Disability Employment Services Research Articles

Training work-related social skills in adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder using a tablet-based intervention

ABSTRACT While multiple studies suggest that social skills are considered as essential in promoting employment, literature highlights a deficit in these skills among workers with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) for whom difficulties in communication and social interaction are often reported. In this article, we explain how we used a User-Centered Design to identify and define in detail the work-related social skills that need to be trained. The aim was to develop social scenarios to train work-related social skills relevant for people with ASD using a digital app on a tablet. Participatory Design in our study included a needs analysis with questionnaires and interviews, as well as focus-groups and workshops with professionals of several disability employment services and workers or job seekers with ASD. Sixty-six social scenarios were written and 28 social skills were identified as relevant. This approach allowed us to design a tablet-based intervention which is an intelligent system by design since its content and structure target the social skills which require training for users with ASD.

A Systematic Review to Move Australian Disability Employment Forward for Autistic People

AbstractThe current Disability Employment Service (DES) model serving autistic job seekers in Australia will end in the year 2023. The Australian Government is exploring new options for a replacement model. Aiding these efforts a systematic review of the literature examined the evidence base of effective assisted employment supports for autistic people in Australia. Using PRISMA guidelines, of 1839 search results, eight papers met inclusion criteria concerning: (a) autistic individuals, (b) assisted employment in Australia, (c) enablers to employment gain or retention, and (d) original evidence. All effective activities require providers to understand autism and the needs of autistic adults. We suggest the first steps in enhancing DES include educating providers and their staff in autism and hiring autistic employment consultants.

Divided in a digital economy: Understanding disability employment inequities stemming from the application of advanced workplace technologies

ObjectivesThe digital transformation of the economy is characterized by the rapid advancement and wide-spread workplace application of digital technologies. Our study aimed to unpack how the digital transformation of the economy contributes to challenges and opportunities for the sustainable employment and health of persons living with disabilities. MethodsOne-on-one semi-structured interviews with policy makers, disability employment service providers and future of work specialists were conducted. Interviewees asked about the implications of digital technology advancements for persons with disabilities. Participants were also asked about the strategies that could be used to support inclusive employment within a digitized working world. An iterative and flexible grounded theory methodological approach was taken to analyze the qualitative data and to develop a conceptual understanding of the digital transformation of the economy for persons living with disabilities. ResultsForty participants were interviewed from across Canada. The digital transformation of the economy was seen as disadvantageous to persons living with disabilities and could impact their ability to find and sustain paid work, advance within their career, and remain productive. Labelled as the digital divide, participants frequently referred to sources of inequities faced by persons with disabilities that shaped their ability to fully participate in a digital working world. The digital divide was characterized by three intersecting concepts which included disparities in digital technology access, personal resources, and job skills. Participants highlighted the importance of equity and inclusive design considerations in the development and dissemination of digital technology and more responsive skilling initiatives for a changing work environment. ConclusionsFindings provide an important conceptual foundation for scholarship on work and health inequities that can arise from the digital transformation of the economy and bring greater attention to the design of targeted disability employment support programs and policies that are relevant and inclusive for a digital working world.

Factors and key interactions influencing successful employment outcomes for people with disabilities

Responding to the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, many countries are trying to improve economic and social participation for people with disabilities. Yet, workforce participation remains substantially lower for people with disabilities than for people without disabilities. Building on a recently developed model of factors that influence mainstream employment outcomes for people with disabilities, this study utilises the social model of disability to examine the perceived relative importance of each factor and the interactions between them. We conducted 47 semi‐structured interviews with people with disabilities, employers and disability employment services providers to identify eight factors that were most important in achieving successful employment outcomes: nature of the disability, disability disclosure, personal motivation, employer attitudes, job characteristics, corporate culture and climate, government support and societal attitudes. Eight interactions between the factors were also identified. Findings provide insights that can guide the implementation of structural changes to ensure better employment outcomes for people with disabilities.

