Consumer Choice and Empowerment in Supported Employment Services: Issues and Strategies

Abstract

This article examines consumer empowerment issues in supported employment services. First, it describes in general terms how service consumers can be given more control over supported employment services and, by extension, their work experiences. Then, consumer empowerment issues are examined from various aspects of service delivery (e.g., choice of occupation, preferences for training methods) and various types of problems that consumers typically encounter. Illustrative case examples are provided that show the effects of choice on individuals' satisfaction with employment and general well-being.

If work makes people with mental illness sick, what do unemployment, poverty, and social isolation cause?

“…There is often a presumption that good planning naturally leads to actions in service to those plans. This seemingly logical progression of events is not the norm in planning whether viewing the lives of people with disabilities (Ferlenger, 1995, West & Parent, 1992 or those without disabilities (Hagner & Marrone, 1995, Hahn, 1991, Jenkinson, 1993. People who have not partaken of early educational and vocational experiences or whose communication skills are impaired often are "novice decision-makers" (Biersdorff, 1995) vis-a-vis life planning.…”

Transition Planning for Students with Significant Disabilities

“…102-596) emphasize that students with disabilities should be actively involved in planning their transition from school to work and directing their own careers. The importance placed on self-determination and self-advocacy in the literature on transition for students with severe disabilities (Guess, Benson, & Siegel-Causey, 1985;Wehmeyer, 1992;West & Parent, 1992) reflects the underlying belief that the acquisition of such skills and attitudes promotes more successful postschool outcomes and improved quality of life (Brown & Gothelf, 1996). However, most of the research in this area has focused on students with mild and moderate disabilities.…”

The Development of Self‐Determination and Implications for Educational Interventions with Students with Disabilities

“…Perhaps more emphasis has been placed on this component element as critical to a positive quality of life for people with disabilities than most of the other elements combined, particularly for individuals with significant disabilities. There have been training programs developed to teach choice-making and increase choice-making behaviours (Gothelf, Crimmins, Mercer & Finocchiaro, 1994;Parsons, McCarn & Reid, 1993;Reid, Parsons & Green, 1991;Warren, 1993), efforts to increase the diversity of choices for people with disabilities (Brown, Belz, Corsi & Wenig, 1993), discussions about the importance to people with disabilities of making choices (Ficker-Terrill & Rowitz, 1991;Guess, Benson & Siegel-Causey, 1985;Shevin & Klein, 1984;West & Parent, 1992), procedures developed to assess individual preferences and choices (Mithaug & Hanawalt, 1978;Stancliffe, 1995), and research efforts to determine the degree to which people with disabilities express choices and preferences (Houghton, Bronicki & Guess, 1987;Kishi, Teelucksingh, Zollers, Park-Lee & Meyer, 1988;Stancliffe & Wehmeyer, 1995;Wehmeyer & Metzler, 1995). Guess and colleagues (1985) proposed three levels of choice-making: (a) choice as indicating preferences, (b) choice as a decision-making process, and (c) choice as an expression of autonomy and dignity.…”