Supported employment in the international context: An analysis of processes and outcomes.

Increasingly, supported employment is an available alternative for people with disabilities all over the world. However, there remains a great deal more segregated and non-inclusive employment than inclusive jobs for people with significant disabilities. In European countries, there is a lack of legislation at a national level, unlike the United States. Ongoing research on the benefits derived from supported employment show that people with disabilities realize better economic and social benefits than in non-integrated work settings. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationships between supports and outcomes in supported employment in an international context. 448 participants (aged 18--40+ years) from Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom were included in this study. Data was obtained from an instrument developed by Mank et al. [26,27,28] which included demographic, disability, and employment information. Results provide evidence that (1) less natural support strategies during the entry process correspond to less typical job outcomes, (2) more typical interventions during the job development correspond to better social, economical, and performance outcomes, and (3) economical, social, and performance outcomes are strongly related. The authors stress the need for developing supportive work environments, where natural agents provide supports, in order to obtain quality outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]