Dignity Through Employment

The President’s Committee

for People with Intellectual Disabilities

2009 Report to the President
 

Soon after Dan was born in 1969 with Down syndrome, a doctor 

recommended withholding a lifesaving medical procedure. When his 

parents refused, the doctor advised placement in a state institution. 

But Dan’s family had other plans. They mobilized their strong 

family unit and support from teachers, job coaches, and counselors, 

as well as Dan’s own strong work ethic. In addition to creating an 

environment where the people in Dan’s life learned to see his 

abilities, this effort led to a job in the Microsoft mail room in 

Bellevue, Washington. Dan loved his work and was the fastest and 

most accurate mail sorter in the company. He worked at Microsoft 

for more than 14 years, until only five days before his death from 

heart disease at age 36. On the day Dan died, Microsoft flew its 

flag at half-staff.
 

Disclaimer 

This document, Report to the President—Dignity Through Employment, 

does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Health 

and Human Services. 

Although some of the information and data contained in this report were 

contributed by authorities in the field of employment, disability, 

research, education, emerging technology, public policy, and related 

fields, the personal opinions that such contributors may hold or choose 

to express outside of this Report to the President do not necessarily 

reflect the views of the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual 

Disabilities or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or 

other federal government agencies. 

Although the term “mental retardation” (MR) appears in sections of this 

report, PCPID acknowledges and advocates for use of the term 

“intellectual disability.” 

The individual stories featured in this report are based on personal 

relationships and publicly available accounts. All of the people featured 

in the stories have intellectual disabilities. 
 

Table of Contents

DEFINITIONS USED IN THIS REPORT................................................................................................. 1

THE PRESIDENT’S COMMITTEE AND ITS ROLE................................................................................... 1

NOTES ON THE DEFINITION OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES AND DATA ASSUMPTIONS..... 4

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS..................................................................... 5

INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................10

I CURRENT EMPLOYMENT STATUS ..............................................................................................11

MARGINALIZED IN THE WORKFORCE.............................................................................................11

COSTS OF UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDER-EMPLOYMENT .........................................................12

PROMISING DIRECTIONS IN RESEARCH..........................................................................................12

INCREASING AWARENESS .................................................................................................................14

II EVOLVING POLICY AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK....................................................................16

POLICY DIRECTION..............................................................................................................................16

III EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES ........................................................................................................20

FOUR AMERICAN WORKERS..............................................................................................................20

COMING INTO THE MAINSTREAM....................................................................................................21

A RANGE OF EMPLOYERS...................................................................................................................22

DISCOVERING ABILITIES....................................................................................................................24

EMPLOYMENT SUPPORTS ..................................................................................................................25

SELF-EMPLOYMENT ............................................................................................................................26

STATE INITIATIVES..............................................................................................................................27

IV BUILDING AN EDUCATION, A RESUME, AND EXPERIENCE.............................................29

TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL TO EMPLOYMENT ...........................................................................29

INTERNSHIPS.........................................................................................................................................31

POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION .......................................................................................................31

VOLUNTEERING....................................................................................................................................32

V FAMILY AND SYSTEMIC SUPPORTS ..........................................................................................34

PCPID CITIZEN MEMBERS ...................................................................................................................39

PCPID EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS.............................................................................................................41

PCPID STAFF .............................................................................................................................................42

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...........................................................................................................................44
1

Definitions Used in this Report 

We define the term “intellectual disability” as “a disability characterized 

by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive 

behavior as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills. 

This disability originates before the age of 18. Intellectual disability is 

the currently preferred term for the disability historically referred to as 

mental retardation (American Association on Mental Retardation, Mental 

retardation: Definition, classification, and systems of supports,” 

Washington, DC, 2002). 

We define employment as jobs in integrated, community environments, 

typical of others in the workforce. Our definition includes competitive 

wages, employment in companies large and small, and self-employment 

through people with intellectual disabilities operating strong, vibrant, 

and profitable businesses of their own. Our definition of employment 

emphasizes a workplace that integrates people both with and without 

disabilities in a community-based, non-segregated setting in which 

workers receive reasonable accommodations and other supports that 

they need to succeed. 

This definition is consistent with the convictions of the President’s 

Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities regarding employment 

outcomes that focus on competitive pay, full integration, an opportunity 

for career advancement and leadership development, and an 

arrangement that is mutually satisfying, both to the employee and to the 

employer. Employment should also involve people with intellectual 

disabilities in ways to achieve asset accumulation as a vehicle to attain 

greater economic freedom and achieve the American Dream. 

THE PRESIDENT’S COMMITTEE AND ITS ROLE

Estimates of the share of Americans who experience intellectual 

disabilities vary from less than 1% to 3% (see page 4 hereof). Even at the 

conservative end of this range (1%), three million Americans experience 

intellectual disabilities. Nearly 30 million American lives are touched by 

persons with intellectual disabilities. 

To ensure the right of a “decent, dignified place in society” for people with 

intellectual disabilities, President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966 

established the President's Committee on Mental Retardation. On April 

25, 2003, as part of the annual celebration of the Americans with 

Disabilities Act, President George W. Bush renamed the committee the 

President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID). It
2

continues to serve in an advisory capacity to the President and the 

Secretary of Health and Human Services on matters relating to persons 

with intellectual disabilities. 

Much has changed for people with intellectual disabilities since the 

1960s due to advances in medicine, technology, research, education, and 

public understanding. PCPID advises the President on the achievements, 

continuing needs, and emerging issues in this dynamic field. It evaluates 

the adequacy of current practices and programs and reviews the impacts 

of federal agency activities. It also highlights the need for appropriate 

changes in policy and encourages research, education, services, and 

supports. PCPID collaborates with other federal agencies and national 

organizations in convening conferences and forums and disseminating 

information to the public on issues and accomplishments of people with 

intellectual disabilities. 

PCPID has adopted the goals outlined in President Bush’s New Freedom 

Initiative to recognize and uphold the right of all people with intellectual 

disabilities to enjoy a quality of life that promotes independence, selfdetermination, and full participation as productive members of society. 

The committee builds its work around the initiative’s basic categories: 

expanding educational opportunities, increasing access to technology, 

improving individual and family support, promoting access and 

integration into community life, and—the focus of this report— 

increasing employment and economic independence. 

The Committee consists of 21 citizen members appointed by the 

President and 13 ex officio (federal government) members designated by 

the President. The 13 ex officio members are the Secretary of Health and 

Human Services, Secretary of Education, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of 

Housing and Urban Development, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of 

Transportation, Secretary of Interior, Secretary of Homeland Security, the 

Attorney General, the President and CEO of the Corporation for National 

and Community Service, the Chair of the Equal Employment 

Opportunity Commission, the Chair of the National Council on Disability, 

and the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration. PCPID is 

led by an executive director, also appointed by the President, and 

supported by a team of federal employees. 
3

Members of the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities meet with President 

George W. Bush on September 9, 2008
4

NOTES ON THE DEFINITION OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES 

AND DATA ASSUMPTIONS: 

Research findings are not consistent on the prevalence of intellectual 

disability in the U.S. population and the numbers of people affected. 

Estimates range from 1% to 3%, or from three million to nine million 

people (Fletcher, Loschen, Stavrakaki & First, 2007). Most estimates are 

closer to 1%. 

About 30% of intellectual disabilities are caused by genetic conditions. 

The remainder are caused by organic conditions. There are more than 

750 known genetic causes of intellectual disabilities. Intellectual 

disabilities can occur as the result of such circumstances as anoxia (lack 

of oxygen) during delivery, strokes in utero, a brain injury, or as a result 

of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). The American Association on 

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities notes three general causal 

areas: prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal (DM-ID textbook, 2007). 

