This paper reviews the literature concerned with vocational placement and rehabilitation for individuals with severe mental disorders (SMD), and offers recommendations for rehabilitation counselors. It notes that about 85 percent of this population is unemployed, and the rate of job placement for people with SMD is about half that of other people…

Developed a 15-item fidelity scale to assess the extent to which vocational programs for people with severe mental illness followed the Individual Placement and Support model of supported employment. Results indicate that interrater reliability and internal consistency were adequate. Should help differentiate programs following a specific model…

A study of 98 Iowa businesses found significantly more positive perceptions of supported employment by employers who had hired supported employees than those who had not. Large businesses were found to have more positive perceptions than small businesses. Extra training/supervision demands and lack of skills were cited as concerns. (Author/CR)

This study examined effects of person-centered planning on career choice and employment outcomes attained by 83 supported employees. High and moderate levels of match between career preferences and current employment were attained by 83%; wages and length of employment did not correlate to match. A focus group of service providers identified a…

The study attempted to identify activities performed by 47 job developers that positively or negatively influenced job placement. Variance in job placement was influenced by marketing activities, available job development time, use of specific client assessment procedures, frequency of use of trial job placements, and gender of the job developers.…

A survey administered to 212 co-workers of supported employees with mental retardation found that the co-workers' attitudes concerning supported employees' competence were not significantly affected by contact in the workplace or by the level of mental retardation. The majority of contacts between nondisabled and supported employees concentrated…

This article describes a picture/symbol form for use by students with moderate and severe mental retardation to record their performance at community-based instructional sites. The form was used in a hotel to teach 13 housekeeping tasks to 120 students. The student records completion and level of independence (self, group instruction, or aided by…

Interviews with 84 employers in 6 occupational clusters resulted in identification of the following top incentives to hiring a person with mental retardation: probability of regular attendance, ongoing availability of assistance, high probability of long-term employment, and availability of person for on-site training. The two lowest incentives…

A 2-part survey of 24 mentally retarded individuals from supported and competitive employment programs across New South Wales, Australia, found that parents and families play a significant role as advocates/benefactors in subjects' lives and that such support was correlated to lower support needs and better work performance at the job site.…

This paper reports results of a qualitative study of the workplace experiences of eight young adults with developmental disabilities. Four characteristics of supportive workplaces were identified: (1) multiple context relationships; (2) specific social opportunities; (3) a personal and team-building management style; and (4) interdependent job…

A survey of 109 high school transition programs and 55 adult supported employment programs found that of 7,553 job placements for youth and adults with disabilities, the most frequent category was in food and beverage preparation services. Emerging markets for job placements included tourism and casino jobs. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

A case-study approach illustrates how three survivors of severe traumatic brain injury were able to gain and maintain employment with the assistance of a supported employment program. Emphasis is on types of accommodations, including design and implementation of compensatory strategies. The steps to enhance use of compensatory strategies on the…

This study investigated the use of "natural supports" in the workplace in tandem with supported employment services for employees with severe disabilities. Analysis of data from 462 people in eight states on how "typical" the individual's employment setting was found that incorporating "typical" employment features in workplaces was associated…

This study first classified empirical measures that have been used to assess the social integration of employees with disabilities. It then aggregated findings describing social interaction patterns in employment. Ten categories of measures of social interaction were identified and occurrence of social interaction was found to vary by…

Two hundred adults with mild mental retardation were assessed on overall job satisfaction and self-esteem. Subjects worked either in a sheltered workshop or a supported employment setting. Subjects who worked in supported employment reported significantly higher levels of job satisfaction and self-esteem. Subjects living in semi-independent…