Policy Research Brief: Employment First: An Update on National Progress

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Part of the Policy Research Brief series.

Author(s)

Kai Y Gunty, Kristin Dean, Derek K Nord PhD, David Hoff, Kelly Nye-Lengerman PhD

Web

Cost:

Free

Description

A brief providing a progress update on the Employment First field. Employment First identifies employment as the preferred outcome for people with disabilities and encourages those supporting people with disabilities to promote employment as an outcome first, before considering alternatives. Central to Employment First is work in integrated settings in the community, with access to the same wages and benefits as people without disabilities.

The number of job seekers with disabilities is greater than the number who are actually employed. For people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the integrated employment rate has been stagnant for the past ten years, but rates of facility-based and non-work have risen. The Employment First philosophy has gained momentum to address this gap.

Details

Date

2018 

Type

Brief 

Edition

Volume 27, Number 2

Publisher

Research and Training Center on Community Living (RTC-CL)