There are several syndromes associated with intellectual disability. 

While genetic syndromes are individually rare, collectively they 

contribute significantly to causing intellectual disabilities. For example, 

based on known incidences of the four genetic syndromes cited below 

and a conservative estimate that 1% of the general population has an IQ 

score within the mild to severe range of intellectual disability: 

• 1 in 7 people with intellectual disabilities has Down syndrome; 

• 1 in 60 people with intellectual disabilities has Fragile X syndrome; 

• 1 in 100 people with intellectual disabilities has Prader-Willi 

syndrome; 

• 1 in 200 people with intellectual disabilities has Williams 

syndrome (Dykens, Hodapp & Finucane, 2002). 

According to the National Down Syndrome Society, about 350,000 

families in the United States are affected by Down syndrome. About 

5,000 children with Down syndrome are born each year. Some experts 

project that the number of people with Down syndrome will double in the 

next 10 years 

(http://www.ndss.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=

47&Itemid=67). 

Rates of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum 

Disorders (FASD) range from 0.2 to 1.5 per 1,000 live births in different 

areas of the United States 

(http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fas/fasask.htm#how). 
5

Executive Summary and Recommendations 

Employment brings income, quality of life, and dignity to individuals and 

families and is an essential part of the American Dream. Yet millions of 

Americans with intellectual disabilities—the majority—do not work in 

their own communities. 

The problems of unemployment and under-employment of people with 

intellectual disabilities persist despite decades of research and 

demonstration initiatives showing that people with intellectual 

disabilities, including those with syndrome-specific intellectual 

disabilities, are capable of community-integrated employment. They 

persist despite the clear intent of more than three decades of state and 

federal policies confirming the goal of community employment for people 

with intellectual disabilities. 

Today, fewer than one of every five people with intellectual disabilities is 

engaged in supported employment in their communities—the result of 

the categorical and short-term nature of many employment programs, 

poor awareness of individuals’ potential, and the inertia caused by 

decades of institutionalization and other forms of segregation. When 

people cannot work, they suffer personal indignity, poverty, self-pity, and 

isolation. They cannot contribute fully to society as household providers, 

community members, and taxpayers. The nation as a whole then pays 

severe costs in lost productivity and billions of dollars in publicly 

financed services. 

This report of the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual 

Disabilities describes employment trends and policies, examines barriers 

to work, and identifies the types of supports that are essential for people 

with intellectual disabilities to experience the myriad benefits of 

employment. It shares stories of people with intellectual disabilities 

who—with the support of their families, public and private programs, 

and their communities—have found creative ways to contribute to society 

through work. 

The following recommendations represent activities that can help align 

the intent of policies and programs supporting employment of people with 

intellectual disabilities with the long-sought and worthy outcome of 

community employment: 

 

1. Issue a Presidential Call to double the number of people with 

intellectual disabilities who are working in integrated jobs by 

2014. (Current estimates indicate that about 150,000 people 

with developmental disabilities are engaged in community 
6

employment, the vast majority of whom have an intellectual 

disability.) 

Convene business, practitioners, providers, foundations, trade 

associations, government officials, families, and people with 

intellectual disabilities to craft and enable a plan for rapid expansion 

of integrated employment outcomes in the community. 

2. Create a national public awareness campaign to build a new wave 

of employment expectations. 

Establish and provide resources to create a comprehensive, crossagency marketing campaign to raise expectations and promote 

employment outcomes. Such an effort should include people with 

intellectual disabilities, families, employers, educators, and 

community leaders. 

3. Expand implementation of existing legislation and Federal policy 

with a specific focus on employment outcomes. 

 Provide incentives to states to incorporate employment fully into 

implementation of the Olmstead decision. 

 Develop—with the Social Security Administration, the federal 

departments of Health and Human Services, Education, and 

Labor, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission—a 

unified statement emphasizing employment of people with 

intellectual disabilities.

4. Continue to invest in the New Freedom Initiative. 

 Create incentives to States to expand employment outcomes 

rapidly. 

 Establish a task force to study the most successful states, 

compared to the least successful states in the nation, to create a 

plan for nationwide improvements in employment outcomes. 

5. Create employer incentives and employer demonstrations. 

 Convene business leaders and administration officials to develop a 

plan for specific goals and incentives to the business community 

for employment outcomes. 

 Create tax incentives for large and small businesses, including 

permanent tax benefits for hiring people with intellectual 

disabilities. 
7

 Develop dissemination strategies to inform people with intellectual 

disabilities and their families about such initiatives—reaching out 

across age, gender, race, and ethnicity. 

6. Promote employment of people with intellectual disabilities in 

the public sector workforce. 

 Create an administrative initiative and specific mechanisms within 

the federal Office of Personnel Management to employ people with 

intellectual disabilities. 

 Convene state government leaders and human resource 

departments to encourage the creation of state-level priorities and 

methods for employing people with intellectual disabilities in state 

and local government structures. 

 Develop dissemination strategies to inform people with intellectual 

disabilities and their families about such initiatives—across age, 

gender, race, and ethnicity. 

7. Promote large-scale demonstration projects based on innovations 

of the last 10 years. 

 Create incentives for states to fully implement a policy to achieve 

employment outcomes in large geographic areas or across entire 

states. 

 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, in consultation 

with the Office of Disability Employment Policy, should fund 

national customized demonstration projects, with the goal of 

encouraging expanded, evidence-based use of customized 

employment strategies. 

8. Endorse and expand state Employment First agendas. 

 Create fiscal incentives through the federal departments of Labor 

and Education for states’ expansion of employment outcomes. 

 Through the Office of Disability Employment Policy, convene 

stakeholders in the public and private sectors to endorse and 

facilitate implementation of the Employment First agenda. 

9. Promote national and community service for young people, fully 

integrating young adults with intellectual disabilities in the 

effort, as a means for transition to adult life. 

Work with the Corporation for National and Community Service to 

expand service projects incorporating young people with intellectual 

disabilities from all backgrounds. 
8

10. Expand investment in the Individuals with Disabilities 

Education Improvement Act of 2004 and the Rehabilitation 

Act’s focus on transition plans for all youth with intellectual 

 disabilities including full federal funding of the Act. 

 Develop and implement strategies to promote quality, careerfocused outcomes in post-secondary education and employment in 

coordination with the Rehabilitation Services Administration, the 

Social Security Administration, and the Centers for Medicare and 

Medicaid Services. 

 Ensure that competitive employment is included as a goal in 

transition plans for all youth with intellectual disabilities. 

 Develop dissemination strategies to reinforce to the public sector 

the communication, information, and physical access standards of 

the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the Rehabilitation Act of 

2004. 

11. Expand investment in the Rehabilitation Services 

 Administration related to funding supports for transition from 

 school to adult life. 

Issue U.S. Department of Education guidance encouraging the use of 

vocational rehabilitation funds to support students with intellectual 

disabilities in transition to employment and post-secondary education 

programs, including higher education, from as early as age 14. 

12. Increase incentives to work and remove income limits 

 governing benefit programs for people with intellectual 

 disabilities, and promote these incentives. 

 Create a federal interagency workgroup to develop a coordinated 

and comprehensive approach focused on incentives for economic 

empowerment. 

 Work with the Social Security Administration to refine work 

incentive policies. 

 Expand Medicaid “buy-in” provisions, which allow states to expand 

program benefits to workers with disabilities whose incomes would 

otherwise make them ineligible, thus protecting health care 

benefits. 

 Provide tax incentives, to individuals and families, for employment 

support services such as personal assistance, transportation, and 
9

assistive technology. 

