This project is home to research, training, and outreach activities that promote employment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Browse all our publications below, or click on the activities links under numbers 1–4.
(1) Choosing Work: Effective Knowledge Translation and Support for Individuals and Families
The goal of this line of research is to create a comprehensive information, outreach, and support framework for individuals and families that enables ready and timely access to information about employment throughout the lifespan. Research activities include a scoping literature review, online and in-person focus groups with individuals with IDD and their family members, and the development and testing of an intervention that promotes individual and family engagement in employment planning.
(2) Increasing the Effectiveness of Employment Consultants
This work will define a model for employment support that incorporates research, practice, job seeker support needs, organizational culture, and personal resources. Project partners and staff will implement an intervention to improve the quality of services provided by employment consultants through online training, data-based performance feedback, and facilitated peer-to-peer support.
(3) Building Capacity and Supporting Organizational Transformation for Community Rehabilitation Providers (CRPs)
Project staff will develop a model framework and toolkit to support community rehabilitation providers in implementing an Employment First focus. The demonstration of an efficient, scalable strategy that enables CRPs to create change within their own organizations is a key feature of this research.
(4) Policies and Practices of High-Performing State Employment Systems
This research strand will define the characteristics of a high-performing state system that promotes cross-agency and resource integration. The strand will also identify effective state practices and policies that lead to employment outcomes, and will and describe Employment First policy implementation and outcomes at both the national and state level.
"44" Series - Our webinar series takes a fresh look at issues and opportunities around employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). That’s why we call it "New Conversations About Integrated Employment." These webinars encourage creative thinking, and provoke reactions. Each conversation brings an original perspective to topics around IDD and employment.
Self-advocates with intellectual disabilities describe Employment First efforts in their states, and why those efforts are important.
Quick summary:
Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered asked leaders in the self-advocacy movement to describe the impact of Employment First in their states. The authors spoke with 21 peer leaders across the country and asked, “What does Employment First mean?”
Read the brief here. We conducted an extended search of trainings provided by state agencies and service providers that are targeted towards families. Trainings in the form of written material (handbooks, brochures and computer-based courses) or given in person by service professionals, peers and others have been found to raise expectations that family members with IDD can become employed in their communities.
Download the brief here. This brief aims to share information learned from two studies: 1) interviews with employment consultants; and 2) a Delphi process to determine what characteristics are most critical for organizational transformation from facility-based to community-based integrated employment for people with IDD. The relationship between study findings will be explored and a relational model will be introduced.
Download the brief here. This brief summarizes a paper (State of the Science: Engaging Families, 2017) that explores the role of families in individuals’ employment outcomes through a scoping literature review, as well as findings from a qualitative study involving family members and individuals.
From September 11–15, team members from the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) will be leading a discussion on ways to engage people with disabilities, their families, and their services providers in creating employment options.
In July 2017, ThinkWork conducted a State of the Science session the The Summer Leadership Institute hosted by The Arc of the United States. Please check out our slides from this event.
Download the slides here. In conjunction with The Arc of the United States, this powerpoint offers ten essential elements necessary for successful organizational transformation, along with strategies for implementing each element.
These Power Point slides were prepared and presented in collaboration with The Arc of Westchester. The presentation addresses the key elements of effective organizational transformation, and how community providers can best support integrated employment.
Check out the power point slides from our listening sessions at recent conference sessions. These presentations highlight findings among the three themes listed above.