Welcome to the Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) Transformation Hub page for people with disabilities and their families. Empowering people with disabilities to make decisions, plan for and receive appropriate workforce supports is key to their success in CIE. Having encouragement and support from their families also increases the likelihood they will transition successfully and achieve positive post-school outcomes in CIE as adults. This page includes resources on a range of topics related to CIE intended for disabled people and their families.
This section provides resources related to transition and employment for youth with disabilities and their families. It includes resources that offer support and information on topics such as job training, discrimination prevention, postsecondary education and independent living goals. It also includes links to centers that provide independent living services for people with disabilities and parent centers that offer technical assistance for families of children with disabilities.
ThinkWork! Stories – ThinkWork! Stories (including a series of videos) highlight the employment successes of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and the innovative employment support practices that lead to successful paid jobs. ThinkWork! is an initiative of the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Research Findings Videos for Persons with IDD and Their Families – These videos from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment of Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities address how to get and keep a job, how to set your child up for employment success and why CIE may be the right choice.
American Job Center (AJC) Locator – Nearly 2,300 AJCs nationwide help people search for jobs, find training and answer other employment-related questions. This resource sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor will help you find your local AJC.
Youth@Work – Youth@Work is the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) website for youth in the workforce. It is designed to teach youth about some of their rights and responsibilities as employees, including different types of discrimination affecting young workers and what they can do to help prevent discrimination in the workplace.
Expect, Engage and Empower: Successful Transitions for All Initiative – This U.S. Department of Education initiative seeks to improve postsecondary outcomes for special education students and to challenge the education and vocational rehabilitation systems to work together to ensure that these students and their families have the knowledge, resources and supports needed to make the best choices for their future.
A Transition Guide to Postsecondary Education and Employment for Students and Youth with Disabilities – This guide from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services discusses a range of topics relevant to students with disabilities and their families as they plan for life after school. It includes transition planning, transition services and requirements, options after leaving school and supporting student-made decisions.
Platform for Individuals with Cognitive Disabilities Through Team Collaboration and Employment Discovery – Developed in part under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, Cognitopia offers a comprehensive platform supporting employment and independent living goals of people with cognitive disabilities.
CAPE-Youth – Youth and Families Webpage – This resource from the ODEP-funded Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth) highlights the importance of youth development and leadership skills for youth with disabilities and identifies a variety of resources for youth related to employment.
"Let’s Work" Watch Party: A Documentary with the California Transition Alliance – This documentary from the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: The Collaborative describes the importance of supporting CIE opportunities for students and youth with disabilities, including those with IDD. The featured Let’s Work! California Networking Activity Guide is designed to help students and youth learn how to meet people who will prepare and support them in gaining CIE.
Seeking Supported Employment: What You Need to Know – This workbook is designed to help people learn what supported employment is, decide whether they would like to receive services from a supported employment program and guide them through a process to identify an effective program. It was developed by the Center on Integrated Health Care and Self-Directed Recovery at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Directory of Centers for Independent Living (CILs) – Designed and operated by individuals with disabilities, CILs provide independent living services for people with disabilities. This resource, maintained by the Independent Living Research Utilization program, will help you find a CIL near you.
EEOC Disability-Related Resources – This website includes an overview of the disability laws that the EEOC enforces, as well as publications, disability news and information on how the EEOC can help with disability employment.
Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR) – CPIR provides technical assistance via a central “hub” of information and family-friendly products created for the network of parent centers serving families of children with disabilities.
Local Parent Center Finder – Located across the U.S., parent training and information centers (PTIs) and community parent resource centers (CPRCs) work with families of youth with disabilities, from birth to age 26. PTIs and CPRCs help parents participate effectively in their children’s education and development.
This section provides resources for individuals with mental health conditions seeking employment opportunities. These resources include fact sheets, podcasts and employment service models designed to provide support and assistance.
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA): New Law Helps Youth & Young Adults Get Jobs – What Families Need to Know – This fact sheet from Transitions ACR at UMass Chan Medical School reviews key eligibility criteria and services provided under WIOA, with a focus on supports for youth and young adults with psychiatric disabilities.
Quick Guide to Disability Employment Policy – This resource from the Center on Integrated Health Care and Self-Directed Recovery at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) includes fact sheets, resource guides and podcasts related to employment for persons with serious mental health conditions.
Peer Supporters as Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Employment Specialists – This site includes resources for peer supporters as IPS employment specialists, who deliver standard supported employment services while also contributing their unique perspective of living and working with a mental health condition. It was developed by the Center on Integrated Health Care and Self-Directed Recovery at UIC.
Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research (Transitions ACR) – This center, managed by UMass Chan Medical School, allows individuals, families, state agencies, providers and employers to request technical assistance and find links to employment service models, employment resources, publications and blogs. One featured resource is S.T.A.Y. Tuned: Supporting Transition-Age Youth, a podcast made for and by young adults with mental health conditions.
RRTC on Improving Employment Outcomes for Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities Employment Repository – This center provides resources to assist individuals with mental health conditions and people in recovery as they consider preparing for and obtaining employment. It also includes resources for families who want to support family members on the road to employment. It is maintained by Boston University’s Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation.
This section provides resources, videos and briefs for veterans seeking employment. Many of these resources explain the benefits of customized employment from the veteran's point of view.
Customized Employment Works for Veterans: A Win-Win Strategy – This video produced by the ODEP-funded National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities (LEAD Center) illustrates the benefits of customized employment from the viewpoint of the veteran, service provider and employer.
Customized Employment Works for Veterans Brief – This ODEP-funded brief highlights the stories of five veterans who obtained employment through customized employment.
Customized Employment Works for Veterans: A Job that I Love – This video produced by the ODEP-funded LEAD Center describes the importance of discovery in the customized employment process and the positive impacts a customized job can have for veterans.
This section provides various resources and programs that help individuals with disabilities manage their finances and receive benefits while working. It includes fact sheets, guides and information on the Social Security Administration Red Book, the Ticket to Work program, Work Incentives Planning and Assistance programs and Medicaid "buy-in."
Yes, Youth Can Work and Still Receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) – These fact sheets were developed by the National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision for youth with vision impairments who receive SSI benefits and their families. The fact sheets provide general information about several SSI work incentives, examples of calculations and links to more detailed information.
Social Security Administration (SSA) Red Book – This SSA general reference guide covers the employment-related provisions of the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and SSI programs, including work incentives designed to protect beneficiary monthly benefits and medical coverage while working.
Ticket to Work (TTW) Program – TTW provides free employment support services to individuals ages 18–64 receiving SSDI or SSI.
Find Help to Achieve Your TTW Goals – TTW service providers offer employment-seeking disability beneficiaries (persons who receive SSI or SSDI), ages 18–64, free job supports including job coaching, job counseling, training, job placement and benefits counseling. The tools on this page can assist you in locating a service provider to help you find the employment supports you need.
Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Programs – The SSA’s WIPA programs serve people who are already working or about to start work. They help beneficiaries by providing information about the availability of work supports. WIPA also provides accurate and individualized information about how work will affect benefits and health insurance.
SSA Youth Resources – This webpage includes several SSA resources designed to deliver important information to youth and young adults with disabilities to help them achieve their educational, career and life goals.
Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) – The PABSS program assists SSDI and SSI beneficiaries with disabilities who wish to work by helping remove barriers to employment. PABSS services include but are not limited to protecting beneficiary rights regarding conditions of employment, access to transportation and access to housing.
Medicaid “Buy-in” Q&A – Medicaid “buy-in” allows workers with disabilities access to Medicaid community-based services not available through other insurers. This guide answers common questions on Medicaid buy-in programs that allow workers with disabilities with income above traditional limits to access Medicaid community-based services. This guide is produced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living and ODEP.
Developing Financial Capability Among Youth – How Families Can Help – This resource from the former ODEP-funded National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth assists parents in educating their children on the knowledge, skills and habits necessary to access and manage financial resources effectively.
Secure Your Financial Future Toolkit – This toolkit, developed by ODEP and the Employee Benefits Security Administration, guides people, including people with disabilities, to strive for or maintain employment and achieve financial stability regardless of where they are on their employment journey.
This section provides information and resources related to job accommodations for individuals with disabilities. It includes links to the Job Accommodation Network, which provides expert guidance on job accommodations, as well as to resources from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs on reasonable accommodation topics and the rights of employees and applicants with disabilities.
Job Accommodation Network (JAN) – Funded by ODEP, JAN is the leading source for free, expert and confidential guidance on job accommodations and disability employment issues.
Reasonable Accommodation Resources – This landing page from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) pulls together many EEOC disability-related resources focused on key reasonable accommodation topics.
Reasonable Accommodation Pocket Card – This pocket card from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) assists applicants, employees and others in understanding the process for requesting a reasonable accommodation.
Disability Rights Fact Sheet – This OFCCP fact sheet provides information on the rights of employees and applicants with disabilities, with a focus on federal contractor requirements under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.