From your perspective, what is the current situation regarding employment and Pennsylvanians' with disabilities (positive and negative)?

Currently, in our area unemployment is on the rise. Usually our clients can find a number of low level positions. However, due to the current economic climate our clients are now in competition with men/women who in the past would not even think of applying for these positions. This climate has also increased the expectations companies are placing on our clients. For example, if a company can hire a man or woman who drives and does not have a disability, they are choosing to hire the non-disabled person. Also, if and when a position is found it is usually part-time (companies can hire more part-timers and save on benefits).

I feel that it is extremely competitive.  Individuals with disabilities are competing with individuals who have been laid off and who, under normal circumstances, would not be going for entry level positions.  I also feel many employers have reservations about hiring individuals with disabilities.  Whether they are unfamiliar with working with job coaches, unaware of the law, or not willing, many seem opposed and/or reluctant.  With that said, I feel the employers who I currently work with are very supportive with the individuals who work for them. They want to educate themselves as to the benefits of hiring and the accommodations they are required to give these individuals.  They are also very supportive of the job coaches' role with the disabled worker.

Employment has taken a backseat because of the economic situation.

Many large companies seem to have opened their doors to persons with disabilities and the services that surround them, but unfortunately it seems sporatic at best. Consumers are often unaware of potential employment assistance but more importantly employers are unaware of the assistance available and the benefits of hiring a person with disabilities, the old stigmas still exist. Downsizing and automation have taken many of the entry level positions that were accessible to the disablility community, forcing people to get creative in their quest for employment with very limited resources.

We are lucky enough to be able to provide 20 training sites for students of various disabilities. We also have a staff who provide excellent job development services and at this time still can find a number of job placements as needed for the students being referred to us. On the other hand we also encounter many parents of former special education students that never got any support in getting employment support and find indications that they are unemployed.

Very bad. People don't give people with disabilities a chance.  Employers are only hiring people with degrees, and don't give other qualified candidates a chance.  I have been discriminated against because of my age, and not being able to hear/understand this younger generation.

Negatives: Full time oppurtunities, Travel options, Education of Employers. Positives: Many employers are willing to try, Employees lack social skills/soft work skills, Supportive agencies do a very good job in Bucks County.

I believe there are places for job coaching while students are still connected to a school district, but once a they leave school there are not as many opportunities for employment to be sustained.

Entry level positions are increasingly difficult to find. In addition, parents sometimes don't realize the circumstances their child, who is now an adult, will face until their last year or so of school. By then the opportunity for valuable experience has been lost. Also, parents don't realize that the school bus will be going away and their child has not had the opportunity to learn to travel independently via a bonafide travel instruction program. In many cases they will not be eligible for paratransit.

Currently, in Delaware County, we are finding it difficult to find positions for the students/adults that have a disability. The economic status in our county has significantly decreased the employment opporunities for persons with a disability. More recently, we have been notified by the various hospitals indicating that they will not accept any students under the age of 18 due to the spread of the H1N1 virus. This will further dibilitate our ability to provide quality transitional programs to the youth of Delaware county.

Employment for people with disabilities is a major issue. There is misunderstanding on several fronts:
1. People with Disabilities worry about losing benefits if they work and don't understand their options. We need more education on this.
2. Employers need incentives to hire people with disablities and assistance in providing the assistive technologies that are sometimes necessary to allow a person with a disability to work.
3. Both people with disabilities and non-disabled employers and co-workers need to be given the opportunity to interact and break down some of the fears and miscommunications.
I see that with my daughters' education and participation in an integrated school system an understanding for and comfort with interacting with people with disabilities. Older generations didn't get that need to see the possibilities and value of working with people with disabilities.

Once again employers are starting to grasp the concept of supported employment and genuinely open doors for our families. However when they make a connection they lock in w/ the agency and by that many people are not considered. The focus should never be the agency it should be the individual. Going forward employers should be receptive to working with more than one agency; as they do with others employed and working w/o a label or who maybe undiagnosed. Lastly, agencies may want to consider stop promoting our practice as the new concept but the right one for the employer & community.

