Vocational Rehabilitation with Mental Disabilities - Term Paper Example

 «Transitioning Adults with Disabilities into Employment» Introduction Persons with disabilities (PWD) and lifelong learning issues are faced with complex and substantial barriers in the area of employment. The seriousness of the situation is evident from the statistics revealing that persons with significant disabilities have an unemployment rate of 70%. This fact completely contradicts the goal of full participation among persons with disabilities as promoted by “the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Healthy People 2010), persons with disabilities, rehabilitation psychologists and others” (Hagglund, 2006: 141). Overcoming the barriers to employment for persons with disabilities is enabled with positive developments to help them enter or re-enter the workforce. Thesis statement: The purpose of this paper is to discuss the transitioning of adults with disabilities into employment with the help of policy changes and interventions that target employers, communities and policy makers as well as the disabled individuals. Discussion Adults with disabilities comprise 7% to 10% of the total worldwide population, and disability is a predominant cause of poverty. Besides being poor, individuals with disabilities are the victims of prejudice, discrimination and social isolation. In order to support the full participation of disabled people in the labour force and in society at large, some countries have well established laws and policies. These include high degrees of “consultation, monitoring, evaluation, and data gathering mechanisms” (Roggero et al, 2006: 645). Since implementation faces barriers of various kinds, adults with disabilities remain under-represented in training and employment opportunities (Roggero et al, 2006). The barriers against providing employment to persons with disabilities exist in several spheres including laws and regulations such as income limits for Medicaid eligibility. The physical and environmental impediments are widely spread and easily discernible, such as lack of appropriate transportation facilities, specialized infrastructure to enable commuting, and inaccessible buildings preventing independent access to businesses and work places. Employer-related barriers are less obvious or recognizable, but exist in various forms from unwillingness to make changes for accommodating persons with disabilities to outright discrimination. Personal obstacles faced by the disabled include depression, fatigue, and functional limitations; although these do not form the primary barrier to work (Hagglund, 2006). The main goal of vocational rehabilitation services is to provide individuals with disabilities with opportunities “to successfully obtain and maintain competitive employment in a field of interest, in order to support increased autonomy and full participation in society” (Hagglund, 2006: 179). The rehabilitation process has undergone radical changes over the past fifteen years. Legislation and Public Policy Taking into consideration the obstacles to employment for adults with disabilities, various measures have been devised for transitioning adults with disabilities into employment through United States employment and disability policy. These include policy changes through various legislations. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Public Law 93-112): as amended, in which changes have included legislation-based policy that takes best practice into consideration, consumer choice and appropriate approaches and interventions aimed at successful outcomes. Another significant legislation is: Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Further, Social Security Administration policies have established the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 that address benefits and employment. The Ticket to Work program attempts to eliminate systems barriers that may prove as disincentive to affected individuals from seeking employment (Hagglund, 2006). From the year 2002, the federal Rehabilitation Services Administration no longer considers sheltered employment as provision of successful employment. There is now a greater focus on community-based competitive employment outcomes, especially for individuals with higher degrees of disabilities. The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 restructures the employment service system to an integrated service model, and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2002 also supports transitioning of disabled adults into employment (Hagglund, 2006). These major laws on employment and disability have extensive public policy implications. They take into account civil rights protection including non-discrimination and provision of equal access, employment service delivery systems, incentives to employment, health care access, employer accommodations and adjustments for providing suitable jobs and working conditions for persons with disabilities (Hagglund, 2006). Responsible implementation of legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 have a positive impact on the employment of persons with disabilities. They include the use of economic modeling and thorough understanding of the strengths and limitations of each of the national data sets. These help to capture longitudinal employment trends and differences among various states for specific populations of people with disabilities. Due to the changing economy, there is more focused tracking of policies’ effects on persons with disabilities, and the “interplay between employment and disability” (Hagglund, 2006: 166. Adults with Learning Disabilities: Transitioning into Employment In order to receive the benefits of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, 