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Surveying supported employment in Finland: a follow-up
- Authors:
- SALOVIITA Timo, PRITTIMAA Raija
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 4(4), December 2007, pp.229-234.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The longitudinal status of supported employment in Finland was examined via a 2003 nationwide survey sent to job coaches involved in supporting workers with intellectual and other disabilities. Sustained supported employment, defined as "paid work in integrated settings with ongoing supports that contained at least two on-site visits per month at the worksite" was identified at 22 organizations that supported 52 workers. The results of the current survey were compared with those gained from similar surveys conducted in 1998, 1999, and 2001. Comparison of data over a 6-year period showed a decline in the provision of intensive employment supports and appeared to reflect both a change in European public policy on employment supports, and a conceptual shift in supported employment from a paradigm for people with significant disabilities to a technical tool for the employment of people with limited support needs. Along with this change, supported employment agencies in Finland were found to have progressively barred people with significant disabilities from being their customers.
Longitudinal investigation of vocational engagement
- Authors:
- SPREAT Scott, CONROY James William
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 12(4), 2015, pp.266-271.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The vocational engagement of 216 individuals with an intellectual disability was followed over a 15-year period. Engagement was operationally defined as activity in five simple categories: competitive, supported, or sheltered employment, plus prevocational and nonvocational daytime activities. Authors sought a long-term view of trends in vocational and nonvocational engagement among all people who were receiving residential and day supports in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and for whom data collection visits had been conducted during the entire 15-year period. This was intended to assess what progress toward eventual employment has been made over the past two decades, and this information was aimed toward policy initiatives related to Employment First models. Authors selected all people for whom on-site quality-of-life data were collected continuously from 1994 to 2009. Their primary types of daytime activities were reported, and the number of hours in each type were submitted to analysis. The overall amount of vocational, prevocational, and nonvocational activities changed sharply during the 15-year period. Vocational and prevocational activity declined, while nonvocational engagement more than doubled, both in numbers of people and hours. During the same time period, the number of employed individuals consistently declined, as did the total number of hours worked. The decline was primarily evident in segregated forms of vocational activity, such as sheltered workshops and prevocational activities. There was no collateral increase in the use of more integrated forms of employment. Age did not appear to be a factor in this decline. The current emphasis on Employment First models would seem to be justified in view of this sample's longitudinal engagement outcomes. However, this analysis was done in only one state, and results must be compared and contrasted to those in other states. (Publisher abstract)
Supported employment for people with intellectual disability: the effects of job breakdown on psychological well-being
- Authors:
- BANKS Pauline, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 23(4), July 2010, pp.344-354.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The level of job breakdown is relatively high amongst people with intellectual disabilities. This paper focuses on the transition to supported employment for people with intellectual disabilities, paying particular attention to the impact of job breakdown on psychological well-being. The participants were 49 people with intellectual disabilities who had entered supported employment working at least 3 hours each week. They underwent semi-structured interviews within 3 months of entering supported employment and 9–12 months later. Where possible, someone who supported the participant, such as a relative or support work, was also interviewed at both time periods, and the employers were also interviewed on one occasion. Data collection included completion of a self-report measure of depression and anxiety (an adapted form of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), and a self-report measure of quality of life (the ComQol). The results showed that, by the time of the follow-up interviews, 13 of the 49 jobs had broken down. Analysis of scores measuring quality of life, anxiety and depression showed no effect for loss of employment. However, the interviews with participants indicated that job loss had a considerable impact on those affected. There were a wide range of reasons for job breakdown, many of which were particular to the circumstances of people with intellectual disabilities.