Increasing employer willingness to hire people with disability: the perspective of disability employment service providers

PurposeThis study aims to investigate which factors are associated with the willingness of employers to hire people with disability from the perspective of disability employment service providers. We also identify social marketing approaches that disability employment service providers consider to be most effective in increasing employer willingness to hire people with disability.Design/methodology/approachUsing the framework of the theory of planned behavior, this study examines the association of attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control with employer willingness to hire people with disability. The authors do this from the perspective of disability employment service providers, who are responsible for matching people with disability with suitable employment opportunities. The authors used a qualitative approach to data collection and conducted 30 in-depth interviews. Data analysis included deductive and inductive coding to develop the themes and subthemes.FindingsAttitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control were all perceived to influence employers’ willingness to hire people with disability. However, the importance of each construct was perceived to differ by location and organization type. Three key social marketing approaches were perceived to be most effective in increasing employer willingness to hire people with disability: educational, relational and interactive. The educational intervention attempts to increase employers’ knowledge about disability, the relational approach aims to develop relationships within the community to strengthen relationships with employers and the interactive approach involves direct contact between employers and people with disability.Originality/valueTheoretically, this study reveals perceived heterogeneity in terms of the theoretical constructs that are employer hiring decisions. Practically, results help disability employment service providers design social marketing strategies that are effective in reducing barriers and increasing employment for people with disability. Methodologically, this study adds a new perspective on employer willingness to hire people with disability – that of disability employment service providers – which avoids the social desirability bias found in many self-reported studies of employer attitudes and behavior.

Measuring the impact of employment on persons with a disability as a means of improving the quality of employment outcomes

Aim: Current measures for disability employment focus on system outputs, not individual outcomes. This paper proposes an employment outcome measurement approach based on social quality theory as a means of improving the quality of employment outcomes for individuals. Introduction: There is a paucity of government policies that promote practices which address the measurement of employment outcomes that reflect the goals of the individual. While there has been a recent trend towards a focus on quality of life as an outcome, process measurement and compliance to procedural regulations are still dominant. Method: A scoping review of disability employment research from the year 2000 revealed only eleven papers which specifically addressed approaches to measuring disability employment outcomes at an individual impact level. Overall, the search failed to highlight any measure that focused on the impact of employment on the individual with existing measures focused on process measurement. Conclusion: An outcomes-based approach, based on the four pillars of social quality theory, namely, social inclusion, social cohesion, self-determination, and social-economic security provide an opportunity to shift disability employment service provision towards individual outcomes rather than its existing focus on system outputs as a measure of success.

Using framework analysis to understand multiple stakeholders' views of vocational rehabilitation following acquired brain injury.

To explore how vocational rehabilitation (VR) is currently delivered for individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI) across multiple stakeholder groups and identify areas for improvement in service delivery using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Seven focus groups were conducted with rehabilitation clinicians; outreach providers, insurers/regulators, VR providers and disability employment service providers (n = 44) experienced in VR of individuals with ABI. All groups were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis was guided by the CFIR constructs. All stakeholder groups believed they offered quality VR interventions given available resources and legislation, but many clients fell through the 'cracks'. Themes that were identified included: a) number and complexity of systems supporting VR; b) fractured communication across systems, c) lack of knowledge by both stakeholders and clients in navigating systems, d) lack of expertise in supporting the vocational needs of clients with ABI and e) perceived limited awareness of ABI by employers. Stakeholders and clients need support to navigate Australia's complex VR pathways. Limited specialist ABI clinicians, VR providers and disability employment services were identified as barriers for effective VR. Domains of the CFIR were appropriate for organising and understanding how VR is delivered.

The Efficacy of Disability Employment Service (DES) Providers Working with Autistic Clients

The efficacy of the Australian Disability Employment Services (DES) for autistic jobseekers has not been examined and is currently undergoing Government reform. To help inform the new DES strategy, we sought the views of: 24 autistic individuals; seven family members of autistic individuals, and; 46 DES employees. Data were collected using surveys and interviews. Data were analysed using Mann Whitney tests plus deductive thematic analysis based on Nicholas and colleagues’ ecosystems model. Participants highlighted a need to adapt existing policies to enhance flexibility of the DES model. There was participant consensus that DES staff require specific education and training to meet the needs of autistic people. Suggestions to inform the new model of DES for autistic people are made.

What Does It Take to Get Somebody Back to Work after Severe Acquired Brain Injury? Service Actions within the Vocational Intervention Program (VIP 2.0).

