Guides

School-To-Work Transition Guide
The result of a statewide, collaborative study group and developed through the Illinois Center for Transition and Work, the School-to-Work Transition Guide is designed to be a key resource for students, parents, educators, rehabilitation counselors and other adult service providers throughout Illinois.

Infographics

A Guide for Employment Specialists on Skills and Training
This infographic describes two different training options for employment specialists looking to build their skills.

Customized Employment at A Glance
This infographic is a tool to help employment service providers understand the essential steps of customized employment.

Transportation: Impact on Employment
This infographic details several strategies for employment service providers to consider when working with a client who experiences transportation as a barrier to work.

Information Briefs

An Overview of Social Security Benefits: Information for Agency and School Personnel
This information brief provides a quick overview of the types of benefits available to a person with a disability along with resources for learning how to work and keep disability benefits. 

Competitive Integrated Employment and Disclosure
This is a handout that can be provided to employment specialists on how to approach disability disclosure with job seekers. It describes the process of disclosing a disability to employers and includes tips on how, when, and why a person should disclose, and how an employment specialist can support the process.

Customized Employment Tool: Interviewing
This information brief provides an overview of how to interview job seekers and relevant other people in order to gain useful information during customized employment.

Plain Language Summaries

A Scoping Review of the Competencies and Training of Employment Specialists Supporting Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
This plain language summary details the findings from a review of the scientific literature about the professional training employment specialists receive to do their job effectively. It outlines the background, purpose and results of the study.

State-Level Analysis of Subminimum Wage Use for Individuals with Disabilities in the United States: Implications for Policy and Practice
This plain language summary outlines findings from a nationwide study looking at the current prevalence of subminimum wage use through 14c certificates. It outlines the background, purpose and results of the study.

The Essential Elements of Customized Employment: Results from a National Survey of Employment Providers
This plain language summary describes the findings from a national survey of service providers who use customized employment to help individuals with disabilities become employed. This summary describes service provider’s knowledge and thoughts about implementing customized employment. It also outlines the background, purpose and results of the study.

The Impact of Competitive Integrated Employment on Economic, Psychological and Physical Health Outcomes for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
This plain language summary is a basic description of the findings from an empirical research study that examined the benefits of paid community employment for persons with disabilities. It outlines the background, purpose and results of the study.

Use of Customized Employment in State Vocational Rehabilitation Programs: A Retrospective Study 2017–2020
This plain language summary describes the findings from a research study looking at the effectiveness of customized employment. It outlines the background, purpose and results of the study.

Q & As

Collaboration and Funding as Tools to Promote a Job-Seeker Responsive Employment Process
This fact sheet discusses the concept of a job seeker responsive employment process and outlines supportive funding approaches that promote this concept.

Video Briefs

The Benefits of Internships for Employers
This is a short video for employers on the advantages of hosting an internship for people with disabilities. This video will also discuss tips for hosting an internship and review what to expect from collaborating service providers while running an internship for people with disabilities.

Webinars

Q & A on Customized and Supported Employment
Dr. Paul Wehman discusses the key differences between supported employment and customized employment. He provides a brief historical background on each of these employment interventions and then describes the existing empirical evidence for supported and customized employment.

The Intersection of Culture, Race, Ethnicity, and Disability in Employment
Dr. Carol Schall discusses the impact that an individual’s cultural experiences and perspectives may have at work. She offers tips and strategies to employment service providers when working with diverse populations who have disabilities. She also demonstrates ways to incorporate culturally responsive feedback into a discussion about workplace expectations that respect culture and establish high expectations.