Right now the way the economy is, we are negative about employing the special needs people. People with disabilities are forgotten. As a Employment specialist, I find it very hard to find employers for our clients.

From my perspective the current situation of employment is grim. I would have to say that there is so much that needs to be changed that it almost needs to begin again. I think we have our payscales completely out of proportion, baseball players making millions while others make 7/hr, all people are having a difficult time getting hired and those with disabilities are just supposed to accept whatever they can get.

From my perspective as a provider I have seen an increased interest from individuals in the work center since we've had discussions about employment and taken people out for situational assessment experiences. We have a wonderful OVR counselor assigned to our area and referral and intake has taken place in a timely fashion. The issue of concern has been the length of time it takes to get someone a job. That can be discouraging to consumers and families and lead to consumers staying in the workshop because they want something to do and families need to work. Some of the other issues for those receiving PFDS funding are the cost of employment services may impact their budgets so that the hours of in-home supports may be cut or the job they get may only be for 2hrs. a day, 3 days a week and the rest of the time they have to sit home with nothing to do.

Very poor, hardly see any people with disabilities working at the stores I visit.

As an educator, as well as a parent who has a child with a disability, the current situation continues to move toward the negative side. Because not every person with a disability is able to perform all of the essential functions of a job even with accommodations, employers usually are not willing to sit and discuss the indiviudals strengths and become creative in maximizing the individual's potential. Often times, service providers who are able to find a job, typically in food service or housekeeping, is enough for them to say we found employment for this person. The person's preference(s) needs to be taken into consideration.

From a negative perspective: Too few Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities are employed and not enough is being done to change that scenario. One positive is that we have worked out some of the issues around the provision of supported employment services to those people who are in either the consolidated or the PFDS Waivers.

If all things were possible, what would employment look like in Pennsylvania?

At a corporate level, companies would carve positions and seek out individuals to fill these positions.

The disabled would be considered just as much as a non-disabled worker would be for positions they are qualified for without reservations.

Individuals would receive the supports necessary to realize successful employment.

Positions would come in a variety of shapes, sizes and levels. There would be the homemaker who splits her day with the retiree so she can be home when her children arrive. There would be the executive assistant who delegates structured administrative tasks to her work partner with a disability, working side by side so she may accomplish more, assist and take advantage of the many benefits (tax & otherwise) of hiring the less advantaged. Employers would begin to view positions in a more individualized manner realizing that their productivity increases when you have a happy solid staff. I would also think it highly beneficial to all to reincorporate a more personal approach to business (remove so much automated responses) and increase availabity for entry level positions.

I believe we offer a fairly well structured training system. It should be expanded to include all students including regular students so they as well can get a better understanding of careers before wandering out in the world to explore college and other post secondary programs or employment. We provide resume and interview support and all students should get involved a course related to career exploration as an elective course.

People need to be educated - especially personnel & HR staff who are responsible for hiring. They would give everyone a fair and equal chance, regardless of disability.

Everyone would be able to share rides and offer to help transport people with disabilities to work. Job Coaches that are retired and want to volunteer for a few hours a week.

Everyone would have a job that pays at least minimum wage and have a clear understanding of SSI.

HR staff would have mandatory training in hiring practices of individuals with disabilites- from parents, from other businesses, from colleges, etc. Knowledge kills ignorance.

There should be a statewide effort that address the needs of persons with disabilities towards securing jobs and a means of getting there in urban and suburban settings. The dynamic is quite different in each venue.

It would be a wonderful thought if we were able to provide supports to workers with disabilities in a variety of work environments. This would allow us to design supports within a profession that could be based upon the individual person's interest and preferences. In our county many parents are requesting job coaching supports in their home communities and wanting us to find job placements that are based on a student's interests. We are working hard to provide this service to our families, but continue to struggle because of the finanical limitations in the working world.

All work places would be accessible and people with disabilities would be hired and honored for what they can provide rather than being judged for what they can't.

