ICI is conducting research on Community Life Engagement (CLE) to develop guidance for states and service providers. Major activities include expert interviews, case studies, collaboration with the State Employment Leadership Network, and development and piloting of a CLE Toolkit. The Engage series describes findings and insights from this research.
ICI developed the four guideposts for community life engagement (CLE) and the CLE toolkit to provide a framework and examples of what high-quality day services and supports should look like. The most recent addition to the toolkit is the CLE Fidelity Scale (CLEFS), a statistically valid and reliable tool for service providers to assess how their current day services and supports align with the four guideposts.
As states focus on expanding integrated employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and phase out sheltered work, they are finding a need to concurrently examine day services and supports that promote Community Life Engagement (CLE, see yellow box to the right for a detailed definition). These supports can be a wrap-around to ensure individuals’ engagement in the community is maintained and they continue to receive sufficient levels of support, despite fluctuations in job status and hours.
The Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) partnered with The Arc of the United States to identify ten elements of successful organizational transformation to competitive integrated employment. They asked four providers who successfully closed sheltered workshops to provide implementation strategies that they used according to each of the ten elements. Based on the information gathered from these providers, the attached brief will:
The State Employment Leadership Network (SELN) is a membership-based network of state IDD agencies committed to making changes in their service systems to ensure access to competitive integrated employment for people with IDD (www.selnhub.org/home).
We have created a series of four Engage Briefs to examine the guideposts in detail. This brief explores the need to create supports that oriented toward goals and outcomes, and to implement a plan for monitoring progress.
We have created a series of four Engage Briefs to examine the guideposts in detail. This brief explores how to use natural social supports to help individuals transition away from paid supports.
We have created a series of four Engage Briefs to examine the guideposts in detail. This brief explores the need to implement a plan to help individuals participate in and contribute to their communities.
We have created a series of four Engage Briefs to examine the guideposts in detail. This brief explores the need to tailor supports to an individual's needs and goals.
The purpose of this brief is to:
1. Present findings from 13 expert interviews regarding essential elements of high-quality Community Life Engagement, organized into four guideposts.
2. Consider these guideposts as a set of key principles states and providers can use to move their Community Life Engagement efforts forward.
As state and federal policy makers and Community Service Providers work to refine the concept of Community Life Engagement, they are able to draw upon multiple, public, national data sources. These include:
