Over the course of 20 years at the Institute for Community Inclusion, I have had leadership roles in projects related to family engagement , transition , and employment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in particular, making me well suited as Principal Investigator on the current application. I have developed expertise in research and evaluation of transition practices as it relates to employment, post-secondary education, and community life engagement for youth with IDD. I am currently Co-PI on a 4-year research project exploring transfer-of-rights and guardianship for transition aged youth with IDD funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, as well as Co-PI on a 5-year National Youth Resource Center on Alternatives to Guardianship funded by the Administration on Community Living. I recently acted as Principal Investigator on two lines of research as part of ICI’s Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Advancing Employment for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. One is related to organizational transformation of employment support providers seeking to close their sheltered workshops and the other involves research around the creation of a comprehensive information, outreach, and support framework for parents of youth with IDD that enables ready and timely access to information about employment throughout the lifespan. My research interests stem from my background providing direct services to families with children with disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and special health care needs.
Watch the recorded webinar here. This webinar was so popular, we decided to run it again! Provider agencies across the country are transitioning from segregated “sheltered” workshop options to supporting integrated community careers for people with disabilities. This process of organizational transformation can be both exciting and challenging for provider staff and the people they serve.
Watch the recorded webinar here. Provider agencies across the country are transitioning from segregated “sheltered” workshop options to supporting integrated community careers for people with disabilities.
The findings from Institute for Community Inclusion’s (ICI’s) Delphi Process on Organizational Transformation can guide providers as they work to transform their services. These findings support the prioritization of goals and the development of key action areas that have proven successful.
In this brief, we will:
1. share ten essential elements in organizational transformation ranked in their order of importance according to ICI’s Delphi process, and
2. offer a set of considerations to providers as they move their organizational transformation efforts forward.
The current emphasis on integrated employment for people with IDD is accelerating the organizational transformation from sheltered workshops to community-based supports, creating both opportunities and challenges for local service providers. These providers need guidance on how to transform to community-based supports while maintaining high standards. This presentation shared findings from the Institute for Community Inclusion’s Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Advancing Employment for Individuals with IDD.
The purpose of this brief is to:
1. Present findings from 13 expert interviews regarding essential elements of high-quality Community Life Engagement, organized into four guideposts.
2. Consider these guideposts as a set of key principles states and providers can use to move their Community Life Engagement efforts forward.
A key area of focus for our Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) is organizational transformation, leading to improved employment outcomes for those served by community provider organizations.
Job developers can influence decision-making during the job search and placement process. For a study exploring the employment decisions of people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD), researchers interviewed 16 individuals with IDD, their family members, and professionals involved in their job search. Participants were asked what factors, circumstances, or people affected their decisions about work. The job developer was consistently named the most influential person in the job-search process.
The Northeast Region Supported Employment Project was developed by the North Shore area office of the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services in 2007. This pilot program, open to any individual with ID/DD who wanted to work, emphasized a person- centered planning approach to achieving the individuals' goals for employment in the community. The project emphasized the individual's choice of employment providers, collaboration with the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC), and use of an independent facilitator to support career and life planning.
Wisconsin’s Developmental Disabilities Services agency and Vocational Rehabilitation agency, in conjunction with the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities and Wisconsin’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, implemented a series of community conversations to build dialogue and create a coalition around employment for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Through this initiative, a range of community members came together in structured forums to discuss ways to improve integrated employment outcomes for youth.