Organizational variables, including policies, practices, collaborations, and funding mechanisms resulting in high performance in integrated employment, were described through case study research in 3 states. Findings address how contextual factors, system-level strategies, and goals of the system are related as well as how they sustain systems change. Strategies such as flexibility in funding and practices; communication of values through data, rewards, and funding incentives; and innovation diffusion through relationships and training were most successful when they were embedded within the context of a solid values base, a network of dedicated stakeholders, and clarity about systemic goals. Implications are presented with respect to state systems, community rehabilitation providers as partners in planning, and future leadership in the field.

Findings from an analysis of the characteristics and services of community rehabilitation providers (CRPs) in the early years of the 21st century are presented. Services provided by CRPs can be categorized along two dimensions: purpose (work, nonwork) and setting (facility-based, community). The number of individuals with disabilities present provides a third perspective for analysis. The majority of CRPs provided both work and nonwork services, and the majority of those that provide employment services offered both integrated and facility-based employment. Individuals with developmental disabilities were most likely to be supported in facility-based work (41%), followed by nonwork services (33%), and integrated employment (26%). Despite some changes in CRP characteristics, the goal of community membership has not yet been widely achieved.

This article examines provision of postsecondary education services by the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) system to eligible individuals with disabilities nationwide. The results of a secondary analysis of elements of the RSA-911 database from the Rehabilitation Services Administration in FY 1997 are discussed. The extent to which individuals within the VR system receive postsecondary education services is compared to the rate of individuals with and without disabilities participating in postsecondary education in the general population. An association between receipt of postsecondary services and VR outcomes is examined. Findings show that receiving postsecondary education services has little effect on the rate of successful closures in the VR system. Individuals receiving postsecondary education services from VR do show higher rates of competitive employment and improved employment outcomes including higher earnings and greater number of hours worked per week. Differences in receipt of postsecondary education services by disability type and the policy implications are discussed.

Survey data from a national, random sample of643 service providers were analyzed to examine past, current, and future utilization of integrated and segregated day and employment services. The percentage ofpersons in integrated employment increased to 30% in 1991,from a total of17% documented during 1986. However, the average number of persons served in segregated, facility-based work programs has also increased since 1986, and half the respondents (N = 643) either planned to start new facility-based programs, maintain the current service capacity, or increase the number served by 1997. Implications of a dual system of integrated versus segregated services and potential incentives for stimulating conversion of facility-based services are discussed.DESCRIPTORS: day program, employment, public policy, sheltered workshops, supported employment During the 1980s,the philosophical underpinnings of community-based day and employment services for individuals with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities shifted from sanctioning facilitybased services to a preferred endorsement of integrated, supported employment (Kiernan, McGaughey, & Schalock, 1988). The advantages of integrated employment over segregated day and employment programs for persons with disabilities, families, employers, and society at large have been well documented, including higher wages and their accompanying tax contributions, social interaction with persons who do not have disabilities, and expanded opportunities for career choice