Supported Employment Is

Supported Employment Services are services that enable individuals to engage in paid, competitive employment, in integrated community settings. The services are for individuals who have barriers to obtaining employment due to the nature and complexity of their disabilities. The services are designed to assist individuals for whom competitive employment at or above the minimum wage is unlikely without such support and services and need ongoing support based upon the person’s level of need.

Supported Employment services include, but are not limited to:

  • Vocational counseling (Example: Discussion of the person’s on-the-job work activities);

  • On-the-job training in work and work-related skills;

  • Accommodation of work performance task;

  • Supervision and monitoring by a job coach;

  • Intervention to replace inappropriate work behaviors with adaptive work skills and behaviors;

  • Retraining as jobs change or job tasks change;

  • Training in skills essential to obtain and retain employment, such as the effective use of community resources;

  • Transportation to and from job sites when other forms of transportation are unavailable or inaccessible.

Our Goal

The goal of Supported Employment is to promote personal growth, self esteem, and increased income to individuals with developmental disabilities. With increased income, they can improve their quality of life by learning how to budget and save money, attend community outings, personal vacations or summer camps, and thus expand their overall independence even to the point of pursuing their own apartment or other living arrangement in the community.

Our Efforts

The Arc of the Three Rivers provides supported employment services in response to the many requests of the people we support to have real jobs in the community. A variety of services are offered to persons with developmental disabilities including job coaching, job analysis, and job development. Progress has been made but we still have a long way to go in our mission of educating the public that people with disabilities should be treated with respect and dignity, and should have every opportunity granted to you or me.

Reasons to Consider Hiring the Developmentally Disabled

  • Employees with disabilities can ease concerns about labor supply

  • People with disabilities have equal or higher job performance ratings, higher retention rates, and lower absenteeism

  • Employees with disabilities can relate better to customers with disabilities, who represent $1 trillion in annual aggregate consumer spending

  • Diverse work groups can create better solutions to business challenges

  • People with disabilities are better educated than ever, and are proven to have met and/or exceeded challenges

  • A person with a disability motivates work groups and increases productivity

  • Companies that hire and accommodate people with disabilities in their workplaces can receive tax benefits

  • Employing people with disabilities is good for the individual, the business, and society. This is a win-win-win strategy

  • People with disabilities are motivated by the desire to give something back, and opportunities for personal growth, job flexibility, and social inclusion

  • It’s ability, not disability, that counts.

If you have questions about the services offered please contact our office at (304) 344-3403.