Supported Employment

The GVRA’s supported employment is designed for individuals with significant disabilities for whom considerable assistance along with extended follow-up is needed to maintain a specific type of career.

The GVRA operates three types of Supported Employment (SE) programs:

  1. Traditional SE is for anyone who qualifies for VR services and needs intensive job coaching and ongoing support in a traditional job setting. 
  2. Customized SE refers to competitive integrated employment (CIE)* for anyone with a significant disability who has undergone an assessment of strengths, needs, and interests. It is negotiated to match the abilities of the individual to the needs of the employer and is made possible with flexible strategies for success. 
  3. IPS SE is a best-practices approach for people with significant mental illness. The IPS module assumes that everyone can work with the right support. There are no prerequisites such as work adjustment, pre-vocational, evaluations, etc., for IPS SE.  

GVRA partners with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities when using the IPS model and when using Traditional or Customized SE for the developmentally disabled population.   

* According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, competitive integrated employment (CIE) means:

  • Working in the community alongside other employees without disabilities.
  • Earning at least minimum wage.
  • Getting the same workplace benefits and opportunities as other employees doing the same job.

Ongoing supports include

  • periodic job coaching on/off site,
  • regular observation or supervision of the individual,
  • and contact with family, advocacy groups, or other suitable professional or stakeholder entities to reinforce and stabilize the job placement.

It further includes identification and facilitation of natural supports at the worksite, assistive technology when needed, and other support as needed to ensure job retention.  

 

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