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Federal and state policy has paved the way to support opportunities for people with disabilities to have meaningful jobs in their communities (Kiernan, Hoff, Freeze, & Mank, 2011; National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, 2011). With an increasing emphasis on integrated employment and an Employment First philosophy, the nation is poised for transformation that could put Americans with disabilities on a path out of poverty and towards self-sufficiency.
However, there remains a significant gap in employment rates between people with and without disabilities. The 2012 American Community Survey (ACS) estimates that 32.5% of working-age adults with disabilities are employed, compared with 71.4% of people without disabilities (Butterworth et al., 2013). Labor force statistics for December 2013 estimate that 16.5% of individuals with disabilities ages 16 and older are employed, compared with 64.0% of those without disabilities (Bureau of Labor Statistics, January, 2014).
For people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), the disparity in employment participation widens further. Data from the National Core Indicators (NCI) Project suggest that in 2010, only 14.7% of working-age adults supported by state IDD agencies were employed in integrated employment (Human Services Research Institute, 2012). Community rehabilitation providers reported in 2010 that only 27% of individuals with IDD supported by their organization worked in integrated jobs, including both individual jobs and group supported employment (Domin & Butterworth, 2012). Those who are employed typically work limited hours with low wages (Boeltzig, Timmons, & Butterworth, 2008; Human Services Research Institute, 2012). At the same time, participation in facility-based and non-work services has grown, suggesting that employment services remain an add-on rather than a systemic change (Butterworth, Smith, Hall, Migliore, & Winsor, 2013; Mank, 2003; Domin & Butterworth, 2012).