This webpage is designed specifically for job seekers who qualify for Supported Employment services and those with a personal connection to them. This webpage is here to support job seekers by providing helpful information for people considering Supported Employment, as well as for those already receiving services who would like more details. Other sections of our Supported Employment Training Project (SETP) website are primarily intended for professionals who provide supported employment services. This page will help you understand how to get help finding a job and what you need to know to navigate the services.
Employment First
Why Supported Employment?
What services are provided through Supported Employment?
Labor Market or Customized Jobs?
What is good Supported Employment, and how do I know when I see it?
Who provides Supported Employment services in Kentucky, and who pays for it?
What happens to my benefits (e.g., SSI, SSDI, and Medicaid) when I start working?
Other FAQs about issues related to Supported Employment
Where can I get additional information?
Employment First
- What is Employment First? Employment First is the belief that everyone can be employed and contribute. Per Kentucky’s Employment First law, “The General Assembly finds and declares that it is the policy of the Commonwealth of Kentucky that competitive integrated employment shall be considered the first and primary option for persons with disabilities of working age who desire to become employed.” KRS151B.211
- For Kentuckians with disabilities, it means that employment supports should be the first option for you when receiving disability-related services if you want to go to work. Talk to your Special Education teacher, your Case Manager, or the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation for an appointment to get started. You have the right to speak up and ask for help finding and keeping a job. Receiving Supported Employment can be a helpful way to do that.
Why Supported Employment?
For many of us, having a job is more than just a paycheck. A job provides a sense of connectedness, value, and belonging to the world around us. Work helps us find our place, gives us a sense of purpose, and allows us to contribute to something larger than ourselves. Contributing as an employee is a meaningful way to make a difference, and we all deserve the opportunity to do so. Unfortunately, there have been times when the value of employment for people with a disability has been overlooked, dismissed, or underestimated. That’s where Supported Employment comes in, by creating pathways to meaningful work.
Supported Employment involves identifying job opportunities that align with an individual’s interests, strengths, and abilities. It’s about:
- Unlocking avenues for personal growth
- Exploring career possibilities that were once out of reach
- Finding and sometimes creating jobs that are a fit for skills and passions
- Becoming a valued and integral member of a team
- Paving the way for future success and advancement
Supported Employment isn’t just about getting a job; it’s about finding the right job, where individuals have the chance to thrive, contribute, and feel proud of their work. It’s a chance to open doors, build confidence, and live a full and enriched life. You can explore age-specific Employment Checklists for youth employability.
When someone with a disability begins to show interest in employment, those who support them may be hesitant about new pursuits. You are not alone, and there is support. Megan’s story is an example of how an Employment Specialist, a job seeker, and a parent worked together to find a job for Megan that matched her interests and abilities, while addressing concerns from the parent.
What services are provided through Supported Employment?
- Person Centered Job Selection or Career Profile: Exploring types of work previously unconsidered. What are personal gifts and interests previously unrecognized? What are the characteristics of a good job?
- Job Development: Using information learned during the discovery process to identify potential businesses and make connections. This can include taking time to learn about each company to determine if it could be a good fit. You may apply on your own, with help from the Employment Specialist, or they may initiate conversations about hiring with you and potential employers. It depends on your needs. (It is not randomly knocking on doors, seeking any job opening available.)
- Supported Employment Services: Providing initial support in learning the expectations, tasks, and routines of the job and making connections to co-workers and supports typically available in the business (like meeting co-workers to know who to ask questions to). The goal of these services, which may take from 1 month up to 2 years, is to achieve as much independence as possible on the job. The Employment Specialist will not stay with you forever. They will help you access what you need to do the job yourself.
- Extended Services: Even after you’re all set on the job, the Employment Specialist will continue to check in with you. They will see if you need additional help, such as facilitating communication, check that you still understand the expectations of the job, and occasionally see if you’re interested in moving up or on from this job to new opportunities.
Labor Market or Customized Jobs?
All job seekers in Supported Employment undergo a similar process with their Employment Specialist, which involves Discovery, Job Development, Supported Employment Services, and Extended Services. Job Development can place individuals in either Labor Market Jobs or Customized Jobs.
- Labor Market Jobs are regularly posted positions that a company has advertised. The company has determined the tasks, responsibilities, schedule, and other expectations and parameters associated with the position. Some job seekers can meet all these expectations with reasonable accommodation and support. A Supported Employment Specialist would provide professional assistance in identifying, acquiring, training, and performing at such a job to make sure the job seeker is successful in their position. The job seeker’s needs determine the level of assistance.
- Customized Jobs are newly created positions that are designed to match the job seeker’s skills, interests, and abilities with the needs of a company. This new position is negotiated between the employer, the employment specialist, and the job seeker to benefit the company in a new way. The employment specialist utilizes their knowledge of the job seeker and the company to create a newly customized position that leverages the job seeker’s skills to fulfill unmet needs, complete episodic tasks, or alleviate production slowdowns. Each customized position is unique to the business and the job seeker.
