John Butterworth

Director for Employment Systems Change and Evaluation and Senior Research Fellow

John has over 35 years of experience in research, training, employment support and the management and development of employment services. He manages projects on employment support and state systems change including Access to Integrated Employment, a 30 year national data collection project on day and employment services and outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Advancing Employment for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and the State Employment Leadership Network, a membership network of 25 state developmental disability agencies committed to improving employment outcomes. John’s interests include systems and organizational change, data-based management and planning, state policy and strategy, employment outcomes, organizational development and transformation, improving employment supports, natural supports , and person-centered planning.

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Using data-enabled performance feedback and guidance to assist employment consultants in their work with job seekers: An experimental study

The success of job seekers with disabilities in achieving their employment goals depends in large part on the quality of employment supports that they receive from employment consultants. This article describes a study testing the effectiveness of data-enabled performance feedback to assist employment consultants in implementing standards of effective employment supports. Findings show that the intervention group reported an improvement in job seekers’ work hours, earnings and time to hire compared to the control group.

Employment and Economic Outcomes by Race, Ethnicity, and Gender for Individuals With and Without Disabilities, 2017

This report describes the employment and economic outcomes for individuals with and without intellectual disabilities in 2017. Results are summarized for the 50 states and the District of Columbia. These data are divided according to race, ethnicity, and gender and are drawn from the American Community Survey, the Rehabilitation Services Administration 911, and the National Core Indicators.

Data Note: Pre-Employment Transition Services for Students with Intellectual Disabilities

*An updated version of this data note will be posted shortly. This DataNote explores the effects of a WIOA provision on people with intellectual disabilities (ID) who exited the VR program during program year 2018 (July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019).

Developing Interagency Agreements: Four Questions to Consider

Interagency collaboration can be a powerful tool in expanding the ability of state systems to provide effective supports that lead to real change for individual citizens. This brief provides a summary of how to develop a good interagency agreement. Download brief here.

Data Note: How Many People with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities Want a Job in Their Communities?

A key concern for policy and practice is how choice is supported for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD). The National Core Indicators (NCI)* collects data on employment status, including whether individuals are working in a paid job in the community, as well as each person’s interest in doing so. This DataNote focuses on interest in working in paid jobs in the community for individuals who are not currently working.

The Power of Disability Employment: The Impact to Arizona’s Economy

Arizona’s working-age population (ages 16–64) of people with any type of disability (10.2%) who are working hovers around the national average (Erickson, Lee, & von Schrader, 2019). In addition, individuals with a disability in Arizona, as in the nation as a whole, are more likely to live in poverty (30.5% and 26.1% respectively).

Key Elements of Organizational Transformation: Lessons Learned from the Provider Transformation Network

This document contains slides from a presentation given at The Arc Summer Leadership Institute in 2019. The information covers key lessons in organizational transformation that can help disability services providers implement best practices.

Click here to view and download the presentation slides

The Numbers and the Stories Behind Them: Higher Performing State Employment Systems

This document contains the slides from a presentation given at the APSE national conference in 2019. It presents statistics that illustrate the characteristics of relatively higher-performing state systems with regard to employment and community engagement outcomes for individuals with IDD.

Click here to view the presentation slides

StateData: The National Report on Employment Services and Outcomes Through 2016

Download the report here. Access the latest information about employment and economic self-sufficiency for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Both national and state-level statistics are included.

Working in the Community—Update 3 The Status and Outcomes of People with IDD in Integrated Employment

National Core Indicators™ (NCI™) data provide an important window on the employment and outcomes that may be related to employment (such as friendships, choice-making, etc.) of people with IDD receiving services. This Special Issue Data Brief updates the Brief from May 2016 and describes the employment status of individuals supported by state IDD agencies and compares participating states in terms of proportions of service recipients in different types of community employment.

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