 Establish public-private partnerships to support people with 

intellectual disabilities during transition from school to adult life. 

13. Refocus existing resources to promote integrated employment. 

 Work with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 

related to Medicaid waivers to promote community outcomes 

rather than services in segregated settings. 

 Develop and facilitate implementation of educational programs that 

are culturally sensitive and likely to increase positive outcomes in 

the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. 
10

Introduction

This 2009 Report to the President and its recommendations address two 

closely related and persistent problems: high unemployment and lack of 

economic freedom for citizens with intellectual disabilities. We make the 

argument that people with intellectual disabilities are fully capable of 

working successfully in integrated community settings, despite a history 

of unemployment and segregation from the mainstream of American 

economic life. We explore the argument in the following sequence: 

I. The Current Employment Status and unrealized potential of people 

with intellectual disabilities, 

II. The Evolving Policy and Legal Framework for employment that 

clearly establishes a framework of rights, 

III. Employment Practices that show promise and may contribute to 

the goal of full employment for people with intellectual disabilities, 

IV. The practical steps to Building an Education, a Resume, and 

Experience, and 

 

V. The Family and Systemic Supports that make employment 

outcomes possible. 

We begin each section with a discussion of the relevant issues and 

include examples, where appropriate, of recent experiences of people 

with intellectual disabilities in the workforce. In each section, we also 

offer recommendations to support the rapid expansion of employment 

outcomes and economic freedom for people with intellectual disabilities. 
11

I Current Employment Status

MARGINALIZED IN THE WORKFORCE

The American work ethic is at the heart of our communities and our 

society. America relies on the individual and unique contributions of 

citizens from every walk of life, of all ages, of every color, race, and nation 

of origin. The lives of nearly every American are wrapped in the 

contributions made to family and community. Employment brings not 

just income and quality of life to individuals and families—it brings 

dignity. 

This part of the American Dream does not belong to the vast majority of 

people with intellectual disabilities in the United States, despite the 

talents, capabilities, and commitment to work that they have to offer. 

Employment data from many sources paint a picture of intolerable levels 

of unemployment and underemployment. 

The U.S. Department of Labor reports that about 79% of people without

disabilities participate in the nation’s workforce. Compared with this 

figure, the percentage of workers among people with disabilities is 

extremely disappointing. The Harris Poll has tracked employment trends 

of adults with disabilities—including intellectual disabilities—since 1986. 

The poll data reveal that the percentage of adults with disabilities ages 

65 and younger who are working remained “virtually unchanged”—at 

32%—during 1986 to 2000. This figure is particularly discouraging given 

the passage of several important policy initiatives during this period, 

including the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 (Harris Interactive, 

http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris poll/index.asp?PID=121). 

Looking specifically at employment data for people with intellectual 

disabilities—the numbers are even worse. As revealed in the 2008 State 

of the States in Developmental Disabilities, only 22% of people with 

intellectual or developmental disabilities participated in supported 

employment programs in fiscal year 2006. The five states with the 

highest percentages are Oklahoma (77%), Washington (61%), 

Connecticut (51%), Vermont—the first state to eliminate segregated day 

workshop settings for people with intellectual disabilities (48%)—and 

Louisiana (45%). The five states with the lowest percentages are 

Arkansas (2%), Alabama (5%), Hawaii (8%), Missouri (9%), and Kansas 

(10%) (Braddock, Hemp, & Rizzolo, 2008). 
12

COSTS OF UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDER-EMPLOYMENT 

One way to view the marginalization of millions of American workers is in 

terms of lost productivity, wages not earned, and taxes not paid. 

Another is to examine the cost of supports that are necessary because 

these potential workers are not earning wages. 

Complete and current numbers for such costs are not available. A 1999 

report prepared for Florida’s Able Trust calculated the estimated cost of 

unemployment for people with all disabilities at about $8 billion annually 

(Hemenway & Rohani, 1999). This estimate—a conservative one that 

would be considerably higher if stated in terms of 2008 dollars— 

included more than $3 billion annually in lost productivity and nearly $4 

billion in lost contributions to Social Security and other government 

programs. Calculated on a national scale, the cost of unemployment of 

people with intellectual disability is enormous—to them, their families, 

and to our society. 

The nation’s current investment in quality employment outcomes is a 

small share of spending on programs for people with intellectual 

disabilities: only 2% of the nearly $44 billion in spending for all services 

for people with intellectual disabilities, compared with 16% spent on 

public and private institutions (Braddock, 2008). 

While the lost productivity and costs associated with publicly financed 

support services can be roughly calculated, the cost in loss of dignity and 

quality of life is incalculable. As with all people who wish to work and 

cannot, people with intellectual disabilities who lack employment may 

experience isolation from social networks, dependence, low self-esteem, 

and persistent poverty. 

PROMISING DIRECTIONS IN RESEARCH

People with intellectual disabilities have the same work ethic as other 

citizens. Research and demonstration initiatives nationwide and 

internationally clearly show that people with intellectual disabilities, 

including those with syndrome-specific intellectual disabilities, are 

capable of integrated employment in the community. 

People with intellectual disabilities have demonstrated their abilities, 

competence and desire to work and contribute to their families, 

communities, and society. They work successfully in venues ranging 

from their own small businesses, to small and large companies, and to 

jobs in local, state, and federal government agencies. 
13

Research results showing the potential of people with intellectual 

disabilities come from a growing body of applied, practical research in 

typical community settings. “Basic” research in defined settings is later 

translated into applied research in community settings, and the results 

are used to develop useful interventions and approaches to achieve 

positive employment outcomes. An important part of the research base 

showing the capabilities and potential of people with intellectual 

disabilities comes from community businesses and job settings. 

Research findings emphasize individually tailored strategies and 

supports. Applied research results demonstrate that successful 

strategies for promoting employment outcomes are built on 

understanding each individual's talents and abilities and on 

understanding the challenges and support needs specific to the person. 

One approach emerging from research is focused on adapting 

environments. Research shows that the environments in which people 

work play a more important role in promoting employment than do 

personal characteristics of the person, including level of intelligence. For 

example, an issue for some individuals with genetic syndromes is that 

behaviors may interfere with job performance as much as, if not more 

than, learning difficulties. The use of positive behavior supports and 

attention to environmental factors can improve the probability of longterm job success. For a particular person, a noisy job environment may 

act as a trigger for unsuitable behavior. A great deal of forced eye 

contact could result in distractions and poor work performance. 

Preparing the environment, and working with co-workers about a 

person's support needs, can support long-term success on the job. 

Research provides a base of knowledge for crafting individualized 

supports, including knowledge about supports for individuals with 

genetic syndromes that result in intellectual disability. 

To promote the goal of increasing employment for transition-age youth 

with disabilities, the Social Security Administration (SSA) created the 

Youth Transition Demonstration (YTD) to assist youth with disabilities to 

transition from school successfully, which may include post-secondary 

education, to employment and economic self-sufficiency. 

Youth participating in the project will be followed for at least four years 

to determine whether interventions led to increased earnings or 

increased enrollment in post-secondary education. SSA is testing the 

effectiveness of enhanced coordination of services for youth with 

disabilities and altering certain Supplemental Security Income rules as 

an incentive to encourage beneficiaries to initiate work, increase their 

employment, and increase earnings. 
14

 

During the past decade, people with intellectual disabilities have become 

increasingly involved in the design and conduct of this research—known 

as “participatory action research.” The focus is on involving people with 

intellectual disabilities in all phases of applied research to improve the 

quality of research activities and extend the reach of their findings into 

everyday life settings. 