1990), it is essential that adults with learning disabilities (LD) should self-disclose information about their handicap to their employer. This is necessary to request for specific accommodations or adaptations in the workplace for their efficient functioning. Self-disclosure is a very personal and complex decision, which takes into consideration several factors: to what extent the disability will affect job performance and whether the cost of asking for help against not asking for help was worth the disclosure. This is because, asking for accommodations would mean admitting or acknowledging the existence of the disability. Since LD is a hidden disability, there would also be a possibility of stigmatization that could be avoided by not disclosing. Disclosing may thus prove to be harmful for the person with a disability, since the individual may become suspect of inefficiency, and future interactions would also be affected. Damaging their public image is avoided by persons with LD, and they may not request even desperately needed help. The culture of the company determines to what extent the public image of the individual is lost, whether the person’s work alone is judged or he/ she loses the trust of the authorities at the workplace, or even affects him to the extent of losing his job (Madaus, 2008). A study was conducted by Seo et al (2008) on the long-term effects of learning disabilities (LD) at age ten. Confidential self-report data were collected in a prospective, longitudinal panel study from a sample of 571 students, of whom 60 (that is 10.5% of the total number) were children with learning disabilities. After controlling for gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, the results obtained showed that the highest post-secondary school attainment for young adults with LD was not significantly different from that of their peers without LD, both at age 21 and age 24, which were the chronological points considered in the research study. It is important to note that the rate of employment and amount of earned income of young adults with LD were not significantly lower than those of their peers without LD both at age 21 and age 24. Similarly, no significant differences were found between young adults with and without LD with respect to having children. Further, in committing crimes or in feeling victimized there were no remarkable differences between young adults with and without LD at age 21 and age 24. In another research study, five hundred graduates with learning disabilities (LD) from three Universities in the United States participated in a survey related to their post-school employment outcomes and experiences. The research undertaken by Madaus (2008) has produced evidence regarding their decisions on disclosure of LD in employment settings. Out of 73% of the respondents who reported that learning disabilities affected their job in some way, only 55% reported self-disclosing, and only 12% reported requesting accommodation. Concerns and fears about job security appear to impede self-disclosure. It is important for the adult with disability to be aware of the particular areas of work affected by LD, the effective strategies to overcome the setback caused by LD at the workplace, and the ways in which he/ she can use the Americans with Disabilities Act for procuring the essential accommodations from the employer, once the decision to self-disclose the disability is taken. It is important that these realities are accurately understood by the persons with disabilities, to form a strong foundation for adult working life. The experiences of young adults with moderate learning disabilities transitioning into employment were studied. Their experiences were compared with those of other vulnerable young people as well as non-disabled youth. Evidence from the research study indicates that nondisabled youth experience extended transitions with events that signify adult status occurring well into their twenties. For nondisabled youth there is increasing emphasis on individual action, extended transition, less rigid sequence of transition events and a less settled life-style. Contrastingly, vulnerable youth transitions are often, out of necessity, rushed, with young people having to take on responsibility for which they are not yet old enough. The results of the study reveal that for young people with moderate learning disabilities the experiences of transition into employment resemble those of other vulnerable youth as compared to the non-disabled population. However, it is essential that young people with moderate learning disabilities should be allowed the same period of extended transition as the non-disabled youth and also the same variety of choice within that extended period (Caton & Kagan, 2007). Vocational Rehabilitation Labor markets are in constant flux due to rapid globalization and technological change, hence the situation continues to be unsatisfactory, although there are some examples of people with disabilities mainstreamed in the labour market. There is a need for new approaches to be formulated and implemented. Based on this, the World Bank Human Development Network and the World Bank Institute, through e-discussions, explored the challenges of using good job practices for mainstreaming adults with disabilities and helping them to be a part of the new global economy. The results of the e-discussion reveal that the to resolve the issue, the main goal should be to empower disabled youth and involve them more in developing employment and creating jobs. Disabled youth themselves would be in the best position to analyse supply and demand and devise solutions to the challenges if they were given greater control of resources to achieve these targets (Roggero et al, 2006). Further, it was essential that institutions should include the special needs of disabled people in their orientation programs. Good practices in vocational training from Asia and Pacific area can be included, since they are innovative programs for skills training and employment, devised and implemented by “governments, non-governmental organisations, international agencies and people with disabilities” (Roggero et al, 2006: 649) to meet the challenges confronted by people with disabilities in obtaining skills training and employment. These programs are useful models which can be partially or completely replicated and used. Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach, and Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security programmes are some examples of good practice. They have two main benefits to offer youth with disabilities, their parents and others who work with them: education about a wide variety of benefits and benefit planning, and legal rights that can help overcome barriers to work (Sheldon & Golden, 2005). Research studies (Brewer, 2005) indicate that those youth and their families who work collaboratively and cooperate with educators, local agency personnel and businesses are more likely to be employed as adults. Internship programs may prove to be one of the most effective ways of helping disabled youth seeking employment. They can be implemented as a part of the already existing internship programs run by most colleges and universities. Mentoring and university programs can be most effective. It is crucial to plan and include orientation programs that are based on disability issues, and advise disabled students on a beneficial course of study. Such programs are feasible and do not incur expenditure. For integrating disabled people into the mainstream, governmental policies such as quota systems and social protection programs are highly beneficial. However, they should be undertaken under close monitoring and supervision to have effective outcomes. Further, these policies should be careful not to overreach, that is, disabled people should be given employment on the basis of merit and not because of their disability. Emphasis on skills building through social protection schemes would be most effective in protecting disabled people’s rights. Also, adaptations such as greater flexibility in the workplace and the promotion of micro finance support the disabled adult’s skills building and financial independence (Roggero et al, 2006). Adults with Mental Disabilities: Support Services In the high-performance world of employment, it is difficult for individuals with cognitive difficulties to function optimally without appropriate workplace accommodation. This is a reality especially for individuals with more significant disabilities. However, in this Case Study of Nancy Henn by her parents Joe and Marilyn Henn, Nancy, a 31-year-old, nonverbal person in the bottom 10% of persons affected by autism, was able to increasingly function better at her workplace, and could steadily improve her skill-sets. She lives independently with three room-mates of different abilities. With assistance from an adult service provider who provides behavior support at work and residential support at home, she is able to continue working efficiently, while learning to control her disruptive behavior (Henn & Henn, 2005). Home-based support services program: A facility such as the Illinois Home Based Support Services Program provides the adult with disabilities living at home with their families, a budget of approximately US $1656 per month. Service facilitators employed by the government help families to develop service plans and coordinate payments for services approved by the state such as “respite, personal assistance, home modifications, assistive technology, employment services, social/ recreational services, therapies and transportation” (Caldwell, 2007: 551). Through this program, the state shares the responsibility of the family towards adults with disabilities, providing assistance including transitioning into employment. Since the program provides flexibililty for hiring individuals, in most families a family member is receiving payment for working as service facilitator for the disabled adult. The benefits of the program for the family of the disabled individual are: financial benefits, respite and personal assistance services and the prevention of institutional placement of the affected family member. Such consumer-directed models of personal assistance and long-term services have developd because of the independent living movement within the United States of America and other countries. According to Askheim (2005), a comparison of models within the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Sweden and Norway, indicate additional factors that ultimately influence social justice. As compared to the social democratic regimes that exist in the Nordic countries, the United States of America and other liberal welfare states have historically adopted more regulatory policies such as anti-discrimination policies. The Best Buddies Jobs program: Two programs that are designed to increase social and employment opportunities for individuals with mental retardation are : Best Buddies Jobs and Best Buddies College. Competitive employment outcomes have been reported for two Best Buddies Jobs projects in Miami and Los Angeles. Best Buddies Jobs is a quality program which confers good wages, benefits, long-term retention, and employer’s as well as the disabled person’s satisfaction. It is a program for integration of people with developmental disabilities into the community through supported employment. By providing ongoing support and training, dults with disabilities are helped to locate and maintain jobs of