Employment Programs For People Research Articles

Community-Based Nonwork Supports: Findings From the National Survey of Day and Employment Programs for People With Developmental Disabilities

This article presents findings on community-based nonwork (CBNW; activities that do not involve paid employment but take place in the community) from a 2001 survey of state intellectual disabilities/developmental disabilities agency directors. Survey responses indicated that CBNW is a considerable and growing part of the day services mix but that it is loosely defined with respect to requirements, activities, populations served, and goals. Although CBNW has the potential to enhance the lives of people with disabilities, these findings raise some concerns, including how quality can be assured when supports are loosely defined, how CBNW can be provided without taking resources away from supported employment, and whether community connections can be made when people are supported in groups.

Employment programs for people with psychiatric disability: the case for change

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of disability employment policy in assisting people with psychiatric disability to find, or return to, paid work. We argue that the poor employment outcomes from current programs establish the need for a paradigmatic shift in the form of a state‐provided Job Guarantee (JG) for people with psychiatric disability. In the absence of measures to generate suitable jobs, forthcoming changes to the eligibility criteria for Disability Support Pension will create risks rather than opportunities. Under the JG, the Federal Government would maintain a ‘buffer stock’ of minimum wage, public sector jobs to provide secure paid employment for this highly disadvantaged group. The role of the state in this alternative model is two fold. First, the state must provide the quantum of JG jobs required. Second, the state must ensure the design of jobs is flexible enough to meet the heterogeneous and variable support needs of workers. This will require effective integration of the JG scheme with mental health, rehabilitation and employment support services.

Overview and Perspectives of Employment in People with Epilepsy

Even though it is now the viewpoint of the majority of professionals working in epilepsy care that most people with epilepsy should and can perform on the labor market as does anybody else, research tells a different story. Most figures concerning employment rates of people with epilepsy indicate that they do not perform as well on the labor market as others do. Although both research figures and research groups vary, generally unemployment rates are higher for people with epilepsy than for the general population. Early studies showed that the situation for people with epilepsy was rather grim. Later studies showed similar outcomes. Unemployment rates vary between groups and countries. Research shows that being employed is an important ingredient of the quality of life of people with epilepsy. The World Health Organization also recognizes the importance of employment as a part of social health, and therefore, improving the quality of life. It is important to know the perspectives on the labor market for people with epilepsy and what the possible problems are. I describe a Dutch research project and give an overview of the findings concerning the employment and consequent employability of people with epilepsy and questions pertaining to employment and epilepsy. Possible interventions [i.e., public education and employment programs for people with epilepsy with the aim to improve the (re)integration of people with epilepsy into the labor market, thus improving the quality of life of (potential) employees with epilepsy], are described extensively.

La Réinsertion Socioprofessionnelle De Personnes Présentant Des Troubles Mentaux Graves Sous Examen

Supported employment programs for people with severe mental disorders offered by 2 agencies in the Quebec City area were assessed after 10 years of operation. The study, which followed 30 participants over a period of 10 months, found gains in the areas of improved self-esteem, greater capacity to deal with daily stress, enhancement of quality of life and acquisition of vocational skills. Results are discussed in the light of existing knowledge on integration into the workplace.

Power to People with Disabilities: Empowerment issues in employment programming

ABSTRACT A view of empowerment that focuses exclusively or primarily on increasing the personal or individual power of people with disabilities violates the spirit of the disability rights movement which is a political movement organizing for social change. A view of empowerment more in keeping with the political organizing and protest that generated interest in empowerment focuses on the acquisition of social forms of power, especially power with which is an egalitarian social power based in individuals acting together as equal partners. An understanding of the importance of power with as a basis for empowerment is useful in developing empowering and effective employment programs for people with severe disabilities. Examples of employment programs based in power with are described including self-managed work crews, and businesses owned and operated co-operatively by people with disabilities.

Career development theory as a framework for assessment and planning in clubhouse-based transitional employment programs for people with psychiatric disabilities

This article describes assessment and career planning in programs using the clubhouse model of psychiatric rehabilitation and relates clubhouse practice to career development theory. Career development theory provides a useful framework to explain clubhouse assessment methodologies and the role of transitional employment in rehabilitation practice. This article also suggests practice improvements and areas for further research.