INCREASING AWARENESS

People with intellectual disabilities have become more vocal in the 

discussion of goals for employment. They do not want to live in poverty 

and desire the same levels of discretionary income that other citizens 

expect. Self-advocates make clear their expectations of a right to a job in 

the community, at full wages. For example, Self Advocates Becoming 

Empowered! (SABE, 2008) is calling for an increase in community 

employment at full wages and the closure of segregated workshop 

settings. SABE is a national self-advocacy organization created and run 

by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

The involvement of people with intellectual disabilities is critical as an 

advocacy voice for meaningful employment as well as in the conduct of 

research on improving employment outcomes. Despite some success, 

the public perception of people with intellectual disabilities is still largely 

an image of inability. Instead of seeing people with intellectual 

disabilities in valued community work roles, the public too often sees 

people with intellectual disabilities segregated in large homes, riding 

agency buses and vans, or working in sheltered workshops (typically 

referred to as community rehabilitation programs, or CRPs). Too often, 

when people with intellectual disabilities are seen in the community, they 

are seen in groups, physically present in the community but rarely 

interacting in typical ways with others (DiLeo, 2007). Hence, this 

perception assumes that gainful employment is not a possibility, 

promoting an image of charity rather than contribution. 

SUMMARY

Work is central to the American Dream and is instrumental to achieving 

lives of purpose and dignity. Research and demonstration initiatives 

have consistently shown that people with intellectual disabilities are 

capable of integrated employment in the community. Yet today, only 

22% of people with intellectual disabilities participate in supported 

employment programs in their communities compared with 79% of 

people who participate in the U.S. workforce. This disappointing reality 

costs the nation dearly in lost productivity as well as billions in publicly 

financed services. 
15

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Issue a Presidential Call to double the number of people with 

intellectual disabilities who are working in integrated jobs by 

2014. (Current estimates indicate that about 150,000 people 

with developmental disabilities are engaged in community 

employment, the vast majority of whom have an intellectual 

disability). 

Convene business, practitioners, providers, foundations, trade 

associations, government officials, families, and people with 

intellectual disabilities to craft and enable a plan for rapid 

expansion of integrated employment outcomes in the community. 

2. Create a national public awareness campaign to build a new 

wave of employment expectations. 

Establish and provide resources to create a comprehensive, crossagency marketing campaign to raise expectations and promote 

employment outcomes. Such an effort should include people with 

intellectual disabilities, families, employers, educators, and 

community leaders. 
16

II Evolving Policy and Legal Framework

POLICY DIRECTION

Employment rights for people with intellectual disabilities have been fully 

anchored in policy and law for more than a quarter century. Both 

embody an increasing emphasis on independence, productivity, and 

integration. Yet as noted in the previous chapter, barely one of every five 

people with intellectual disabilities is employed in their communities. 

Despite the clear policy intention, the goal of community employment for 

people with intellectual disabilities continues to face persistent barriers, 

including growing pressure on public resources, the categorical and 

short-term nature of many programs, poor awareness of individuals’ 

potential, and perhaps most significantly, the inertia caused by decades 

of institutionalization and other forms of segregation. 

This section relies heavily on Paul Wehman’s description of the policy 

and legal framework of employment for people with disabilities published 

in Chapter 8 of National Goals and Research for People with Intellectual 

and Developmental Disabilities (Wehman, Mank, Rogan, Luna, Kregel, 

Kiernan, et al, 2005). This policy and legal section describes the 

triangulating themes from the New Freedom Initiative, the Rehabilitation 

Act, the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, the 

Americans with Disabilities Act, the Workforce Investment Act, the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Ticket to Work and Work 

Incentives Improvement Act, and the U.S. Supreme Court’s Olmstead 

decision. 

• The New Freedom Initiative 

President Bush announced the New Freedom Initiative on February 

1, 2001, as part of a nationwide effort to remove barriers to 

community living for people with disabilities. The initiative is a 

clear plan to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to 

learn and develop skills, engage in productive work, make choices 

about their daily lives, and participate fully in community life. 

Several of its proposals affect federal policy as implemented by the 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including 

promoting full access to community living through swift 

implementation of Olmstead v. L.C. and E.W. (see page 18 hereof) 

and integrating Americans with disabilities into the workforce 

through swift implementation of the Ticket to Work and Work 

Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 (see page 18 hereof). 

• The Rehabilitation Act 

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and its amendments support local 
17

authorities to serve the employment needs of people with 

disabilities and focus on their transition from secondary education 

to adult life. It is the primary employment support resource for 

adults with disabilities. The 1998 amendments provide federal 

dollars, matched by state dollars, to all states to give people with 

developmental disabilities the opportunity to obtain employment 

and independent living assistance as needed. The vocational 

rehabilitation system no longer recognizes or pays for an outcome 

of segregated employment. 

• The Developmental Disabilities Act 

With the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights 

Act (DD Act) of 2000, Congress observed that national policy for 

people with disabilities should be characterized by independence, 

productivity, and integration. This legislation built on the 1984 

Developmental Disabilities Act, which for the first time focused on 

employment as an important hallmark of services for people with 

developmental disabilities. In fact, supported employment for 

people with developmental disabilities was first defined in the 1984 

law. 

• The Americans with Disabilities Act and Amendments 

Congress intended the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 

to end discrimination toward people with disabilities throughout 

society and encourage good jobs with adequate incomes. The ADA 

reflects the rights of persons with disabilities to be in the 

community. A year after its passage, a comprehensive set of federal 

regulations provided specific guidelines regarding accessibility, 

nondiscrimination, and greater access to workplaces, community 

facilities, public transportation, and telecommunications. 

Employment is a central focus of the ADA. In 2008, the ADA 

Amendments Act clarified the definition of disability and the 

intention of the Act to serve as a national mandate for elimination of 

discrimination, including discrimination in employment. 

• The Workforce Investment Act 

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 is the first major 

reform of the nation’s job training system since 1982. With its 

passage, Congress established a requirement that states and 

localities fully include and provide for appropriate accommodation 

for persons with disabilities. The WIA streamlined services 

through a one-stop employment service delivery system, 

empowered job seekers through information and access to training 

resources through individual training accounts, and improved 

youth programs. 
18

• The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act 

of 2004 

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as amended by the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 

(IDEIA), establishes clear expectations that are focused on 

enhancing the academic and functional achievement of children 

with disabilities, including children with intellectual disabilities, to 

facilitate the movement from school to post-school activities. 

These activities would include post-secondary education, 

vocational education, integrated employment (including supported 

employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, 

independent living, or community participation. 

• The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act 

(TWWIIA)

The Ticket to Work Program provides adults with disabilities ages 

18-64 who are receiving Social Security benefits more choices for 

receiving employment services. Under this program, the Social 

Security Administration issues tickets to eligible beneficiaries who, 

in turn, may choose to assign those tickets to an Employment 

Network (EN) of their choice to obtain employment services, 

vocational rehabilitation services, or other support services 

necessary to achieve a vocational goal. If they accept the ticket, 

the EN will coordinate and provide appropriate services to help the 

beneficiary find and maintain employment. 

Many persons with disabilities fear that, by taking any job that 

paid even a minimal income, they would lose their cash and 

medical benefits, which are vital to maintaining their lives. The 

TWWIIA provides incentives so that people with disabilities who are 

pursuing a vocational goal can keep their benefits, including 

medical coverage, while they prepare for work and for an extended 

period of time after beginning work. The TWWIIA also makes it 

easier for individuals who try to work, but are not successful, to 

start getting benefits again. By expanding the range of 

employment service providers and by creating incentives to make it 

possible for individuals to establish themselves in a job or career 

without risking their benefits, the TWWIIA ushered in a dramatic 

new era of work opportunities for persons with disabilities. 

