Vocational Rehabilitation

A systematic review was conducted to review the effectiveness of workplace accommodation (WA) regarding employment, work ability, and cost-benefit among disabled people. There was moderate evidence that specific types of WA (vocational counselling and guidance, education and self-advocacy, help of others, changes in work schedules, work organization, and special transportation) promote employment among physically disabled persons and reduce costs.

The employment rate among persons with disabilities is less than half the rate among persons without disabilities. Broad innovations are needed to reduce this disparity.These authors examined employers' perspective related to: a) challenges they face when hiring people with disabilities, b) advantages (i.e. the business case) to employing people with disabilities, and c) their recommendations for innovations in both the public disability employment services systems and their own hiring practices

A growing emphasis on government accountability has increased interest in the collection and use of employment outcomes data. At the national level, data on employment for individuals with disabilities are available through multiple data collection systems. However, many systems are fragmented and only loosely coordinated across agencies. This article offers a qualitative, in-depth look at how employment data is collected and used within four state intellectual/developmental disability agencies.

Although Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits are an important support to many people with disabilities, modifications to programs are under consideration given current and projected governmental fiscal constraints. This article provides data about levels of safety net cross-participation among working age SSDI and SSI program participants and estimates how changes to disability benefit levels might influence their economic security.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has developed an online course which provide federal employees with basic information and resources to successfully hire, retain, and advance employees with disabilities. The course is available to agencies at no cost on HR University and the training should be considered required for human resources personnel and hiring managers.