Employers should work with people based on their abilities and provide opportunity across their chain of business; not one local entity and in turn be able to say "we're supportive of people w/ disabilities". In fairness businesses should consider our practices as they do job centers or temp agencies; a reliable network. The only incentive that should be offered is the value of the potential applicant.

If things were different, job carving would work out great. There are a lot of possibilities for employment in Pennsylvania with the right funding.

O my - Government would get the rate at which the median of their people which they govern receive. All people would have the chance to be employed. Pay rates would be capped, celebrities would have to donate more than half of what they make. No one needs or should even have the want for a house with 38 bedrooms. We have the ability to test for and develop strategies for so many things - yet I think our evaluations for employment are lacking.

Career plans would be carefully developed during the transitional years. Expectations would be for employment and supports/goals would be set and implemented to achieve this objective. Students would be "settled" in a job prior to graduation and needed supports (transportation, social/recreational plans for after work, natural supports developed at the work site etc.) would be in place.

Job help for all.

Employers need to look at people with disabilities as a unique contribution to their company and focus on the indiviudal's strengths and preferences. If the individual is unable to perform all the essential functions of a job even with accommodations, the employer would consider taking the individual's strengths and combine them with a variety of job tasks from other employers. The co-workers would be job sharing responsibilities and the tasks that often times are overlooked because of other priorities could be completed. This situation could also become cost-effective for the business.

More young people and their families would believe that employment is the best option for their future. There would be career training programs after high school to prepare young people with disabilities for various professions, rather than moving them directly into the work world where they typically are only qualified for a lifetime of minimum wage jobs. Ultimately, more people would be employed in jobs they find meaningful and enjoy.

Given this, what is necessary to achieve this? How do we get there?

In the future, I see government having to step in and set up a quota system in order to encourage companies to hire our people.

I think employers and large companies need more education as to the laws and rights of the disabled in the workforce.

Resources are as important as skills. Skill level would need to be developed in a highly structured way at an early age. Programs would need to be developed to have individuals develop the skills needed to be competitive.

Publicize the efficiency of those who are doing these practices now or pilot programs that are incorporating these and other ideas. Educate employers about creative options and move away from the cookie cutter mentality toward employability. Teach employers about such things as "job coaches" and "employment supports" that assist an employee with disabilities and the companies they work for.

We need to get a system defined to show us what type of employees will be needed in the future in order for students having a chance to find jobs after training and high school. This also applies to college students. We have reports that the state of Pennsylvania has an over-supply of college graduates and not enough people with skilled work experience. This needs to be shared with parents and schools to create a system from the labor department telling us what type of skilled work force we need.

People would get a real chance to pride themselves as good workers.

Training for residents/retirees, tax credits, incentives.

There needs to be a better way to understand what is available and how government services affect those with disabilities.

Matching roles of abilities and needs of businesses- people smart enough to make win win situations- this could be college business internship projects for the state. Businesses have a value added approach most of the time- if you have no value to the company they have no need for you- but take the Johnny the bagger story. Look it up on YouTube if you do not know about this.

Transit agencies, in an effort to offset paratransit costs, should contract to provide Travel Instruction for persons who may be able to use fixed route vehicles to get to their jobs. For those areas without fixed route service funding needs to be in place so that a ride program can be developed.

We need to have a collaborative process in place so that all stakeholders are working to reach a common goal. Employers need to be educated in that they need to see persons with a disabilities as a viable workforce that is ready, willing, and able to work.

I think two things are necessary:
1. I think that there need to be incentives (quotas?) for hiring people with disabiltiies. This would need to come with resources and education. Training to see people as "differently abled" rather than disabled. However, it would need to be very clear what the expectations for employment are and employers would need to be given a way to deal with underachieving employees.
2. A mandate to work or volunteer if you are receiving public assistance SSI, SSDI etc... and no threat of loss of benefits.