• Olmstead v. L.C. and E.W.

The U.S. Supreme Court in 1999 ruled that public agencies are 

required to provide services to people with disabilities “in the most 

integrated setting appropriate to the needs.” The court ruled that 

this “integration mandate” specifically applies to persons living in 
19

institutional settings and is more recently being discussed in 

application to the right to community employment rather than 

segregated day settings. 

SUMMARY

The clear thrust of federal policy for people with intellectual disabilities 

during the past 40 years has been to promote employment outcomes and 

independent living. Legislation has addressed school-to-work transition, 

non-discrimination in the workplace, protection of health benefits 

provided through publicly insured programs, and service provision in the 

most inclusive settings possible. This policy and legislative direction 

exists alongside the facts about segregation and unemployment of people 

with intellectual disabilities. 

Despite the amount of legislation passed to promote employment, much 

work remains to be done to ensure implementation and the needed 

improvements of employment rates for persons with intellectual 

disabilities. The policy emphasis in the next decade should be geared 

toward full implementation of these laws and guidelines. 

RECOMMENDATIONS

3. Expand implementation of existing federal policy with a specific 

focus on employment outcomes. 

 Provide incentives to states to incorporate employment fully into 

the implementation of the Olmstead decision. 

 Develop—with the Social Security Administration and the 

Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, and 

Labor—a unified statement emphasizing employment of people 

with intellectual disabilities. 

4. Continue to invest in the New Freedom Initiative. 

 Continue investment in the New Freedom Initiative, creating 

incentives to states to rapidly expand employment outcomes. 

 Establish a task force to study the most successful states, 

compared to the least successful states in the nation, in order to 

create a plan for nationwide improvements in employment 

outcomes. 
20

III Employment Practices 

FOUR AMERICAN WORKERS

In 2001, a staff member of the Oregon Health Sciences University 

Center on Self-Determination approached Michael Powell, owner of 

the legendary Powell’s “City of Books” in Portland, Oregon. Andy—

who speaks with facial expressions and movement but not words—

wanted a job working with books. He had volunteered at his local 

community library and his high school library. Andy has since 

experienced his ideal job, receiving books into the store database 

and scanning them for the store inventory. He is held to the same 

expectations as his co-workers, and as with all employees, is 

required to adhere to company policies....Says Powell of Andy’s 

contribution: “His dedication and diligence serve as a reminder that 

a job is more than just a paycheck....Andy has been an inspiration 

to all of us.” 

Soon after Dan was born in 1969 with Down syndrome, a doctor 

recommended withholding a lifesaving medical procedure. When his 

parents refused, the doctor advised placement in a state institution. 

But Dan’s family had other plans. They mobilized their strong 

family unit and support from teachers, job coaches, and counselors, 

as well as Dan’s own strong work ethic. In addition to creating an 

environment where the people in Dan’s life learned to see his 

abilities, this effort led to a job in the Microsoft mail room in 

Bellevue, Washington. Dan loved his work and was the fastest and 

most accurate mail sorter in the company. He worked at Microsoft 

for more than 14 years, until only five days before his death from 

heart disease at age 36. On the day Dan died, Microsoft flew its 

flag at half-staff.

Marty was diagnosed with mild intellectual disability, but the 

disability that seemed to present the most formidable barrier 

between him and others was a severe hearing loss that made it 

difficult for him to understand and communicate. While participating 

in a pre-vocational day program following high school, Marty was 

recommended for a job at the Scotch N’Sirloin restaurant in Buffalo, 

New York. The skills demanded in the job were a perfect fit. Marty 

also found a supporter in the restaurant’s general manager. He had 

grown-up with a friend who was deaf and became instrumental in 

modeling communications so coworkers could understand Marty and 
21

get to know him. Today—20 years later—Marty still works at the 

restaurant and is known for being an extrovert who is always telling 

stories and relating events. 

Casey is a citizen member of the President’s Committee for People 

with Intellectual Disabilities, an Eagle Scout, and an Honorary 

Deputy Sheriff in his home town of North Fort Meyers, Florida. He 

started working while still in high school with a job at Daddy Dee’s 

Ice Cream Parlor and at a local Gap store. Since graduation, he has 

worked as a clerical assistant for the Lee County Justice Center and 

has attended community college. In his personal statement to 

employers, Casey expresses his desire to be “an asset to your 

organization because I am a dedicated employee. It is important to 

me to be a productive and loyal member of a team and to do my best 

for you. I have very good people skills. I am outgoing, friendly, 

respectful, mannerly, and upbeat. I can perform repetitive tasks 

with satisfaction. But I welcome new responsibilities, and once I 

learn them, I perform them independently.” Because employers and 

co-workers have focused on his qualities, strengths, and loyalty—

and not on his Down syndrome—he has proudly attained his goal of 

becoming an independent, productive, tax-paying citizen.

Andy, Dan, Marty, and Casey were fortunate to seek employment in a 

period when many employers, large and small, are thinking in an open 

and creative way about the capabilities and contributions of people with 

intellectual disabilities in the workforce. This approach capitalizes on 

the strengths of people with intellectual disabilities and brings new 

possibilities for reciprocal alliances with the business community. A 

federal agency, the Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment 

Policy (ODEP) has, since 2001, supported this direction by developing 

and promoting evidence-based disability employment policies and 

practices. Its vision is to create workplaces where people with disabilities 

have “unlimited employment opportunities.” ODEP promotes customized 

employment, self-direction, and self-sufficiency (Griffin, Hammis, Geary 

& Sullivan, 2008; Elinson, Frey, Li, Palan & Horne, 2008). 

COMING INTO THE MAINSTREAM

From the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the 1830s to the advent of 

the mini-computer in the 1960s, “standardization” drove growth in the 

American economy. This pattern pushed to the margins anyone outside 

the mainstream, including people with intellectual disabilities. But as 

our society has undergone an economic paradigm shift—from an 
22

industrial model to one centered on information, technology, and 

networks—we have developed a more complex understanding of the wide 

range of intellectual disabilities and of capacities for personal 

development and meaningful work. 

People with intellectual disabilities are productive, loyal employees when 

they have employment opportunities suited to their capabilities and 

interests, much as those without a label of disabilities. It is also true 

that people with intellectual disabilities today excel in many jobs that 

were once considered closed to them. The questions public policy 

makers and employers ask in providing employment opportunities for 

people with intellectual disabilities are changing from “what 

accommodations do we provide?” to “what investments do we make to 

help these employees be most successful?” In other words, they address 

success regarding all employees. 

As employers discover the value of the contributions people with 

intellectual disabilities can bring to the workforce, they are showing an 

eagerness to customize opportunities. People with intellectual 

disabilities are also beginning to create and run their own small 

businesses. New employment enhancements and supports are helping 

people stay in their jobs. Technology solutions now make it possible for 

people with physical, sensory, and intellectual disabilities to perform 

valued work in new ways. All of these developments have the potential to 

break through the painful reality of unemployment and 

underemployment of people with intellectual disabilities—to the great 

benefit of all who participate in America’s economic life (Mank, 2007). 

Services provided by programs such as the Job Accommodation Network 

(JAN), funded by ODEP, help employers determine practical, low-cost, 

and sometimes no-cost reasonable accommodations to help support 

workers with intellectual and other disabilities 

(http://www.jan.wvu.edu). 

A RANGE OF EMPLOYERS

Walgreens. Starbucks. The Boeing Co. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Microsoft 

Corp. Highmark, Inc. WellPoint Inc. CVS/Pharmacy. These large 

corporations and hundreds more successfully employ people with 

intellectual disabilities. These opportunities are emerging as a result of 

new employer relationships (Luecking, Fabian & Tilson 2004, Luecking, 

2008). 
23

Julia, who was born with Down syndrome, is one of more than a hundred 

employees of the Walgreens Distribution Center in Anderson, South 

Carolina, who has some type of physical or cognitive disability.”I’ve found 

what I want,” she says of her full-time position. The company announced 

in 2007 that it intended to fill about a third of the anticipated 800 jobs at 

the new center with people with disabilities. As reported on ABC news, 

the outreach to people with disabilities is encouraged by Randy Lewis, the 

company’s senior vice president of distribution and logistics, whose son 

has autism. In Anderson County, the rate of employment for people with 

disabilities is close to 90%. The policy at the Anderson distribution center 

is being duplicated at a network of Walgreens distribution centers across 

the country. 

Courtney works for a Starbucks in Seattle with a job coach who signs, 

assists her in learning new tasks, and helps her find her way around the 

store. Courtney washes dishes, works at the condiment bar, keeps the 

lobby clean, and particularly enjoys grinding coffee for COW—the coffee of 

the week promotion. As Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz explains, “We’re 

in a position where we have to hire a lot of people. And we’ve benefited 

from hiring people with certain disabilities who have added value to the 

company and have done a great job....This program has generated so 

much good will inside our company and with our customers. Working 

alongside people with disabilities benefits the people working next to them. 

They learn something about life, about other human beings. I think it has 

opened up a whole new world for us.” 

The Boeing Co. discovered the potential and contributions of people with 

intellectual disabilities more than 20 years ago, and the company has its 

own department designed to bring people with disabilities into its 

workforce. 

Wal-Mart hires people with intellectual disabilities at its distribution 

centers and in other operations and is sharing its experience with other 

corporations across the United States. 

People with intellectual disabilities are also being welcomed into the 

workplace by small businesses: 

Jesse has always had trouble staying still—a characteristic of his autism. 

Fortunately, he has outlets for his restive nature in the myriad jobs that 

need doing on Tide Mill Farm on Maine’s magnificent Cobscook Bay. 

Jesse’s family has worked the farm for nine generations, most recently 

raising organic chickens, cows, pigs, and vegetables. Jesse carries grain 

and water in a utility vehicle to chickens and pigs. He wraps huge silage 

bales for storage, and he splits and hauls firewood to warm the 
24

greenhouse. Jesse is restoring a 1953 Studebaker pick-up truck like one 

that was used on the farm in the 1960s. He owns his own home on the 

family spread. And he still finds time to volunteer for his local fire 

department.

In the non-profit sector, Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital Medical Center 

launched a highly successful strategy in Project SEARCH, an initiative 

originally developed to recruit people with developmental disabilities for 

jobs stocking supplies and delivering mail across the hospital’s large 

campus. The initiative expanded quickly: the hospital was soon working 

with several agencies and managing a team of job coaches. Several other 

health care facilities came on board, along with local businesses 

including banks and retail stores. Program Director J. Erin Riehle 

reports, “Our approach creates internal advocates for disability 

employment.” Project Search is now national in scale and is a strategy 

adopted in a number of states 

(http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/svc/alpha/p/search/). 

Public sector agencies were early to welcome workers with intellectual 

disabilities: 

When Michelle graduated from high school in 2000, she was already 

settled into a job she loved at the Oregon State Department of Human 

Services Office of Disability Services. At first shy and “frightened about 

work,” she relied on guidance from a job coach and coworkers who were 

eager to carve-out tasks and help her organize her workday by breaking 

down complex tasks into manageable pieces and tracking them with 

checklists. Her job for the state has expanded and now involves compiling 

complex copying, faxing, and mailing projects—some involving individual 

mailings of hundreds of pieces. She works full-time, lives independently, 

has an active social life, and participates in the Special Olympics. 

Public sector initiatives have proven effective in the employment of 

individuals with a range of intellectual disabilities. For example, Mank, 

O’Neill and Jensen (1998) report outcomes of employment in a 

metropolitan county government that were nearly double the 

employment outcomes nationally for people with intellectual disabilities. 

DISCOVERING ABILITIES 

Today a range of services is available to help job seekers who have 

intellectual disabilities discover their strengths and the ways they can be 

mobilized on behalf of employers’ goals. This process and assessment 

typically build on individual life experiences, interests, and preferences. 

Such “person-centered planning” creates job situations, when the 
25

policies of the past usually tried to match people with intellectual 

disabilities into any jobs that were available. This process of “discovery” 

has been well developed in recent years and is being adopted nationwide 

(Callahan & Condon, 2007). 

Closely related to person-centered planning is customized employment, 

the goal of which is to find opportunities that meet the individual needs 

of both job-seekers and employers. The goal of this approach is to 

individualize the relationship between job seekers and employers so that 

it meets the needs of both. 

EMPLOYMENT SUPPORTS

Often people with intellectual disabilities require some type of 

employment supports—the formal and informal activities at any job that 

enable people to be successful in their work. Supports can be internal 

and external to the job. They should make use of what is already in the 

workplace or can be adapted there. External supports—instruction, 

transportation, etc.—can be added to the work environment as needed. 

Assistive technology solutions for creating and supporting quality 

employment are emerging rapidly (Davies, 2008). Cognitive and 

rehabilitation technologies and software restore or improve memory and 

cognitive functioning. Personalized icons and pictures allow for easier 

sequencing of work tasks and provide reminders. Small personal digital 

assistants and “smart phones” allow individuals with intellectual 

disabilities to follow and stay on schedules. Simplified formats provide 

for ease of communication and use of email and the internet. Virtual 

assistants, along with global positioning systems, allow use of public 

transportation. An individual can use such technology at work, at home, 

and in any other environment. 

Technology enhances social skills training. Prompting technology with 

these small devices encourages independent work performance. Many of 

these advances in technology exist in small devices similar to the 

ubiquitous presence of iPods, cell phones, smart phones, and personal 

digital assistants. These devices are widely available and while they may 

be specialized in their use, they appear no different from the devices used 

by the majority of Americans in their day-to-day lives. 

The successes and benefits of these approaches are well-established in 

research and in demonstration projects. Further, when assistance and 

support is provided to employees with intellectual disabilities, tax 

revenue rises and society benefits as well. 
26

SELF-EMPLOYMENT

The federal Office of Disability Employment Policy 

(http://www.dol.gov/odep/) considers self-employment to be an 

employment alternative for individuals seeking a new or better career. 

The more than 20 million small businesses in the United States 

collectively are the largest employers in the nation. Self-employment is 

the ultimate customizing of a job, based on passion for a particular 

mission as well as personal interests, abilities, and skills. 

Today, many job seekers with intellectual disabilities are discovering that 

creating one’s own business means total flexibility to meet career 

aspirations and financial goals (Griffin & Hammis, 2003). People who are 

self-employed have increased latitude to define their working hours, 

types of supports, and financial goals. For people with intellectual 

disabilities—as well as those who launch their own businesses—success 

in self-employment requires supports from people and structures that 

can assist in business and financial planning. 

When Logan was 16, she suffered a heart attack and fell into a coma. 

When she woke up, she couldn’t hold up her head, talk, or swallow, and 

she had to relearn the most basic skills. She had always loved clothes, 

and when she returned home from the hospital after seven months, she 

decided the world needed a magazine for young women, like her, with 

disabilities. Her motto: “Do your makeup still. Do your hair still. Keep 

living!” To build her business, Logan learned to project her voice and 

speak more clearly during presentations about the magazine. She learned 

to complete order forms and schedule meetings using a day planner, and 

she worked hard at writing clearly. Today she and her mother, Laurie, 

run Logan Magazine—a publication that features fashion, articles on 

“cheap chic,” inspirational stories, and tools for living such as cosmetics 

that work for women with fine motor impairments.

