Research Projects

Each research strand contains between two and five research investigations. The content of each strand is summarized below.





Service Delivery Strategies contains five investigations 
that focus on the development and evaluation of service delivery strategies and 
interventions that will enhance the capacity of supported employment programs 
to meet the employment needs of those who could benefit from these services.




Unserved and Underserved Populations contains three 
investigations that determine effective methods through which to augment 
existing resources in order to increase the number and diversity of individuals 
with severe disabilities in supported employment programs.




Self-Determination and Consumer Satisfaction identifies 
additional strategies and interventions that will enhance the ability of local 
programs to effectively meet the needs of individual consumers.




Longitudinal Tracking/National Research Database addresses 
the need to develop and maintain a national database on supported employment, 
as well as to develop strategies to track individuals in supported employment 
programs longitudinally.  The strand focuses on the National Survey of Supported 
Employment Implementation as a mechanism for measuring the success of the 
federal/state vocational rehabilitation program.




Extended Services is an attempt to develop and evaluate 
strategies to leverage VR funds to attract additional resources from other 
sources for long-term support.




Costs and Benefits examines operational costs and consumer 
benefits of supported employment in relation to other rehabilitation services 
through three large studies.  Working with a network of local programs, the 
first study examines the cost of providing employment services to individuals 
with disabilities through different rehabilitation programs.  The final study 
examines the effect of consumer characteristics and service delivery models on 
costs and benefits.




Assessing Effectiveness studies are looking at the assessment 
of the effectiveness of supported employment programs, as well as involving 
individuals with severe disabilities and their families in evaluating supported 
employment outcomes.  The first study involves consumers and service providers 
from around the country in a process of identifying the emerging quality 
indicators of time-limited and extended services of supported employment.  The 
second study applies these indicators in a study of consumer monitoring and 
evaluation of supported employment programs.














Assistance Available to Education Agencies






School-Based Supported Employment:  Maximizing Community and
Workplace Supports
 




The RRTC is assisting local education agencies throughout the nation
in adopting, implementing, and evaluating a proven service delivery
model designed to provide supported employment job placements and
support services to adolescents with significant disabilities.  The
focus of the activities of the three year project, funded by the
United States Department of Education, Office of Special Education
Programs, includes developing individualized technical assistance
plans for each locality and providing various training and technical
assistance activities to address the needs identified in site's
technical assistance plans.




Supported employment assists persons with severe disabilities in
becoming successfully employed at competitive jobs in the community.
It is characterized by individualized support on and off the jobsite,
initial and ongoing employment services, and assistance from a skilled
employment specialist.  The employment specialist typically provides
support by:  identifying individuals' skills and interests
(consumer assessment), finding an individual a job (job
development), making the necessary pre-employment arrangements
(job placement), teaching the individual to perform the job (job
site training), and providing needed assistance for as long as the
individual is employed (ongoing follow-along services).
Supported employment has become widely recognized as the most
effective approach for achieving meaningful employment for individuals
with a variety of disability labels.




The supported employment model which is being replicated within each
school system has been extensively validated at the VCU-RRTC and in
other communities throughout the nation.  The model builds on earlier
supported employment approaches and emphasizes (1) student control in
the choice of their careers as well as the amount and type of support
they wish to receive, and (2) maximum use of employer, coworker,
community, and family (i.e. "natural") supports.  The model is
consistent with national efforts to enhance the self-determination and
increase the participation of youth with disabilities in the
transition planning process.




To facilitate the replication and implementation of the model,
individualized technical assistance plans are developed for
each participating site.  In each community, an implementation team
comprised of appropriate individuals and organizations guides the
overall implementation and evaluation of the project.  When the
replication site is located in a state which is a recipient of a
transition systems change grant, project staff and the replication
site implementation team work collaboratively with individuals
involved with the systems change project in developing the technical
assistance plan.  The use of local implementation teams, coupled with
the development of written, individualized technical assistance plans,
guarantees that each site will receive the amount and type of
technical assistance and support necessary to address the unique needs
of their specific community.




The project has designed and delivered a variety of training,
technical assistance, and support activities, customized to meet the
specific needs of each participating community.  Each site receives
on-site training and technical assistance in both the planning and
implementation of the model.  The types of training and technical
assistance offered by the project are briefly describe below.




On-Site Replication Workshops




The focal point of all replication activities will be intensive
on-site relocation workshops.  If deemed appropriate by the Local
Implementation Team, each site will receive a two day replication
workshop on specific topics identified by the Implementation Team
(e.g. communication with employers, involving community members in the
employment process, etc.) will be provided to each site four to six
months after the initiation of replication activities.  All members of
the Local Implementation Team and all relevant school personnel,
community representatives, and family members will be invited to
participate in the replication workshop.




On-Site Technical Assistance




Customized on-site technical assistance delivered by project staff
will enable each site to receive the individualized support and
assistance they will need.  A minimum of one day of on-site technical
assistance will accompany each replication workshop, to insure that
the information provided to the Implementation Team specifically
addresses local issues and needs.




Formal Replication Manual




The Natural Support Transition Project at VCU has developed a
formal replication manual, targeted to local communities interested in
replicating the school-based supported employment model.  The manual
is unique in that it is simultaneously designed for students and
families, as well as professionals such as employment specialists,
special education teachers, and other community members.  The
replication manual will form the basis of the training provided during
the on-site replication workshops. The guide will provide a
compilation of information in a "how to" format on utilizing community
and workplace supports in supported employment by:
	 
  1.  determining individual needs and preferences,
	     
  2.  brainstorming potential options,
	     
  3.  assessing job and community supports,
 	     
  4.  identifying individual choices,
	     
  5.  developing strategies for accessing supports,
	     
  6.  evaluating support effectiveness, and
	     
  7.  arranging for on-going monitoring.






Resource Materials




One of the major functions of the RRTC is to serve as a national
clearinghouse for supported employment information and resources.  To
this end, the Center has developed over 70 supported employment
training topics and compiled resources on a wide variety of subjects.
The types of resources provided to each outreach sites will be
determined by the needs identified in the technical assistance plan.
Examples of resource packets presently available included
self-advocacy training materials, natural supports, business linkages,
and staff development.




Satellite Teleconferencing




The information provided through on-site replication workshops and
technical assistance will be supplemented by satellite
teleconferences.  Each participating outreach site will have access
(at no charge to the project or the local community) to a minimum of
three telecasts per year focusing on various aspects of supported
employment implementation through the Supported Employment Telecourse
Network (SET NET) at VCU.  Topics identified for 1995 and 1996 of
immediate relevance to outreach sites include the use of natural
supports, person centered planning in supported employment, student
driven services and creative approaches to long-term support.




Computer Assisted Self-Instruction




Replication sites will be provided the opportunity to utilize the
computer assisted learning tools developed by the ESCAT project at the
RRTC.  ESCAT is a project funded by the Rehabilitation Services
Administration to design, develop and disseminate multi-media computer
assisted training products which enhance employment opportunities for
persons with disabilities.  Products are highly interactive and
incorporate video, animation, sound, and text.  Modules immediately
available to the replication sites include Career Planning,
Directing Your Own Career, and Job Development.




Conference Calls




Project staff will provide on-going support and communication with all
projects sites through telephone conference calls.  These contacts
will enable staff to continually update outreach sites on ideas and
available resources.  It also provides an opportunity to discuss any
problems they may be encountering and to identify any additional
support needs.




Expert Consultants




The project will also have a limited capability to utilize national
transition and supported employment experts to assist in providing
on-site consultation.  The consulting experts will respond to specific
consultation requests, based on needs identified in the Technical
Assistance Plans.




Follow-Along Support




While the bulk of technical assistance and support activities will be
delivered during the one year relocation period, substantial efforts
will be made to address the on-going technical assistance needs of all
participating replication sites throughout the course of the project.
Staff will be available by phone to take requests for information,
discuss implementation issues and share up-to-date information.




It is anticipated that an outcome of the training and technical
assistance provided by the VCU-RRTC, each participating school system
will have assigned staff within the school who will be responsible for
coordinating and implementing the school-based supported employment
model.  The employment specialist(s) will work in conjunction with the
student, his or her family, teacher, rehabilitation counselor, case
manager, and any other key persons in the student's life to promote
the successful transition from school to the post-school work and
community environments of his or her choice.



For additional information contact Darlene Unger, M.Ed. phone
(804)828-1852; e-mail dunger@atlas.vcu.edu



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