Little is known about service actions delivered in the complex intervention of vocational rehabilitation (VR) for people with severe acquired brain injury (ABI). Scale-up of the Vocational Intervention Program (VIP) across the 12 Community teams of the NSW Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program provided an opportunity to analyse the intensity and profile of actions delivered in providing VR programs. Seventy-two participants with severe TBI were supported in returning to either pre-injury employment (FastTrack, FT, n = 27) or new employment (NewTrack, NT, n = 50), delivered by two types of VR providers (Disability Employment Service DES; private providers). VR providers documented their service actions in hours and minutes, using the Case Management Taxonomy, adapted to VR. The NT pathway required significantly higher levels of intervention in comparison to FT (25 h, five minutes vs. 35 h, 30 min, p = 0.048, W = 446). Case coordination was the most frequent service action overall (41.7% of total time for FT, 42.3% for NT). DES providers recorded significantly greater amounts of time undertaking engagement, assessment and planning, and emotional/motivational support actions compared to private providers. Overall duration of the programs were a median of 46 weeks (NT) and 36 weeks (FT), respectively. This study helps illuminate the profile of VR interventions for people with severe TBI.

Inclusion of young people with disabilities in the future of work: forecasting workplace, labour market and community-based strategies through an online and accessible Delphi survey protocol

IntroductionThe future of work is expected to transform the nature of work, create unique employment barriers for young people living with disabilities and disrupt pathways to better health. We present...

The impact of co-location employment partnerships within the Australian mental health service and policy context: A systematic review.

Adults with a serious persistent mental illness (SPMI) express a strong desire to work. However, they continue to experience higher levels of unemployment, barriers, and occupational exclusion that impact their vocational outcomes and choice of work. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of co‐location partnerships between adult mental health and disability employment services (DES) on employment outcomes and consumer choice of work for adults with a SPMI. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) methodology, a systematic literature review was conducted by searching four databases. The relationship between mental health, employment, and DES was examined. Inclusion criteria were adults with a SPMI; employment services and outcomes; and job retention and sustainability. Twelve studies met inclusion criteria. All studies were peer‐reviewed, Australian‐based, and published between 01 January 2017 and 30 August 2021. Individual placement and support (IPS); DES practice, funding, policy, and reform within the Australian mental health system; and barriers to participation in DES were the three main themes that emerged. Findings highlight the importance of joint, co‐location partnerships between mental health and employment services, including a collaborative approach to policy reform between both services, to assist adults with a SPMI to gain and sustain competitive employment. Vocational, non‐vocational, systemic, and structural barriers still exist; hence, adults with a SPMI continue to face challenges with gaining and sustaining long‐term employment. Hence, it is important for these partnerships to be systematically set up to support the complexity of the employment journey for adults with a SPMI.

Australia's Disability Employment Services Program: Participant Perspectives on Factors Influencing Access to Work.

Disability employment programs play a key role in supporting people with disability to overcome barriers to finding and maintaining work. Despite significant investment, ongoing reforms to Australia’s Disability Employment Services (DES) are yet to lead to improved outcomes. This paper presents findings from the Improving Disability Employment Study (IDES): a two-wave survey of 197 DES participants that aims to understand their perspectives on factors that influence access to paid work. Analysis of employment status by type of barrier indicates many respondents experience multiple barriers across vocational (lack of qualifications), non-vocational (inaccessible transport) and structural (limited availability of jobs, insufficient resourcing) domains. The odds of gaining work decreased as the number of barriers across all domains increased with each unit of barrier reported (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.07, 1.38). Unemployed respondents wanted more support from employment programs to navigate the welfare system and suggest suitable work, whereas employed respondents wanted support to maintain work, indicating the need to better tailor service provision according to the needs of job-seekers. Combined with our findings from the participant perspective, improving understanding of these relationships through in-depth analysis and reporting of DES program data would provide better evidence to support current DES reform and improve models of service delivery.