Daniel always liked using tools. Eight years ago, his high school 

suggested he use his skills to build houses for mountain blue birds 

because recent wildfires that had swept through Washington’s 

Leavenworth Valley had driven nearly all of them away. An expert on 

mountain blue birds came to school, and Daniel’s whole class became 

involved in the project. In the eight years since, Daniel has built more than 

1,000 bird houses, which hang throughout the valley. He builds the 
27

houses at home and in the community at the annual Leavenworth Bird 

Festival, doing more than 90% of the work himself. The National Park 

Service is now buying his birdhouses. Daniel, who can create four of the 

houses a day, is planning to expand to building houses for ducks and 

bats. 

STATE INITIATIVES

Several states have committed to an Employment First philosophy for 

programs for people with intellectual disabilities—recognizing 

employment as the preferred outcome for supports and services. For 

example, Minnesota convened stakeholders to establish a priority for 

more rapid development of supported and customized employment 

(Minnesota Department of Human Services, 2007). Indiana launched 

Vision 2010, a policy emphasizing integrated employment outcomes over 

segregated services and unemployment. Washington established the 

Working Age Adult Policy, reflecting the expectation that people with 

developmental and intellectual disabilities will work in community 

settings or be on a pathway toward community employment (Washington 

State Division of Developmental Disabilities, 2006). 

The expanding commitment to employment occurring in states is 

reinforced by the work of national organizations. For example, the 

Association for Persons in Supported Employment (APSE): The Network 

on Employment—a membership organization that works to improve 

integrated employment opportunities, services, and outcomes for people 

with disabilities—helped sponsor a “change forum” in 2008 in Kansas 

City to encourage and support state expansion of integrated employment 

programs. 

These efforts, while not yet widespread, are built on the growing 

expectation of employment and economic freedom by people with 

disabilities. They recognize that full participation in the nation’s 

workforce is now more possible than at any time in history. 

RECOMMENDATIONS

5. Create employer incentives and employer demonstrations. 

 Convene business leaders and administration officials to develop a 

plan for specific goals and incentives to the business community 

for employment outcomes. 

 Create tax incentives for large and small businesses, including a 

permanent tax credit for hiring people with intellectual disabilities. 
28

 Develop dissemination strategies to inform people with intellectual 

disabilities and their families about such initiatives—reaching out 

across age, gender, race, and ethnicity. 

6. Promote employment of people with intellectual disabilities in 

the public sector workforce. 

 Create an administrative initiative and specific mechanisms within 

the federal Office of Personnel Management to employ people with 

intellectual disabilities. 

 Convene state government leaders and human resource 

departments to encourage creation of state-level priorities and 

methods for employing people with intellectual disabilities in state 

and local government structures. 

 Develop dissemination strategies to inform people with intellectual 

disabilities and their families about such initiatives—across age, 

gender, race, and ethnicity. 

7. Promote large-scale demonstration projects based on innovations 

 of the last 10 years. 

 Create incentives for states to fully implement a policy to achieve 

employment outcomes in large geographic areas or across entire 

states. 

 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, in consultation 

with the Office of Disability Employment Policy, should fund 

national customized demonstration projects, with the goal of 

encouraging expanded, evidence-based use of customized 

employment strategies.

8. Endorse and expand state Employment First agendas. 

 Create fiscal incentives through the Federal Departments of Labor 

and Education for states’ expansion of employment outcomes. 

 Through the Office of Disability Employment Policy, convene 

stakeholders in the public and private sectors to endorse and 

facilitate implementation of the Employment First agenda. 
29

IV Building an Education, a Resume, and Experience 

Business leadership and corporate initiatives, customized and supported 

employment, business ownerships, and the emergence of assistive 

technologies all provide the tools for inviting the contributions of people 

with intellectual disabilities and for creating vastly improved employment 

outcomes. Individuals with intellectual disabilities are ready to work 

when appropriate technological and other supports are provided as 

needed, to facilitate ongoing employment, career success, and economic 

self-sufficiency. 

Evidence-based research has confirmed that the benefits of employment—

income, dignity, socialization, and independence—are conferred on all 

workers, including those with intellectual disabilities. The ways people 

become and remain employed are common among all population groups. 

It is also critical, at an individual level, to promote the building of an 

education, a resume, and work experience for individuals to become 

gainfully employed. People with intellectual disabilities need 

opportunities for career development through access to the same 

“resume-building” experiences as others in the workforce. These 

strategies include: promoting successful transition from school to 

employment (Hartwig & Sitlington, 2008); providing opportunities for 

internships while still in school (Getzel & Briel, 2008); promoting postsecondary education (Blumberg, Daley & Yau, 2008); and use of volunteer 

opportunities to build experience (Bazilio-Bellegarde & Brandenburg, 

2008). 

TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL TO EMPLOYMENT

Education that will promote a valued role in society and in the workplace 

is essential for long-term success, regardless of career goals. Successful 

transition programs for people with intellectual disabilities have emerged 

in many states across the country. They include such elements as 

employment services (job-finding and placement), vocational and on-thejob training, post-secondary and other education services, counseling, 

and transportation. The most effective transition programs emphasize a 

forward-looking and practical approach to a curriculum and experiences 

that lead to employment. 

Leaving high school is an important time for anyone—no less so for 

young people, up to age 21, who have intellectual disabilities. 
30

Noah was attending high school in Orchard Park, New York, when he had 

the good fortune to connect with a school-to-work program offered by a 

local human services agency, People Inc. Diagnosed with Asperger’s 

syndrome and other intellectual disabilities, Noah benefited from a range 

of agency services that nurtured him and encouraged his independence. 

While he was still in school, the staff worked with him five days a week, 

exploring careers and touring local businesses. After Noah graduated in 

2001, the agency supported his participation in internships at a local toy 

store and a hotel, and it helped him attend classes at local community 

colleges. In 2007, Noah found work as a security guard—a job in which 

he has done well with the help of an employment specialist. Today he 

enjoys living in his own apartment. 

Successful transition is rooted first in a belief that an individual with an 

intellectual disability can be employed. As such, the skills of selfdirection and self-advocacy and planning must be incorporated 

throughout every student’s curriculum. Schools must emphasize 

employment choices and career development for their transition-age 

youth (broadly defined as ages 16-24) as well as provide work 

experiences. 

Research shows that one of the best predictors of employment beyond 

the school years is the number and variety of work experiences while in 

school. Indeed, some transition programs are now focused on ensuring 

that the last few years of special education focus entirely on job and 

community experience and practical skill-building if employment is the 

immediate goal after high school rather than post-secondary education. 

Darnell, an 18-year-old student with developmental disabilities, is 

employed in the Mississippi Model Youth Transition Innovation, part of the 

Social Security Administration’s Youth Transition Demonstration Project. 

Darnell and his mother wanted him to have an opportunity to work as 

other students his age, contributing to the community. While his teachers 

and some of his family were doubtful of his likelihood of success in 

competitive employment, Darnell proved he is capable of independent 

employment by customizing his job. He has been employed as a customer 

service associate by a local retail shoe store since November 2004. His 

duties are to label oversize shoe boxes so customers can find them on the 

shelves more easily. He also maintains display cases and does general 

store maintenance. His duties have expanded to greeting and assisting 

customers. During the school year, he works three hours a day, four days 

a week. He returns to school each day to share with his classmates and 

teachers his new independence. 
31

INTERNSHIPS

Students with and without disabilities benefit from the opportunities to 

explore business and industry while they are still in school. Internships 

create opportunities for students to engage in several kinds of 

employment to build a resume of work experiences, discover what they 

do best, and make informed choices about the kind of work and work 

situations they want to pursue in a career. 

