Survey results from a national survey of community rehabilitation providers holding special wage certificates

by Katherine Inge, Paul Wehman, Grant Revell, Doug Erickson, Johon Butterworth, and Dana Gilmore

The purpose of this paper is to present the findings from a national survey of a random sample of community rehabilitation programs (CRPs) that hold Special Wage Certificates established under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), 29 U.S.C. 214(c). The intent of the survey was to identify the types of services provided, the trends in the employment services, and the factors that were perceived as inhibiting and facilitating integrated employment outcomes. The survey results are categorized for this report in the following three areas: 1) characteristics of community rehabilitation programs, 2) organizational change trends, and 3) factors that influence the type of employment program utilized by consumers with disabilities.

Read the full text JVR article (HTML, PDF)

Organizations often have difficulty determining which approach may be the most successful when shifting their services from facility-based to community-based. Some close their traditional sheltered workshops or day programs in one massive transformation. However, this radical approach can cause the most upheaval and negative reactions. As an alternative, some organizations have implemented a “one person at a time” approach to organizational change. An advantage to this approach is that the organization's board, staff, and parents are not threatened by sudden change. A disadvantage is the length of time that elapses before individuals with the most significant disabilities are offered access to community services. Read about this Approach to Organizational Change

.