: Stephen Beyer, | Mark Kilsby, | Julia Shearn,

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The study involved a questionnaire survey of all Supported Employment Agencies in Great Britain. The Agencies who responded (numbering 101 or 48%) supported in jobs, 90.3% those supported worked for under 16 hours per week and 30% small amount up to limits allowing them to retain their welfare benefit income. Of supported workers, 78% employment. Job Coach support was found to fall over time to a mean of one hour per week by the eighth month of …work while mean hours worked remained stable in the first year at around 16 hours per week. A cost : benefit analysis showed workers gained {\pounds}2.47 for every {\pounds}1 they lost in taking up employment, and taxpayers received 43p back in savings for each {\pounds}1 invested. Taxpayer cost : benefit improved over time, recouping 54p for every Show more

Keywords: Supported Employment, cost : benefit, financial outcomes

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 137-146, 1999

Authors: Angelika Schafft, | \Oystein Spjelkavik,

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: This article sums up and discusses central aspects of a three year Norwegian pilot project on supported employment, initiated by the Ministry of Local Government and Labour, and called ``Arbeid med bistand'' (AB). The Work Research Institute was hired by the Ministry to carry out the evaluation of the pilot project. Project activity started in the Autumn of 1992 and was completed by the end of 1995. The main objective of AB was to develop new approaches for …integrating people with vocational disabilities in ordinary jobs. The new element in AB has been integrated support and a total person orientation. In addition to giving support in finding a job and in working on that job, job coaches also gave the participants support in issues to do with living conditions and leisure activities. Experiences from the project showed that flexibility in approach is an important criterion for success in vocational rehabilitation. On this basis, the project evaluation asserts that the quality of vocational rehabilitation can be better assured when there is room for reflection and exchange of experiences, than by setting standards and creating routines. It is also asserted that the main principles of AB should be fundamental in all vocational rehabilitation. From January 1996, AB became established as one of the ordinary vocational rehabilitation services offered by the state. Preliminary findings from recent and ongoing research on these services indicate that AB has undergone some modifications concerning some of the original principles. The article ends up with a brief discussion of that issue. Show more

Keywords: work with support, norway supported employment, arbeid med bistand

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 147-158, 1999

Authors: Michael Schneider,

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: High and low technology can improve the employability for individuals with disabilities. The employment opportunities can be improved, if the technical side is incorporated in the whole framework of supported employment (SE). The term assistive technology means any service that directly assists an individual with a disability in the selection, acquisition or use of assistive technology (AT) devices. The term includes:(a) evaluating the needs of an individual in the individuals customary environment; (b) selecting, …designing, fitting, customising, adapting, applying, maintaining, or replacing assistive technology devices; (c) training in the context of implementing devices; (d) co-ordinating and using other services with assistive technology devices. The article aims to give a wider definition of the term and an overview of the use of possible technology services and devices in different areas. A guideline describes the issues, which should be considered before carrying out particular measures. Case examples will illustrate how assistive technology has been effectively involved in placements. Empirical data and findings from a 3-year-evaluation of 7 SE-agencies in a German region will show how often and in which manner the adaptation of the workplace and assistive technology were used. Show more

Keywords: assistive technology, supported employment in Germany, worksite modification

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 159-164, 1999

Authors: Patricia Noonan Walsh, | David Mank, | Stephen Beyer, | Rebecca McDonald, | Ann O'Bryan,

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Supported employment has reached thousands of men and women with developmental disabilities in Europe. Each country has developed programs which best fit its distinctive social and economic context. While this diversity reflects local conditions, it also challenges those charged with evaluating current programs and planning to maintain and improve quality. This paper documents the application of CQI - Continuous Quality Improvement - to eight supported employment programs operating in the European Union. A Quality …Project Team - the authors - visited programs in Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Spain during 1997 to conduct CQI workshops with service providers, supported employees and their families, employers, co-workers and other partners in the community. The evaluation process is described and further developments to improve the quality of employment services are proposed. Show more

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 165-174, 1999

Authors: Kevin Coyle, | Kitty Moloney,

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: With a change to community-based services for adults with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, programs are increasingly planned so as to achieve preferred outcomes for individuals in employment as well as other domains of everyday living. This paper documents the introduction of person-centred planning in a community-based agency serving people with intellectual disabilities in Ireland. Committed to the extension of Supported Employment and to local options for service users, the authors and their …colleagues reviewed the key elements of a futures planning process. Direct-care staff completed questionnaires relating to the outcomes of planning for sixteen service users. The findings affirm the importance of work outcomes for individuals. Recommendations are made for individualised training for those taking part in person-centred planning, for the inclusion of allies in the community who are not paid members of staff and for recognition of the demands placed on members of staff during periods of transition in service agencies. Show more

Keywords: supported employment, person-centred planning, community-based services

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 175-180, 1999

Authors: Sheila Riddell, | Alastair Wilson, | Stephen Baron,

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: In this paper, drawing on data from the ESRC project The Meaning of the Learning Society for Adults with Learning Difficulties [23], we use key informants' accounts to explore the nature of supported employment provision in Scotland, where it has an even shorter history than in the rest of the UK. We also draw on in-depth case studies of three supported employment participants to investigate the significance of supported employment in their lives and the extent …to which it has succeeded in enhancing their degree of social inclusion. Show more

Keywords: Supported employment in Scotland, ESRC Project, Social Inclusion

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 181-194, 1999

Authors: Brendan Sutton, | Patricia Noonan Walsh,

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Reviewing this four-year open project, it is apparent that good practice in inclusive employment thrives in every part of the world. The growth of self-advocacy and extension of anti-discrimination legislation are two forces that will encourage more people to reject segregated work for inclusive opportunities. People with developmental disabilities are certain to encounter fiscal, professional, social and technological barriers for some time to come. What strategies are optimal in the face of such barriers to inclusion? …What incentives may be introduced to encourage service providers to redirect their energies towards more inclusive options? These questions are challenging. Those who address them will be\ldots ``mindful of the fact that the majority of persons with a mental handicap in the world are not in contact with any training or employment programme and are invisible to society'' [2]. Show more

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 195-198, 1999

Authors: James L. Bellini, | Phillip D. Rumrill, Jr., | James M. Webb, | Jennifer L. Snyder,

Article Type: Research Article

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 199-202, 1999