Quality Indicator #3: Level and Nature of Supports

Supported employment is perhaps best characterized as employment with supports. Key to the career success of people with significant disabilities is the unique arrangements of the necessary supports that will assist each customer of supported employment in obtaining and maintaining competitive employment (Brooke, Inge, Armstrong & Wehman, 1997). Detailed job analysis, identification and use of community and workplace supports, systematic instruction, compensatory strategies, orientation training, and workplace accommodations have always been the cornerstones of a well-developed plan of support (Inge, 1997; Parent, Wehman & Bricout, 2001).

The term natural supports was first noted in federal policy with the 1992 Rehabilitation Act Amendments (P.L.102-569) that included "natural supports" as a possible source of ongoing (Sec. 7.33.C. vii) and extended services (Sec. 635, 6.C. vii).Yet, quality supported employment service providers must move beyond the language provided in federal policy and attempt to provide the exact type and intensity of support across all aspects of their services. For example, an employment specialist would not want to provide any more or less support than what was actually necessary to assist the supported employment customer in obtaining, learning, or maintaining employment.

Supported employment providers, in consultation with their customers, would always approach a task discussing the least intrusive approach and only move to a more intrusive level of support if that was the desire of the customer and was needed to achieve the desired outcome. As discussed in Quality Indicator #2, the supported employment customer must be in control of selecting his/her own supports. The following quality indicators can be used to assess a programs ability to provide the appropriate level and nature of support to achieve the desired employment outcome:

Do customers assist in selecting the support option?

Does the program advocate moving from a least intrusive level of support to a more intrusive support option based upon customer need?

Does the program have staff skilled at identifying possible workplace support options?

Are program staff members skilled at matching support options to the learning style of their customers?

Does the program have staff skilled at interviewing employers and coworkers to gage their interest and willingness to provide supports?

Are staff members sufficiently skilled to predict which support option will result in the greatest level of independence for the customer?

Does program staff begin thinking about fading supports from the first day employment?

Identifying, selecting and facilitating supports that promote independence and employment stability is a complex task with multiple factors that must be considered. Working with the supported employment customer, the employment specialist must be skilled at analyzing data results along with supervisor and coworkers comments to determine the exact nature and level of intensity of support that will best match the employment situation. When this process is done correctly supported employment customers are assured a high quality supported employment service.