Possibly critique our advertisement and/or marketing practices; compare it to a successful staffing agency. We should increase our networking with the executives through presentations, correspondence and meetings to motivate companies about our campaign from the top office down.

We need to focus on people with disabilities more, some are more experienced for positions, if only they are given a chance.

A redo on the entire way we look at employment, the economy, and the dollar. Who deserves what they make? How much is just plain too much? How can we make it ok that people make what they make while others are homeless, foodless, and jobless?

Better career planning in the schools. Educating individuals and their families about the value of employment. Educating employers about the value of hiring people with disabilities. Creating diverse communities where all people can contribute and feel rewarded for their contributions.

School training. Change classroom procedures to allow training for all students.

We need to get employers to the table and share with them all of the positive attributes a person with a disability can contribute to a company. Helping the business understand "How to communicate with people with disabilities" is a start. Also, providing trainings (1 hour increments) for mentors/champions who will become the natural supports for this indiviudal is another way of getting business on board. Providing background informaiton on various disabilities assist co-workers in understanding the characterisitics and why some behaviors occur.

Middle schools and high schools need to expect young people to become employed and the curriculum and IEPs need to support this. Providers and high schools need to partner with one another to prepare students for the future. The service definitions need to include career and job training and/or pre-college programs designed to prepare young people for better jobs. Everyone - employers, government, parents, providers, educators, the community and people themselves needs to expect employment for people with disabilities.

Who else needs to be involved?

Not quite sure with this.  I would say at the state level maybe some sort of education can be given to large corporations.  Companies need to fully understand the benefits to hiring disabled workers.  They also need to be more aware of the laws and the accommodations that are the right of the worker (job coaches etc..).  Many companies still think it is ok to not hire someone with a disability just because of the disability.

The state needs to be truly committed and involved for successful employment for individuals with disabilities and allocate the necessary resources. Thus far it has been a half-hearted effort and until it is completely embraced and funded, employment will remain static. The consumers, parents and educators also need to be involved to truly understand the rigors of employment.

Unfortunately the media and the public. If it's not "dirty laundry", drama or part of the rich & famous it's usually not interesting enough to make public awareness. We recently conducted some workshops in Delaware County on employability of persons with disabilities and found that the majority of the problems fell on the employers and their ignorance, preconceived notions and stigmas. There needs to be a major shift in their perception. We as a population need to become more inclusive in all areas of our lives (media included) thus demonstrating the value everyone has.

The labor department, the employers in order to provide them with the right type of employees. The schools need to have a closer connection to the structure outside of our little world. We need more than just testing of students and sending students to college. We need to be able to adjust to what the labor force needs in terms of training and technology to meet the demands of the employers.

The government, largest companies, people with disabilities.

Government, Retirees.

All stake holders (schools, parents, businesses, government agencies, colleges, most importantly those with disabilities).

The question is who doesn't need to be involved? Everyone and anyone. Agencies, Service Organizations, Schools, Parents, Students, Workers, Businesses.

Transit agencies across the State.

It needs to be a collaborative process from ALL stakeholders: parents, agency supports, local buisnesses, transportation systems, etc....

Communities not involved in the disability community need to be engaged; Service organizations, Churches, Business Groups, Chambers of Commerce etc. We have hundreds of years of bias and misinformation to break down.

Build an alliance with state reps because they have the ability to influence local business. Also we shouldn't forget about what the religious sector can do, they have an impact on many businesses and political fronts.

People in the communities with small businesses, and knowledge of funding available for training people with disabilities.

Everyone.

Families, employers & their employees, community, transportation agencies. With the current economic climate we need to find ways to be less dependent on the service system and families and communities will need to be more involved in supporting their members that have special needs.

Teachers, parents, employers.

Educators, families, the various agencies in PA and employers who want to make a difference in someone's life, as well as, seeking cost-effective ways to hire indiviudals with disabilities need to be involved.

Middle schools, High Schools, Transition Counselors, Employers, Chambers of Commerce, Government leaders, legislators, parents and families, people with disabilities, media, community leaders, providers, Direct Support Professionals.