Much has happened in the last few years regarding supported employment, including the 27-State supported employment demonstration projects in 1985 and 1986, and amendments to the Vocational Rehabilitation Act in late 1986. Changes have taken place in communities all across the country because of the leadership at the Federal level, because of the leadership at the State level, and because of some of the exceptional quality of local service providers in our communities. We have seen, again and again, instances of interagency coordination and joint working relationships between vocational rehabilitation, developmental disability agencies, special education departments, and others who have found ways to work together in order to improve the employment realities of people with severe disabilities. Some data is just starting to emerge across the country in terms of the benefits of supported employment. From some of the information available across a few States that represents about 650 people, the average hours worked a week is about 25 hours a week. The average wages are exceeding $325 a month. The data that is available suggests that supported employment is producing far higher wages at no greater expense after start-up costs than for traditional programs. In addition, these wages are earned in regular, integrated job settings. Some information—and, again, this is a sample of all of the people that are benefiting from supported employment-but for about 680 individuals for which we have some information available, about 31 percent are considered moderately retarded, about 8 percent are considered severely retarded, about 2 percent profoundly retarded, and about 45 percent mildly retarded. For the percentage of people that were considered not mentally retarded, it seems to be about the same as the information available about persons with traumatic head injuries and long-term mental illness. In so many States, truly creative strategies have emerged to make effective systems change to make supported employment possible. Several of the things that have seemed especially important are clear policy defining supported employment and setting the direction for the future; number two, incentives and funding that have helped meet the initial investment that is needed for supported employment and the ongoing funding of supported employment, and much of this has also included using existing dollars in the system at the State level. A third important feature has been interagency coordination that has shown that agencies can work together to improve employment outcomes. A fourth feature that probably the importance of which cannot be overstated, is the quality and efforts of individual programs in local communities who have been able to take a good idea and make it work in local businesses with individuals with severe disability, so I believe that progress is evident. I also believe that there are important issues to resolve. Some of those have been highlighted by other members here. I would like to focus on two, first of all, personnel preparation and, secondly, increasing access. Current efforts in personnel preparation have made a difference in starting to impart information to many people in the field. Supported employment works because people in local communities make it happen in local businesses, and there is still a shortage of trained and skilled people to make that happen. Since supported employment is about systems change in so many ways, information and training is also needed for other individuals in other roles in the system, including vocational rehabilitation counselors, mental health and mental retardation coordinators on regional and county levels, case management personnel, special education, and others. We must also deal with the issue of access. Many, many people have already entered supported employment, and yet tremendous need continues to exist. I believe that every time we are successful, it makes the need that still exists even more painful. Thousands of people do not have access simply because we have collectively not figured out how to make it available. There are difficult issues around increasing the availability to the many persons who can benefit, and including persons with the most severe mental disabilities, persons with severe physical disabilities, and persons with long-term mental illness. I believe that supported employment has demonstrated its value and has shown good and budding results. The task now is to extend the implementation to more and more persons with severe disabilities. It would seem that the real issue for us at this point is to ensure that we can move forward with supported employment in a way that continues and improves the quality of the outcomes for individuals, increases the access and availability to more and more people, and provides for long-term stability in the systems that we have. Thank you very much. [The prepared statement of David Mank follows:] House Subcommittee on Select Education November 18, 1987 Testimony submitted by: David Mank, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Special Education and Rehabilitation and Director, The Employment Network 135 College of Education Eugene, Oregon 97403 Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony concerning the development of integrated employment with long-term support for persons with severe disabilities. This issue is of great importance when we consider the difference between lives of segregation, isolation and inactivity in contrast to the emerging reality of supported employment which is real work, in regular and integrated community jobs with real wages for persons with the label of severe disabilities. In our work at the University of Oregon on a technical assistance project in supported employment we have had the opportunity to work with state supported employment projects and local programs in a number of states across the country. This involvement has provided the opportunity to try to understand the nature of supported employment as it is developing in communities across the country. There are many positive and encouraging developments and changes. And, of course, there remains much to be accomplished in order to make integrated employment, with needed supports, a reality for all persons with severe disabilities who will benefit from supported employment. The benefit and value of supported employment are best understood in terms of the lives of individuals considered to be severely disabled. In Massachusetts there is a woman whose IQ is said to be "untestable". This young woman has no hearing and is legally blind. She has spent most of her life in a residential school. Flora does not speak but she understands some manual sign language. Flora now works in a Zayres department store 30 hours per week. She now earns $460 per month. In the past people have said that Flora was someone who could only do repetitive tasks. Those who work with Flora every day find she enjoys variety in her work. In her job Flora stocks, hangs and tickets a variety of women's clothing. Flora has received and continues to receive, intensive training and support from an employment training specialist. Dennis is an employee of NEC America who is severely mentally retarded (untestable IQ). Dennis has no hearing. He left a special school in June and began work in July of this year. For his first three months of employment Dennis earned a total of $250.00, his first wages. This initially required 119 hours of individualized 1:1 training. Dennis' support has also included such training as closing the bathroom stall door, personal hygiene, and using work-related manual signs for communication. Each morning the employees in Dennis' area meet to discuss daily production goals. To become better acquainted with Dennis they also devote a few minutes during each meeting to learn the manual signs Dennis knows. Now, Dennis works 40 hours a week and is paid based on his productivity. Employment has also had effects at home. Prior to working Dennis had not communicated "no", dried himself after bathing, chosen his own clothes or made choices. His mother now reports Dennis initiates all of these behaviors since beginning work. According to his mother he now hurries to meet his car pool each morning, excited about going to work. In Washington, a woman named Carole works in a manufacturing plant; she has worked there for three years. Prior to this job, Carole spent her days in an activity center where she earned $35 a month. Today she earns $615 per month. She no longer receives supplemental security income. Two-year SSI savings is about $11,000. Carole receives full company benefits. Carole received assistance from an employment training specialist to get this job Initially this support was provided on a 1:1 basis. and learn its duties. 3 |