Quality Indicators 2

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Quality Indicators for Supported Employment Programs

The goal of supported employment programs is to assist people with the most significant disabilities be successful in paid employment in the integrated work setting of their choice. However, what exactly is the functional meaning of the term paid employment in an integrated setting? Current federal regulations, issued by the Rehabilitation Services Administration to govern the national Vocational Rehabilitation Program, define integrated setting as being a setting typically found in the community where individuals with a disability interact with non-disabled individuals, other than non-disabled individuals who are providing services to the individuals with a disability, to the same extent that non-disabled individuals in comparable positions interact with other persons (Federal Register, January 17, 2001).

The general wording in this regulation of the terms "setting typically found in the community" and "interact with non-disabled individuals to the same extent as non-disabled persons in comparable positions" allows for various interpretations on what actually constitutes paid employment in an integrated setting. Therefore, jobs can be considered competitive employment where the singular measure of integration being applied is the presence of co-workers who are not disabled without consideration of other key measures of settings typically found in the community. As a result, Vocational Rehabilitation and other supported employment funding agencies, providers of employment services, and individuals with disabilities served by supported employment programs are uncertain over just what is meant by an outcome to supported employment services generally characterized as paid employment in an integrated work settings. It is clear that the uncertainty surrounding both the regulatory meaning and community level application of the term paid employment in an integrated setting severely compromises the usefulness of general references to "paid employment" and "an integrated setting" as measures of the quality of an employment outcome. Clearly defined, carefully described core indicators of the quality of supported employment programs are needed. The next table contains 10 quality indicators that can serve as effective measure of the quality of a supported employment program.

Quality Indicator	Example Functional Measures for Indicator
Meaningful Competitive Employmet in Integrated Work Settings	Employee with a disability is hired, supervised, and paid directly by business where job setting is located; receives wages/benefits commensurate with non-disabled co-workers.
Informed Choice, Control, and Satisfaction	Employee selects own service provider and job coach; selects job and work conditions; is satisfied with job and supports.
Level and Nature of Supports	Program is skilled in identifying workplace support options and developing workplace support options.
Employment of Individuals with Truly Significant Disabilities	Program is serving individuals whose intermittent competitive work history, disability profile, functional capabilities, and other barriers to employment are truly reflective of people who need ongoing workplace supports to retain employment.
Amount of Hours Worked Weekly	Program is achieving employment outcomes at 30 or more hours per week consistently. Individuals receiving support are satisfied with their hours of competitive employment.
Number of Persons from Program Working Regularly	Program currently has a majority of its participants working in competitive employment. Individuals receiving support are satisfied with their program of services.
Well Coordinated Job Retention System	Program maintains regular contact with its employed customers to monitor job stability and can respond effectively to both planned and unplanned job retention support needs. Program, replaces individuals who do not retain employment.
Employment Outcome Monitoring and Tracking System	Program maintains an information system that provides information readily to its customers on employment status, longevity, wages, benefits, hours of employment, and jobs.
Maximizing Integration and Community Participation	Employees with a disability work in jobs where the work environment facilitates physical and social interaction with co-workers. Employees are satisfied with the quality of their work and community integration.
Employer Satisfaction	Program viewed as an employment service agency rather than a human service provider. Employers are seen as a customer of the service, and the program designs policy and procedure that are responsive to the business community

These 10 indicators address quality of a supported employment program from a variety of critical perspectives. The first perspective is the point of view of individuals with a disability who turn to a supported employment program for support in getting and retaining a job. Do individuals served by the supported employment program consistently achieve truly meaningful job outcomes? Who selects these jobs and do these employment opportunities reflect informed customer choice and control? The indicators must also reflect the perspective of employers. Are employers satisfied with the work produced by the individuals in supported employment and the quality of the ongoing support services received from the supported employment program? The indicators must be responsive to the agencies funding the supported employment program. Does the provider have a well coordinated job retention support system in place and does the program's management information system accurately track and monitor employment outcomes? Finally, the combined set of indicators must serve as a means for self-assessment by the supported employment program itself to help identify areas of strength that can be used in marketing and areas that need priority attention for improvement.

In the discussion that follows, each of the 10 indicators recommended in the above table is described in terms of its importance as a quality measure for a supported employment program. Probe questions are also provided that define the key features of each indicator.