Resources provided on this tab are sourced from reputable third parties and researchers. These resources were not created by Connected Employment, yet they are provided here for educational purposes only. For further inquiries related to the below resources, please contact the original researchers/authors.
Community Engagement and Integrated Employment
Employment — paid work — leads to economic opportunity, equity, and independence. Individuals with disabilities optimize their ability to enjoy these benefits of employment through careers and jobs
available to all individuals that provide competitive earnings, integration, and opportunity for
advancement. Individuals with disabilities also strengthen their economic security through employment that provides health insurance and paid leave.
Understanding the Provision of Self-Employment
State vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies play a critical role in helping people with disabilities gain employment; however, self-employment remains an infrequent outcome for participants even though self-employment rates are disproportionately higher for people with disabilities than the general population. The authors argue that policymakers need to explore new opportunities to address unintended barriers and increase equitable access to self-employment and suggestions are shared in this paper.
Employment First Committee Annual Report
The Employment First Committee is responsible for identifying and promoting strategies that increase the number of individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities who engage in competitive integrated employment. This report will detail new policies, existing implementation efforts and progress, agency initiatives, and best practices that contribute to an increase in CIE for People with I/DD within California.
LEAD Center Inclusive Career Pathways Roadmap
The LEAD Center Inclusive Career Pathways Roadmap is an interactive online tool that provides workforce professionals with resources to help people with disabilities achieve employment and economic self-sufficiency.
Competitive Integrated Employment Roadmap
This Roadmap to CIE powerpoint presentation, helps neurodivergent individuals and their team explore the road to employment and urges earlier introduction to employment and career concepts.
Guide for Job Seekers & Workers with a Disability
Individuals with disabilities often face incredible odds when searching for employment. This is a sad truth, but one that can be overcome if you know your rights. This guide was created to introduce neurodivergent workers and job-seekers to the rights afforded to them by federal and state governments. In addition, we offer useful tips for finding a job, advice on staying gainfully employed, and guidance that can help you talk with an existing employer about making reasonable accommodation for you.
The Work Incentive Support Center
The Work Incentive Support Center at Cornell University has developed a SSI at Work Toolkit to help individuals with disabilities, families of individuals with disabilities, and professionals understand SSI rules. The toolkit breaks SSI benefits down by topic and offers nuts/bolts, case studies, and quick facts.
Disability Employment TA Center Self-Employment Brief
Self-employment is a critical component of any successful approach to employment supports for people with disabilities. Unfortunantly, many employment supports treat entrepreneurship as a distant, unlikely possibility. Federal policy encourages, even requires, cross agency collaboration that can create resources for people with significant disabilities to be self-employed. Those resources, the methods of braiding them together, and a few examples of success are what we will explore in this brief.
Self-Employment Tips and Strategies
As self-employment becomes a viable option for more and more neurodivergent adults, this guidebook will give realistic, practical guidance and support. This guidebook is a step-by-step guide to helping adults with disabilities get a small business off to a strong start. You'll discover the nuts and bolts of person-centered business planning, and you'll get concrete, step-by-step strategies for every aspect, from business plans to marketing to finances.
Entrepreneurship is an Option
Guidebook that shows how entrepreneurship education can be implemented and offers suggestions on how to introduce self-employment as an option for individuals.
California Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) Blueprint
The CIE Blueprint was a five-year plan to assist people with intellectual and developmental disabilities get ready for and get a job earning at least minimum wage working in the community with people without disabilities.
Workforce Best Practice for People with Disabilities Toolkit
This toolkit created by the California Committee on Employment of People who have Disabilities (CCEPD) helps America’s Job Centers identify best practice examples and understand how to better serve people who have disabilities.