A popular saying in our field is, "If it gets measured, it gets done." Measuring performance--whether of staff members or of employment outcomes--is crucial for understanding what we're doing well, where we're lacking, and how we can improve. Explore this topic in the resources below.
This is the first in an annual series of snapshot reports on the employment of people with disabilities in Massachusetts developed by the Medicaid Infrastructure and Comprehensive Employment Opportunities grant. It is intended to provide people with disabilities, advocates, policymakers, researchers, and other interested parties an overview of the status and trends in employment of people with disabilities.
An estimated 250,000 people are living with a spinal cord injury (SCI). Since 2000, the average age of injury has been 38, with almost 80% of new injuries affecting men. Approximately 7,154 persons with SCI entered the VR service system in 2004. In 2004, 2382 individuals with SCI achieved successful rehabilitation with the support of state vocational rehabilitation agencies.
To encourage employment for individuals with disabilities, the Social Security Administration (SSA) offers special provisions that limit the impact of work on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. These provisions are called work incentives and include the Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS), Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE), and Blind Work Expenses (BWE).
Approximately 18 million people in the U.S. have diabetes. Diabetes in and of itself does not necessarily qualify any given individual for disability services. However, for some individuals, diabetes can be serious enough or can lead to secondary conditions that enable them to qualify for Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services.
The VR system has the flexibility to purchase a wide array of services to support an employment outcome, including vocational evaluation, vocational training and postsecondary education, transportation, supported employment, interpreters, and adaptive equipment. VR services include core counseling and guidance provided by a VR counselor as well as services that are purchased based on an individual employment plan.