- What is Customized Employment
- Customized Employment Solutions for Youth with Disabilities
- Customized Employment in Kentucky
What is good Supported Employment, and how do I know when I see it?
- It may be difficult to know what to envision when you are unsure of the possibilities that exist. The links below feature a range of examples of jobs, along with background stories that help explain how these jobs were identified as a good match for these particular individuals.
- Supported Employment Stories, including lessons learned
- Supported Employment Works highlights the story of several Kentuckians, gathered by KY APSE
- Employment Files is a series of videos featuring successful jobs, developed and produced through a partnership with the Commonwealth Council on Developmental Disabilities and the University of Kentucky – Human Development Institute.
- You may be asked to select an employment provider agency. It can be helpful to interview potential Supported Employment providers to learn more about their perspectives and approaches to employment. Review Seeking Quality Supported Employment Services for possible questions, and how to understand responses, to help you determine the best fit between the job seeker and the Supported Employment provider.
- Additionally, check out APSE’s Supported Employment Quality Indicators for services, personnel, and organizations, as well as Supported Employment Ethical Guidelines. These can help you understand best practices in the field.
Who provides Supported Employment services in Kentucky, and who pays for it?
- Kentucky has over 100 entities that provide Supported Employment. When seeking Supported Employment, follow these steps:
- Start by contacting the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR). This link will let you search by your zip code for the local OVR office to call and schedule an appointment.
- Once you have an appointment, your OVR eligibility will be determined, and referrals will be made to Supported Employment providers.
- The OVR Counselor may ask you which Supported Employment provider you would like to serve you. It is your right to interview potential providers to learn about their ways of approaching employment services. Review Seeking Quality Supported Employment Services for possible questions about the goodness of fit between the job seeker and the Supported Employment provider.
- The Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation determines OVR eligibility for Supported Employment services and then makes referrals to Supported Employment providers. As long as you’re found eligible by the OVR for Supported Employment, they pay the initial costs, including getting to know the job seeker well, searching for and finding a job, and supporting the person’s learning and becoming established in the job.
- Then, the Supported Employment Providers have a variety of ways to pay for long-term support services, including problem-solving on the job and promoting job advancement.
- If you have a Medicaid waiver (such as SCL, MPW, or ABI), it can pay for these long-term support services. More details about funding Supported Employment through Medicaid waivers coming soon!
What happens to my benefits (e.g., SSI, SSDI, and Medicaid) when I start working?
- Benefits Counseling Services are available from two organizations that provide statewide services – The Center for Accessible Living and Goodwill Industries of Kentucky WIPA Services
- Here is a Social Security document that clearly explains work incentives to encourage people who receive SSI or SSDI to work – Working While Disabled: How We Can Help
- Visit Kentucky Disability Benefits 101 to learn more about working, SSI, and SSDI. There are calculators you can use on your smartphone!
- How do I report earnings to Social Security? Here are links to Social Security’s website that can help you report your earnings correctly:
- What will happen to my Medicaid when I go to work? Learn how SSI recipients can maintain their Medicaid eligibility even when earning significant wages – Continued Medicaid Eligibility (Section 1619(B))
- To maintain Medicaid eligibility, you cannot have more than $2,000 in resources. You can open a STABLE account and save over $19,000/year if you work.
- What is the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)? The EITC is a refundable federal tax credit for low to moderate-income working individuals and families. Also, you may wish to contact the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) for free assistance with tax preparation.
Other FAQs about issues related to Supported Employment
- When can OVR begin services? Check out Kentucky’s OVR Transition Services for Students.
- What types of services are available from OVR? Kentucky OVR’s Field Services web page lists services available, and the OVR Consumer Guide lists services and your rights and responsibilities when participating with OVR.
- How do I (or do I) tell an employer about my disability? Explore the Job Accommodation Network’s Disability Disclosure and Employment document that explains how to think about when and how you may want to share disability related information with an employer.
- Are you ever confused by all the acronyms around disability employment services? Here’s a list of some commonly used acronyms and abbreviations.
- Where do I find information about the Supports for Community Living (SCL) Medicaid waiver or the Michelle P. waiver? Here are web pages from the Kentucky Division of Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities with Supports for Community Living Waiver and Michelle P. Waiver information.
Where can I get additional information?
- For general Supported Employment questions or for ideas to improve this web page: Katie Wolf Whaley, Project Director, 859-218-5960 (office), kwolf@uky.edu
- For questions about services received through the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation: Ron O’Hair, CRP Branch Manager, at 502-564-4440 (office), RonnieL.OHair@ky.gov