their own choice. The focus has been on developing competitive, integrated jobs which help an individual to earn an income, pay taxes, and work in a community environment alongside others (West et al, 2005). Customized employment: This support service helped to serve individuals with disabilities as well as those who do not have disabilities but are affected by unique circumstances. Customized employment is defined as individualizing the employment relationship between employees and employers by methods that meet the required goals of both. This service is based on an individualized determination of the strengths, needs, interests and concerns of an adult with disability; and is also designed to meet the specific needs of the employer. It may include employment provided through job carving, self-empoyment, or entrepreneurial initiatives, or other job creation or restructuring strategy that result in job responsibilities being customized. The individually fitted and negotiated job suits the needs of the disabled person (Inge, 2006). The best practices for supported employment include: disabled person’s choice, person-centered planning, self-determination, job negotiations and employment proposals, career versus just a job, and workplace supports. The core values of supported employment are: each individual is presumed to have the ability to have a job; employment within the local labour market within the community businesses; self-determination and control; commensurate wages and benefits; and emphasis on strengths and abilities rather than on disabilities (Inge, 2006). . Conclusion This paper has highlighted the various aspects of transitioning adults with disabilities into employment. These include the legislation and public policies to counter the obstacles faced by adults with disabilities; research studies on adults with learning disabilities and transitioning them into employment; the benefits and methods of vocational rehabilitation, various support services and workplace accommodation provided to adults with mental disabilities, and the value of home-based support services program for overall benefits including the transitioning of adult with disability into employment by empowerment, care and guidance. Creating jobs for disabled youth is not an easy undertaking. Each country needs to address the integration and mainstreaming of disabled youth in its own way, taking into consideration its own cultural, legal, economic and social environments. Effective interventions that incorporate best practices and avoid errors from the past, are required. Measures should be formulated that implement a set of converging coordinated interventions with a multi-dimensional approach. The families of disabled youth should be included, creating in them an awareness of the individual’s skills, talents and potentialities, and promoting behaviors to support those potentialities and reduce barriers. The toughest barrier to full inclusion is often stigma, hence the disabled need empowerment, high motivation and participation in policies and services targeted at them, to achieve inclusion in employment (Roggero et al, 2006). Thus, it is clear that the participation of disabled persons at all stages, combined with an integrated approach works most successfully in transitioning them into employment. References Askheim, O.P. (2005). Personal assistance: direct payments or alternative public service. Does it matter for the promotion of user control? Disability & Society, 20(3), 247-260. Brewer, D. (2005). Working my way through high school: the impact of paid employment on transitioning students with disabilities. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Caldwell, J. (2007). Experiences of families with relatives with intellectual and developmental disabilities in a consumer-directed support program. Disability & Society, 22(6), 549-562. Caton, S. & Kagan, C. (2007). Comparing transition expectations of young people with moderate learning disabilities with other vulnerable youth and with their non-disabled counterparts. Disability & Society, 22(5), 473-488. Hagglund, K.J. (2006). Handbook of applied disability and rehabilitation research. New York: Springer Publishing Company. Henn, J. & Henn, M. (2005). Defying the odds: you can’t put a square peg in a round hole no matter how hard you try. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 22, 129-130. Inge, K.J. (2006). Customized employment: a growing strategy for facilitating inclusive employment. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 24, 191-193. Madaus, J.W. (2008). Employment self-disclosure rates and rationales of University graduates with learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 41(4), 291-299. Roggero, P., Tarricone, R., Nicoli, M. & Mangiaterra, V. (2006). What do people think about disabled youth and employment in developed and developing countries? Results from an e- discussion hosted by the World Bank. Disability & Society, 21(6), 645-650. Seo, Y., Abbott, R.D. & Hawkins, J.D. (2008). Outcome status of students with learning disabilities at ages 21 and 24. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 41(4), 300-314. Sheldon, J.R. & Golden, T.P. (2005). Policy and practice brief: conducting outreach to transition-aged youth; strategies for reaching out to youth with disabilities, their families and agencies that serve them. Retrieved on 30th January, 2009 from: http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi/publications/PPBriefs/PP_25.pdf West, M.D., Wehman, P.B. & Wehman, P. (2005). Competitive employment outcomes for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities: The national impact of the Best Buddies Jobs Program. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 23, 51-63. Read More