By
Cary Griffin, Senior Partner
Griffin-Hammis Associates
Now that the majority of the states are adopting Employment First strategies, a key issue every community rehabilitation agency faces becomes “are we managing the unemployment problem or are we solving it?”
In a country that spends over $50 billion a year on intellectual/developmental disability services, with less than 5% going to community employment, local agencies stretch every penny to adapt and rejuvenate. As in previous national systems change efforts, the emphasis is rightly placed on the technology of the day. In the current case, that technology is community employment. Rightly so, today’s emphasis is largely on person-centered assessment techniques such as Discovery, proper job match, natural workplace supports, family engagement, better school to work linkages, etc. What gets lost in the push though is the focus on building foundational supports that maintain long-term success and emphasize community employment as a reasonable outcome for everyone.
Download file located on upper right hand corner named Leading Employment First Change.