Disability and work in a health and economic crisis: Mitigating the risk of long‐term labour market exclusion for Australians with disability through policy coordination

AbstractLabour markets around the world are experiencing extraordinary disruption during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The gap in the employment rate between Australians with and without disability is likely to widen, given the entrenched disadvantage of people with disability in the job market. For many, it will compound existing health and economic vulnerabilities. This scenario is troubling from both a human rights and an economic perspective. In this paper, we examine the interface of two policy instruments intended to improve the prospects of people with disability finding and keeping employment in Australia – Disability Employment Services and the National Disability Insurance Scheme – in the lead up to and in the early stages of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Findings from three studies conducted between 2018 and 2020 reveal these instruments are not mutually reinforcing. With a 10‐year National Disability Employment Strategy (NDES) in development under federal government oversight, we argue that more concerted and targeted effort from these services and broader public policies and programs is needed to ensure Australians with disability are not sidelined in the labour market in the wake of the pandemic.

If I had stable housing I would be a bit more receptive to having a job. Factors influencing the effectiveness of Disability Employment Services reform.

Continual reforms of the Australian Disability Employment Services (DES) program aim to improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities, including people with a psychosocial disability who experience high levels of unemployment. To understand contextual factors in the lives of DES participants with a psychosocial disability that influence their engagement with and potential benefits from the DES program in the context of the 2018 reforms. Thematic analysis of 30 qualitative interviews with DES participants with a psychosocial disability was conducted as part of the Improving Disability Employment Study between November 2017 to October 2018. Findings highlight diverse life challenges experienced by DES participants including disrupted education, inadequate access to mental and general health services, and financial and housing insecurity. The life circumstances of DES participants with a psychosocial disability are often complex and undermine their engagement with employment services and access to labour markets. Despite considerable investment in ongoing reforms, these circumstances continue to undermine the effectiveness of the DES program.

\u2018I\u2019m proud of how far I\u2019ve come. I\u2019m just ready to work\u2019: mental health recovery narratives within the context of Australia\u2019s Disability Employment Services

BackgroundEmployment is recognised as facilitating the personal and clinical recovery of people with psychosocial disability. Yet this group continue to experience considerable barriers to work, and, constitute a significant proportion of individuals engaged with Disability Employment Services (DES). Recognition of the role of recovery-oriented practice within DES remains limited, despite these approaches being widely promoted as best-practice within the field of mental health.MethodsThe Improving Disability Employment Study (IDES) aims to gather evidence on factors influencing employment outcomes for Australians with disability. Descriptive analysis and linear regression of IDES survey data from 369 DES participants, alongside narrative analysis of data collected through 56 in-depth interviews with 30 DES participants with psychosocial disability, allowed us to explore factors influencing mental health, well-being and personal recovery within the context of DES.ResultsPsychosocial disability was reported as the main disability by 48% of IDES respondents. These individuals had significantly lower scores on measures of mental health and well-being (44.9, 48.4 respectively, p ≤ 0.01), compared with respondents with other disability types (52.2, 54.3 p ≤ 0.01). Within this group, individuals currently employed had higher mental health and well-being scores than those not employed (47.5 vs 36.9, 55.5 vs 45.4 respectively, p ≤ 0.01). Building on these findings, our qualitative analysis identified five personal recovery narratives: 1) Recovery in spite of DES; 2) DES as a key actor in recovery; 3) DES playing a supporting role in fluctuating journeys of recovery; 4) Recovery undermined by DES; and, 5) Just surviving regardless of DES. Narratives were strongly influenced by participants’ mental health and employment status, alongside the relationship with their DES worker, and, participants’ perspectives on the effectiveness of services provided.ConclusionThese findings re-iterate the importance of work in supporting the mental health and well-being of people with psychosocial disability. Alongside access to secure and meaningful work, personal recovery was facilitated within the context of DES when frontline workers utilised approaches that align with recovery-orientated practices. However, these approaches were not consistently applied. Given the number of people with psychosocial disability moving through DES, encouraging greater consideration of recovery-oriented practice within DES and investment in building the capacity of frontline staff to utilise such practice is warranted.

Evidence-based supported employment for people with psychiatric disabilities in Australia: Progress in the past 15 years.

