What Do Employment Specialists Really Do? A Study on Job Development Practices

This study examined the extent to which employment specialists implemented the job development practices rec-ommended in the research literature when assisting job seekers with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Self-reported data were collected through a Web-based survey from 163 employment specialists from 74 employment pro-grams in 28 states. Questions focused on the following four clusters of activities: getting to know job seekers, finding job openings, engaging employers to hire, and facilitating transition to a job. Findings showed that some employ-ment specialists self-reported practices conflicted with the practices advocated in the literature. On the basis of our findings, we recommended a greater emphasis on imple-menting job development activities recommended in the lit-erature as well as furthering research on effective, evidence-based practices. DESCRIPTORS: employment, job development, em-ployment specialists, intellectual disability, evidence-based practices, vocational rehabilitation, families Whereas most working-age adults in the United States are employed or expect to find paid jobs, most adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD) spend their days in sheltered workshops, day centers, or nonpaid community activities (Butterworth, Smith, Hall, Migliore, & Winsor, 2009; Winsor & Butterworth, 2008). The lack of employment of people with I/DD is a concern because it results in an increased likelihood that they will live in poverty, more resources will be diverted to welfare pro-grams, and government entities will be unable to collec