Why Employment Matters

Alliance for Full Participation Summit 2011

December, 2011

Promoting Employment First Policies and Practices

What do we know? What do we want? What can we do?

Promoting Employment First Policies and Practices

What do we know?

Lives in Household Below Poverty Threshold – 2009

American Community Survey

Getting out of Poverty

Having a Job

Employment participation 2009

PercentWorking

American Community Survey

Like Everyone Else

Having a Job

Trends over Time: Total Served and Integrated Employment Nationally

ICI IDD Agency Survey

Employment and Day Supports: National

ICI IDD Agency Survey

What We Need

Having a Job

Mean Wage/Week

National Core Indicators Project 2008-2009

Getting More Earnings

Having a Job

State DD agency successes in integrated

employment varies widely

ICI IDD Agency Survey

States VR Agency successes Vary – (Rehabilitation Rate)

Persons with ID - RSA 911 – 2007States

Supply and Demand in Future Years (NE Fed Reserve 2010)

•2010 those entering the workforce will be 10% greater than those leaving •2020 those entering the workforce will be 15% smaller than those leaving•The workforce will be more diverse and have more older workers in 2015•37.4% of total employment will be low skilled workers•From 2009 thru 2018 a growth rate of 11.9% in low skilled jobs (health, food, personal care, construction and production)

Promoting Employment First Policies and Practices

What do we want? (Expectations for

Employment)

Definitely Will86%

Probably Will

10%

NLTS2 Students: I will eventually get a paid job

What Youth Want

Having a Job

Not Sure12%

Yes63%Maybe

11%

No14%

Not Sure12%

Participant Prefers employment outside of workshop

Migliore (2006)

What People in Workshops Want

Having a Job

Promoting Employment First Policies and Practices

What can we do? (A time for a change)

Employment First: Realities and Expectations

What Do We Mean By Employment First?

Employment First: Essential Elements

Presumption of Employment for ALL

A Series of Policies, Procedures and Practices

Outcomes Competitive Integrated Employment

Competitive Integrated Employment:

Essential Elements Paid at the minimum or prevailing wage Similar benefits to all Opportunity to continuously interact

with co-workers without disabilities Chances for advancement Preferably full time

What is the Outcome

Having a Job

Practices that Have Worked Person centered and directed services

and supports Postsecondary education National Service Apprenticeship and internships Technology: Electronic job

development

Are We there Yet?The employment participation rate

for persons with disabilities (20.7% currently) is the same as that for persons without disabilities (71.9% currently)

My goal is 71.9% employment participation for all

What Matters

HAVING A JOB

Why Employment Matters

William E. Kiernan, Ph.D., DirectorInstitute for Community Inclusion

University of Massachusetts Boston100 Morrissey BlvdBoston, MA 02125

617-287-4311william.kiernan@umb.edu

www.communityinclusion.org