This report summarizes the major developments in Australia since the first introduction of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) in 2005 in order to outline the current situation and discuss future challenges and opportunities. Using an informal snowball sampling method, all those known to be involved in IPS implementations in Australia in the last 5 years were contacted. The program has expanded from 2 full-time employment specialists in 2005 to 87.6 in 2018. The expansion has been most promising in youth mental health where an initial national 14-site trial of IPS was recently expanded to 24 sites. If the trial is successful, IPS may become a core component of a national youth mental health initiative. Expansion in the adult community mental health sector has been constrained by several factors including the low priority for rehabilitation in the public mental health system. On the positive side, the availability of independent technical support from Western Australia means that all new IPS sites can receive expert technical support for program implementation, continuing high-fidelity delivery, external fidelity assessment, outcome evaluation, and cohort-based outcome reporting. The expansion of IPS in the public funded adult mental health sector has not kept pace with progress in the youth mental health sector. There is an urgent need for adult mental health services to cease excluding vocational rehabilitation from treatment, care, and recovery plans. Disability Employment Service contract managers could increase disincentives for providers to adopt high caseloads and low intensity services, at the expense of more intensive evidence-based practices. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

DESerting clients? A Study Investigating Evidence-based Measures Supporting the Long-term Employment of Neurodiverse Australians

Employment outcomes for Australians with disability are weak and worsening. Aiming to assist in better understanding and redressing this troubling policy issue, this investigative research aims to (a) determine as to whether or not a significant relationship exists between disability type (i.e., physical or psychiatric) and long-term employment; and (b) identify evidence-based measures that might assist to improve the long-term employment of neurodiverse disability employment services (DES) clients. Addressing the first of these aims, an IBM SPSS-based chi-square analysis was conducted utilizing disability employment data sourced from the Australian Government. Targeting the second aim, a literature search was conducted utilizing Google Scholar, and thematic analysis was, then, applied on the results of this enquiry. Results of the chi-square analysis reveal that a DES client’s disability type appears to be associated with whether or not they attain long-term employment. From the 79 possibly relevant articles obtained from the Google Scholar enquiry, 13 were deemed relevant after applying the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis constructed themes of resourcing, personalized support and education. In addition to offering a good practice employment guide based upon these themes, the study concludes by challenging Australian policymakers to consider the kinds of DES provider results that might not warrant reward.

‘I don’t think they trust the choices I will make.’ – Narrative analysis of choice and control for people with psychosocial disability within reform of the Australian Disability Employment Services program

ABSTRACT This paper explores New Public Management-inspired reforms to Australia’s Disability Employment Services (DES), which assume increasing participant choice and control within DES will enhance provider competition and effectiveness. However, capability for exercising choice within this context is multifaceted. This is particularly so for participants who experience significant barriers to employment, as highlighted in our narrative analysis of the perspectives of DES participants with psychosocial disability and their resistance to exercising control to change providers despite dissatisfaction with outcomes. This brings into question whether increased marketization of DES will indeed support its objective of improving employment outcomes for people with disability.

DESperately Seeking Service: A narrative review informing a disability employment services reform framework for Australians with mental illness.

Notwithstanding efforts by vocational services to assist Australians with mental illness into employment many of these consumers remain unemployed. To inform policymakers and practitioners of a disability employment services reform framework that endeavours to help more consumers who are experiencing mental illness to attain and retain employment. Thematic analysis was directed to summarize results obtained from a narrative literature review of disability employment service reforms utilising Scopus, Medline and Pubmed databases and including articles published between 2000 and 2016. Research results reveal a preparative framework covering three levels of disability employment services reform for consumers with mental illness. This research makes important theoretical contributions across three areas. First this study reveals individualised, integrated and outcome-oriented services as dimensions of disability employment services reform that warrant greater government investment, practitioner focus and consumer involvement. Second recognising that none of these service reforms are immune from challenges which may hinder their effectiveness, future research is needed to identify evidence-based mitigation measures. Finally with individualised services positioned at the nucleus of the reform framework, integrated services and outcome-oriented reforms should be operationalised in ways that remain sensitive to the principle of strength-based support.

Why one size fits all approach to transition in Disability Employment Services hinders employability of young people with physical and neurological disabilities in Australia

The education-to-work pathways for young people with disabilities are becoming more diverse and lengthier in our post-industrial economy. Furthermore, it is recognized that a multitude of barriers still remain in securing employment at the end of these pathways. In this paper, we focus on Australia’s Disability Employment Services (DES) to understand how views of transition in DES policy may be influencing program rules in supporting secondary and tertiary students with physical and/or neurological disabilities in their employability and employment. We do this through critical policy analysis of DES and in-depth Interpretive accounts from service providers and advocacy organizations.