Customized Employment
LEAD Center has multiple initiatives to promote Customized Employment as a universal design approach within the workforce development system to enable youth and adults with disabilities to secure and maintain employment. The LEAD Center provides intensive technical assistance and training to staff at American Job Centers (AJCs) and their partners on group discovery, customized employment, self-guided discovery and self-employment, while highlighting the benefits of partnerships, collaborations, and braiding and leveraging resources.
Categories - LG Tablet
Categories - SM Tablet
Resources
- A Resource Developed by LEAD Center for ODEP
Guided Group Discovery Resources: Introduction and Course, Participant Workbook, and Facilitator Guide
| May 2018 | Tool/Manual
The Guided Group Discovery Online Participant Workbook is now available! This user-friendly tool allows youth and adults to create a personalized Blueprint for Employment from their own browser.
Self-Guided Discovery Facilitator's Guide: Helping People Discover Their Own Path to Employment
| March 2018 | Tool/Manual
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the LEAD Center are pleased to release this Facilitator’s Guide to Self-Guided Discovery.
Information Brief: Customized Employment and Guided Group Discovery
| January 2018 | Report/Brief
Guided Group Discovery (GGD) opens doors to employment for people who experience barriers to employment.
Customized Employment: Stories and Lessons from the Field
January 2018 | Tool/Manual
Customized Employment (CE) represents a nuanced departure from traditional competitive and comparative approaches to developing work. True CE is hard to come by actually.
The Essential Elements of Customized Employment for Universal Application
July 2017 | Tool/Manual
Customized employment (CE) refers to competitive integrated employment, for an individual with a significant disability, that is based on an individualized determination of the strengths, needs, and interests of the individual with a significant...
Guidance to Community Rehabilitation Program Executive Directors for the Coming Employment 1st Decade
| February 2017 | Report/Brief
As Employment First gains ground across the nation, shifts in organizational thinking and leadership are needed in order to not only comply with law, but to provide the best services to individuals with disabilities. Cary Griffin, CEO of Grffin-...
UPS Delivers the "Secret Sauce" for Disability Inclusion
| January 2017 | Report/Brief
LEAD Center
What does successful workplace inclusion for people with disabilities look like? An innovative program at Worldport, UPS’s main air sorting hub in Louisville, Kentucky, is game-changing, reframing disability inclusion not only as social...
Frequently Asked Questions: Integrated Location Criteria of the Definition of “Competitive Integrated Employment”
January 2017 | Tool/Manual
Rehabilitation Services Administration, U.S. Department of Education
This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document addresses the criteria for an integrated employment location within the definition of “competitive integrated employment” in section 7(5)(B) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act), as...
Bringing Employment First to Scale: Achieving Best Practice in Employment Supports: Defining Measures of Effectiveness
April 2016 | Report/Brief
Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Advancing Employment for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
This publication from the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (a project of the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston) addresses a key challenge for states with Employ
Employment First Information Brief: Perspective of Employers on Customized Employment
| January 2016 | Report/Brief
LEAD Center
This information brief provides the results of six focus groups conducted to garner the perspective of employers who had hired individuals with disabilities into customized jobs within the past year.
- A Resource Developed by LEAD Center for ODEP
Webinars
Customized Employment: Moving Beyond the Basics
July 30, 2014
Join us to continue to build your understanding of Customized Employment and your ability to provide this innovative employment practice to those you serve.
Customizing Employment: Success through Partnerships
October 6, 2016
Join this webinar to gain information you can use about Customizing Employment: Success through Partnerships.
Group Discovery: An Alternative Assessment Tool for Workforce Centers and Community-Based Providers
June 26, 2013
This webinar will provide information on Group Discovery – an alternative assessment tool proven to identify the strengths of job seekers with and without disabilities.
Promoting Employment - Discovering Your Potential: Using Discovery to Identify Your Employment Goals
July 31, 2013
This webinar will provide information on how to use Discovery – an alternative assessment tool proven to identify the strengths of job seekers with and without disabilities – to discover your personal employment goals.
Promoting Employment - Introduction to Customized Employment and Customized Self Employment
May 29, 2013
This webinar will provide information on two best practices – Customized Employment and Customized Self-Employment.
Promoting Leadership: Cross-Agency Approaches to Advance the Use of Customized Employment and Self–Employment Strategies
August 28, 2013
During this webinar, we will discuss reasons and strategies for aligning resources across systems to support the implementation of Discovery, Customized Employment, and Self-Employment.
WEBINAR: Guided Group Discovery: Paving the Way to Employment
June 26, 2017
Don’t miss this webinar on Guided Group Discovery: Paving the Way to Employment,, in which we will share materials you can use to implement Guided Group Discovery through cross-system partnerships.
Webinar: Self-Guided Discovery: Helping People Discover Their Own Path to Employment
March 28, 2018
Sign up now for a webinar on Self-Guided Discovery: Helping People Discover Their Own Path to Employment.
LEAD On! Articles
News
SAMHSA Posts Request for Applications for Supported Employment Program
March 17, 2014
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2014 for the Mental Health Transformation Grant Program: Transforming Lives throug
Blogs
How to Minimize Job Search Blues and Maximize Job Search Excitement
May 30, 2017
As a way of commemorating Mental Health Awareness Month, the LEAD Center asked Dr. Debra Kissen to outline strategies people with psychiatric and other disabilities can use to maintain or improve their mental health while looking for work.
The Intersection of Customized Employment and Homelessness
October 28, 2016
For over 35 years, people have known about best practices and evidence-based approaches to support employment for people with intellectual disabilities.
Dads Who Are Breaking Stereotypes About Disability Employment
October 24, 2016
National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is a topic that is important to me on both a professional and personal level.
In The Know: Leave as an Accommodation
August 19, 2016
Did you know that under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), an employee with a disability can request the use of accrued paid leave or the use of unpaid leave as a reasonable accommodation?
In the Know: START-UP USA
May 7, 2015
In the Know is a bi-monthly feature on the LEAD Center blog that highlights important resources and information about the employment, policy and economic advancement of people with disabilities.
Group Discovery Training: Making Connections
June 25, 2014
The LEAD Center’s customized employment initiative in collaboration with American Job Centers (AJCs) aims to increase the use of the workforce system by people with disabilities and support their ultimate success in achieving employment. The...
In the Know: Self-Employment for People with Disabilities
June 5, 2014
This 2013 report highlights Self-Employment Technical Assistance, Recources and Training (START-UP) and makes recommendations to ensure entrepreneurs with disabilities can achieve their dream of owning their own business.
Categories - Phablet
Resources
- A Resource Developed by LEAD Center for ODEP
Guided Group Discovery Resources: Introduction and Course, Participant Workbook, and Facilitator Guide
| May 2018 | Tool/Manual
The Guided Group Discovery Online Participant Workbook is now available! This user-friendly tool allows youth and adults to create a personalized Blueprint for Employment from their own browser.
Self-Guided Discovery Facilitator's Guide: Helping People Discover Their Own Path to Employment
| March 2018 | Tool/Manual
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the LEAD Center are pleased to release this Facilitator’s Guide to Self-Guided Discovery.
Information Brief: Customized Employment and Guided Group Discovery
| January 2018 | Report/Brief
Guided Group Discovery (GGD) opens doors to employment for people who experience barriers to employment.
Customized Employment: Stories and Lessons from the Field
January 2018 | Tool/Manual
Customized Employment (CE) represents a nuanced departure from traditional competitive and comparative approaches to developing work. True CE is hard to come by actually.
The Essential Elements of Customized Employment for Universal Application
July 2017 | Tool/Manual
Customized employment (CE) refers to competitive integrated employment, for an individual with a significant disability, that is based on an individualized determination of the strengths, needs, and interests of the individual with a significant...
Guidance to Community Rehabilitation Program Executive Directors for the Coming Employment 1st Decade
| February 2017 | Report/Brief
As Employment First gains ground across the nation, shifts in organizational thinking and leadership are needed in order to not only comply with law, but to provide the best services to individuals with disabilities. Cary Griffin, CEO of Grffin-...
UPS Delivers the "Secret Sauce" for Disability Inclusion
| January 2017 | Report/Brief
LEAD Center
What does successful workplace inclusion for people with disabilities look like? An innovative program at Worldport, UPS’s main air sorting hub in Louisville, Kentucky, is game-changing, reframing disability inclusion not only as social...
Frequently Asked Questions: Integrated Location Criteria of the Definition of “Competitive Integrated Employment”
January 2017 | Tool/Manual
Rehabilitation Services Administration, U.S. Department of Education
This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document addresses the criteria for an integrated employment location within the definition of “competitive integrated employment” in section 7(5)(B) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act), as...
Bringing Employment First to Scale: Achieving Best Practice in Employment Supports: Defining Measures of Effectiveness
April 2016 | Report/Brief
Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Advancing Employment for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
This publication from the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (a project of the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston) addresses a key challenge for states with Employ
Employment First Information Brief: Perspective of Employers on Customized Employment
| January 2016 | Report/Brief
LEAD Center
This information brief provides the results of six focus groups conducted to garner the perspective of employers who had hired individuals with disabilities into customized jobs within the past year.
- A Resource Developed by LEAD Center for ODEP
Webinars
Customized Employment: Moving Beyond the Basics
July 30, 2014
Join us to continue to build your understanding of Customized Employment and your ability to provide this innovative employment practice to those you serve.
Customizing Employment: Success through Partnerships
October 6, 2016
Join this webinar to gain information you can use about Customizing Employment: Success through Partnerships.
Group Discovery: An Alternative Assessment Tool for Workforce Centers and Community-Based Providers
June 26, 2013
This webinar will provide information on Group Discovery – an alternative assessment tool proven to identify the strengths of job seekers with and without disabilities.
Promoting Employment - Discovering Your Potential: Using Discovery to Identify Your Employment Goals
July 31, 2013
This webinar will provide information on how to use Discovery – an alternative assessment tool proven to identify the strengths of job seekers with and without disabilities – to discover your personal employment goals.
Promoting Employment - Introduction to Customized Employment and Customized Self Employment
May 29, 2013
This webinar will provide information on two best practices – Customized Employment and Customized Self-Employment.
Promoting Leadership: Cross-Agency Approaches to Advance the Use of Customized Employment and Self–Employment Strategies
August 28, 2013
During this webinar, we will discuss reasons and strategies for aligning resources across systems to support the implementation of Discovery, Customized Employment, and Self-Employment.
WEBINAR: Guided Group Discovery: Paving the Way to Employment
June 26, 2017
Don’t miss this webinar on Guided Group Discovery: Paving the Way to Employment,, in which we will share materials you can use to implement Guided Group Discovery through cross-system partnerships.
Webinar: Self-Guided Discovery: Helping People Discover Their Own Path to Employment
March 28, 2018
Sign up now for a webinar on Self-Guided Discovery: Helping People Discover Their Own Path to Employment.
LEAD On! Articles
News
SAMHSA Posts Request for Applications for Supported Employment Program
March 17, 2014
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2014 for the Mental Health Transformation Grant Program: Transforming Lives throug
Blogs
How to Minimize Job Search Blues and Maximize Job Search Excitement
May 30, 2017
As a way of commemorating Mental Health Awareness Month, the LEAD Center asked Dr. Debra Kissen to outline strategies people with psychiatric and other disabilities can use to maintain or improve their mental health while looking for work.
The Intersection of Customized Employment and Homelessness
October 28, 2016
For over 35 years, people have known about best practices and evidence-based approaches to support employment for people with intellectual disabilities.
Dads Who Are Breaking Stereotypes About Disability Employment
October 24, 2016
National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is a topic that is important to me on both a professional and personal level.
In The Know: Leave as an Accommodation
August 19, 2016
Did you know that under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), an employee with a disability can request the use of accrued paid leave or the use of unpaid leave as a reasonable accommodation?
In the Know: START-UP USA
May 7, 2015
In the Know is a bi-monthly feature on the LEAD Center blog that highlights important resources and information about the employment, policy and economic advancement of people with disabilities.
Group Discovery Training: Making Connections
June 25, 2014
The LEAD Center’s customized employment initiative in collaboration with American Job Centers (AJCs) aims to increase the use of the workforce system by people with disabilities and support their ultimate success in achieving employment. The...
In the Know: Self-Employment for People with Disabilities
June 5, 2014
This 2013 report highlights Self-Employment Technical Assistance, Recources and Training (START-UP) and makes recommendations to ensure entrepreneurs with disabilities can achieve their dream of owning their own business.
Categories - Phone
Resources
- A Resource Developed by LEAD Center for ODEP
Guided Group Discovery Resources: Introduction and Course, Participant Workbook, and Facilitator Guide
| May 2018 | Tool/Manual
The Guided Group Discovery Online Participant Workbook is now available! This user-friendly tool allows youth and adults to create a personalized Blueprint for Employment from their own browser.
Self-Guided Discovery Facilitator's Guide: Helping People Discover Their Own Path to Employment
| March 2018 | Tool/Manual
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the LEAD Center are pleased to release this Facilitator’s Guide to Self-Guided Discovery.
Information Brief: Customized Employment and Guided Group Discovery
| January 2018 | Report/Brief
Guided Group Discovery (GGD) opens doors to employment for people who experience barriers to employment.
Customized Employment: Stories and Lessons from the Field
January 2018 | Tool/Manual
Customized Employment (CE) represents a nuanced departure from traditional competitive and comparative approaches to developing work. True CE is hard to come by actually.
The Essential Elements of Customized Employment for Universal Application
July 2017 | Tool/Manual
Customized employment (CE) refers to competitive integrated employment, for an individual with a significant disability, that is based on an individualized determination of the strengths, needs, and interests of the individual with a significant...
Guidance to Community Rehabilitation Program Executive Directors for the Coming Employment 1st Decade
| February 2017 | Report/Brief
As Employment First gains ground across the nation, shifts in organizational thinking and leadership are needed in order to not only comply with law, but to provide the best services to individuals with disabilities. Cary Griffin, CEO of Grffin-...
