What follows below are State Agency Promising Practices from the Access To Integrated Employment project that exemplify excellent implementation of priority policy goals to improve employment outcomes. We define Implementation of priority policy goals more specifically as:
The Tennessee Division of Mental Retardation Services (DMRS) implemented the Employment First! initiative in 2002. The goal of Employment First was to make employment the first day service option for adults receiving supports funded by DMRS, Medicaid, or the state. Employment First set the standard that employment was the preferred service option for adults with mental retardation and developmental disabilities (MR/DD).
Washington's Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) has recently issued a new policy which went into full effect on July 1, 2006.
Tennessee implemented its Employment First initiative in 2002 with a goal of making employment the first day service option for adults receiving supports from the Department of Mental Retardation Services. As part of the Employment First initiative, the state requires a periodic community-based work assessment for all individuals not currently employed in the community. State-contracted and independent individualized support coordinators ensure that individuals who are not in integrated employment participate in a community-based work assessment at least every three years.