About Supported Employment

What is Supported Employment?

Supported Employment is real work in an integrated setting with ongoing support provided by an agency with expertise in finding employment for people with disabilities.

What is Real Work?

Real work is work that would be done by a typical member of the workforce if it were not done by the worker with a disability. Supported employment placements are work, not 'vocational training,' 'work experience' or 'work preparation.'

Supported employees work for pay of at least minimum wage or the standard pay for that position.

What is an Integrated Work Setting?

A work setting where the proportion of disabled workers is roughly equivalent to the proportion of people with disabilities in the general population.

Note: Large work crews or 'enclaves,' where disabled people work together on one site, are excluded from this definition.

What is Ongoing Support?

Job-support services that are, theoretically, not time limited.

The service providing ongoing support should be committed to providing support for as long as the worker with a disability requires it in order to perform his or her work satisfactorily.