UPS Delivers the "Secret Sauce" for Disability Inclusion
| January 2017 | Report/Brief
LEAD Center
What does successful workplace inclusion for people with disabilities look like? An innovative program at Worldport, UPS’s main air sorting hub in Louisville, Kentucky, is game-changing, reframing disability inclusion not only as social...
Frequently Asked Questions: Integrated Location Criteria of the Definition of “Competitive Integrated Employment”
January 2017 | Tool/Manual
Rehabilitation Services Administration, U.S. Department of Education
This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document addresses the criteria for an integrated employment location within the definition of “competitive integrated employment” in section 7(5)(B) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act), as...
Bringing Employment First to Scale: Achieving Best Practice in Employment Supports: Defining Measures of Effectiveness
April 2016 | Report/Brief
Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Advancing Employment for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
This publication from the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (a project of the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston) addresses a key challenge for states with Employ
Employment First Information Brief: Perspective of Employers on Customized Employment
| January 2016 | Report/Brief
LEAD Center
This information brief provides the results of six focus groups conducted to garner the perspective of employers who had hired individuals with disabilities into customized jobs within the past year.
- A Resource Developed by LEAD Center for ODEP
Webinars
Customized Employment: Moving Beyond the Basics
July 30, 2014
Join us to continue to build your understanding of Customized Employment and your ability to provide this innovative employment practice to those you serve.
Customizing Employment: Success through Partnerships
October 6, 2016
Join this webinar to gain information you can use about Customizing Employment: Success through Partnerships.
Group Discovery: An Alternative Assessment Tool for Workforce Centers and Community-Based Providers
June 26, 2013
This webinar will provide information on Group Discovery – an alternative assessment tool proven to identify the strengths of job seekers with and without disabilities.
Promoting Employment - Discovering Your Potential: Using Discovery to Identify Your Employment Goals
July 31, 2013
This webinar will provide information on how to use Discovery – an alternative assessment tool proven to identify the strengths of job seekers with and without disabilities – to discover your personal employment goals.
Promoting Employment - Introduction to Customized Employment and Customized Self Employment
May 29, 2013
This webinar will provide information on two best practices – Customized Employment and Customized Self-Employment.
Promoting Leadership: Cross-Agency Approaches to Advance the Use of Customized Employment and Self–Employment Strategies
August 28, 2013
During this webinar, we will discuss reasons and strategies for aligning resources across systems to support the implementation of Discovery, Customized Employment, and Self-Employment.
WEBINAR: Guided Group Discovery: Paving the Way to Employment
June 26, 2017
Don’t miss this webinar on Guided Group Discovery: Paving the Way to Employment,, in which we will share materials you can use to implement Guided Group Discovery through cross-system partnerships.
Webinar: Self-Guided Discovery: Helping People Discover Their Own Path to Employment
March 28, 2018
Sign up now for a webinar on Self-Guided Discovery: Helping People Discover Their Own Path to Employment.
LEAD On! Articles
News
SAMHSA Posts Request for Applications for Supported Employment Program
March 17, 2014
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2014 for the Mental Health Transformation Grant Program: Transforming Lives throug
Blogs
How to Minimize Job Search Blues and Maximize Job Search Excitement
May 30, 2017
As a way of commemorating Mental Health Awareness Month, the LEAD Center asked Dr. Debra Kissen to outline strategies people with psychiatric and other disabilities can use to maintain or improve their mental health while looking for work.
The Intersection of Customized Employment and Homelessness
October 28, 2016
For over 35 years, people have known about best practices and evidence-based approaches to support employment for people with intellectual disabilities.
Dads Who Are Breaking Stereotypes About Disability Employment
October 24, 2016
National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is a topic that is important to me on both a professional and personal level.
In The Know: Leave as an Accommodation
August 19, 2016
Did you know that under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), an employee with a disability can request the use of accrued paid leave or the use of unpaid leave as a reasonable accommodation?
In the Know: START-UP USA
May 7, 2015
In the Know is a bi-monthly feature on the LEAD Center blog that highlights important resources and information about the employment, policy and economic advancement of people with disabilities.
Group Discovery Training: Making Connections
June 25, 2014
The LEAD Center’s customized employment initiative in collaboration with American Job Centers (AJCs) aims to increase the use of the workforce system by people with disabilities and support their ultimate success in achieving employment. The...
In the Know: Self-Employment for People with Disabilities
June 5, 2014
This 2013 report highlights Self-Employment Technical Assistance, Recources and Training (START-UP) and makes recommendations to ensure entrepreneurs with disabilities can achieve their dream of owning their own business.