Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

State Roles In Promoting Community Life Engagement: Themes From The State Employment Leadership Network’S Working Group, Jennifer Sullivan Sulewski, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

As states focus on expanding integrated employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and phasing out sheltered work, they are finding a need to concurrently examine Community Life Engagement (CLE) supports as a wrap-around to ensure individuals’ engagement in the community is maintained and they continue to receive sufficient levels of support, despite fluctuations in job status and hours. In January through June of 2017, the State Employment Leadership Network (SELN) hosted a working group of member states to discuss ideas and share strategies for encouraging quality CLE supports while maintaining a focus on Employment First (see …

Apse Employment First Statement, Apse, Green Mountain Self Advocates, Self Advocates Becoming Empowered, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

These authors worked together to write a statement about what Employment First means and why it’s important. Here is an excerpt from the statement.

All people with disabilities should have opportunities to work. Public dollars should be used to pay for supports for people to work in the community. People with disabilities, their families, and their allies believe that:

• All people should have opportunities for real jobs with real wages. It will get us out of poverty. We will be more independent. We will feel more included. All people, with and without disabilities, can work in jobs together earning minimum …