Denise Brodey at Forbes:
The days of employing people with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) as a charitable act are slowly coming to an end. Why slowly? I won’t sugar coat it: Often the problem is institutionalized discrimination. “Systemically, public resources fund service hours rather than outcomes and are often neither sufficient nor flexible enough to allow collaboration and blending of employment funding streams, according to The Arc. They offer a list of best practices, opportunities and policy changes that could remedy this issue in the future. In general, the goal is for more people with I/DD to benefit from early guidance and job counseling. Students should leave high school with opportunities to pursue post-secondary education and/or with an appropriate job or an action plan for finding one, according to Arc experts. The Arc has hundreds of offices throughout the country. If you are struggling with this issue, their resources may be helpful.