Sarah has achieved a goal that would be the envy of many young people: 

She turned her unpaid internship at a place where she loved to work to a 

paid job that was waiting for her when she graduated from high school. 

She first connected to her employer, Recreation Equipment Inc. (REI), 

through the Lake Washington School District Transition Academy in 

suburban Seattle. The next summer, the King County Developmental 

Disability Division School to Work Program found her a paid internship at 

REI, which led to a paid, part-time job. During this time, Sarah progressed 

from cleaning changing rooms to working in merchandizing. A picture of 

her proudly holding her first paycheck ran in a local newspaper. 

POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

Post-secondary education has not often been offered to individuals with 

intellectual disabilities, even though it is a sound choice for some. Citing 

2004 data from the U.S. Department of Education, the National Council 

on Disability reports that, of more than 15 million students enrolled in 

secondary or postsecondary vocational and technical education courses 

nationwide, barely one million were individuals with disabilities (NCD, 

2008). Research on employment indicates that youth with disabilities 

who receive post-secondary education are more likely to be competitively 

employed and have higher earnings than peers who do not have postsecondary education. According to one study, 139 two- or four-year 

institutions of higher learning in 36 states provide some type of postsecondary programs for students with intellectual disabilities 

(ThinkCollege.net). 

Several states have begun to explore ways to make post-secondary 

education available. For example, the College of New Jersey offers 

education to people with intellectual disabilities through peer mentors 

and individually tailored coursework. Mentors model social and 

academic engagement and provide other academic supports. 

Coursework might include career planning, assistive technology, social 

skills, health and wellness, and training in new technologies, along with 

internships in employment settings. The Higher Education Opportunity 
32

Act of 2008 provides students with intellectual disabilities opportunities 

that can create pathways to new and non-traditional employment. 

Zach, who has Down syndrome, could boast of many achievements by the 

time he turned 19: climbing the Great Wall of China, coaching hockey 

games, and being king of his prom. His busy life has recently entered a 

new phase: attendance at a special-needs program at Elgin Community 

College in Illinois. He will continue to live at home while he pursues the 

two-year program, but after graduation, he may attend another college 

and live on campus. His mother gives credit to “out-of-the-box” thinkers 

on Zach’s high school faculty for some of the success he has had in school. 

Sometimes, all that was needed was a simple intervention, such as putting 

his school work into a larger font.

VOLUNTEERING

Volunteering to be of service in one’s community can be a tool to build a 

resume and skills, a way to test how individual interests and abilities can 

be applied in the workplace, and an opportunity to discover one’s own 

preferences for various kinds of work. It can confer social, emotional, 

and even physical benefits, consequently bringing great personal 

fulfillment. Within a career development context, volunteering time and 

talents through community service is but one of a series of important 

steps that must be taken on the path toward economic independence. 

Particularly when volunteerism is combined with service learning, new 

skill acquisition is likely, thereby making people more competitive in the 

workplace. 

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), a federal 

agency, is one exemplary mechanism for promoting and facilitating 

volunteerism in communities of every size across the country through 

grant programs and partnerships with national, state, and local 

organizations. CNCS promotes countless ways in which ALL Americans 

of all backgrounds and ages, including those with intellectual disabilities, 

may give back to their communities. In fact, every year, it dedicates 

several million dollars in funding to promote community service by 

people with all types of disabilities (http://www.serviceAndInclusion.org. 

or http://ww.nationalservice.gov). 

SUMMARY

The same creative approaches that prepare the general population for the 

world of work—career planning and exploration, internships, and 

volunteering—help transition students with intellectual disabilities into 

the workforce. Outcome-focused efforts are needed to build careerfocused initiatives. 
33

RECOMMENDATIONS

9. Promote national and community service for young people, fully 

integrating young adults with intellectual disabilities in the 

effort, as a means for transition to adult life. 

Work with the Corporation for National and Community Service to 

expand service projects incorporating young people with intellectual 

disabilities from all backgrounds. 

10. Expand investment in the Individuals with Disabilities 

Education Improvement Act of 2004 and the Rehabilitation 

Act’s focus on transition plans for all youth with intellectual 

 disabilities, including full federal funding of the Act. 

 Develop and implement strategies to promote quality, careerfocused outcomes in post-secondary education and employment in 

coordination with the Rehabilitation Services Administration, the 

Social Security Administration, and the Centers for Medicare and 

Medicaid Services. 

 Ensure that competitive employment is included as a goal in 

transition plans for all youth with intellectual disabilities. 

 Develop dissemination strategies to reinforce to the public sector 

the communication, information, and physical access standards of 

the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the Rehabilitation Act. 
34

V Family and Systemic Supports 

For all of us, employment exists in the context of the rest of our lives. 

We incorporate our work within the complexities of day-to-day living, our 

families, our household budgets, transportation needs, priorities, and 

much more. 

For people with intellectual disabilities, placing work within this context 

can be a complicated challenge. They often need services and supports 

for transportation or assistance. Government benefits and programs, 

while numerous, provide a dizzying array of possible benefits and are 

difficult to understand and access (Morris, 2008). These programs have 

not succeeded, overall, in promoting full employment for people with 

intellectual disabilities. 

The following is only a partial list of programs that people with 

intellectual disabilities and their families must navigate to secure 

community employment and financial independence. Some of these 

supports go directly to families; others come in the form of payments to 

service providers. 

• Medicare and Medicaid—These huge federal programs provide 

publicly financed health services to different populations of people 

with disabilities. Medicaid also covers the cost of a range of 

supports that enable people with disabilities to live in community 

settings instead of institutions and encourage employment with 

personal assistance, training, and outreach services. 

• Food stamps—Another federal program, food stamps are usually 

offered as part of general benefit packages for families living below 

and near the federal poverty level. 

• Subsidized housing—The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban 

Development administers programs that provide benefits to people 

who live in public housing developments and who qualify for 

“Section 8” housing vouchers. Local housing authorities 

implement these programs at the community level. 

• Supplemental Security Income—SSI provided cash benefits to 

more than a million people with intellectual disabilities in 2007 

(SSI Annual Statistical Report, 2007). The share of SSI 

beneficiaries who worked that year ranged from a low of 2.7% in 

Kentucky to a high of 18.5% in North Dakota. A significant work 
35

incentive built into SSI is its pairing with eligibility for Medicaid 

benefits, which remain in force despite earned income. 

• Social Security Disability Insurance—SSDI pays benefits to 

people who have worked and paid into the Social Security system 

but are unable to work at a substantial gainful activity level for a 

year or more because of a disability. In 2007, more than 338,000 

people with intellectual disabilities received benefits under this 

program. SSDI also pays benefits to disabled adult children and 

disabled surviving spouses of eligible workers. In 2007, more than 

367,000 disabled adult children and 9,000 disabled surviving 

spouses with intellectual disabilities received SSDI benefits 

(Annual Statistical Report on the Social Security Disability 

Insurance Program, 2007).

• Vocational rehabilitation—Recipients of SSI or SSDI are eligible 

to receive state-federal vocational rehabilitation (VR) services to 

help them enter or re-enter the workforce. VR services are usually 

time-limited and typically include training, higher education, 

counseling, assistive technology, transportation assistance 

(including assistance in using public transportation), as well as 

transition services for transition-age youth and supported 

employment. 

• Developmental disabilities agencies—Public “DD” agencies, 

which are often part of state and county governments, authorize 

eligibility for publicly financed services and provide funding 

authorizations to private, non-profit agencies that assist 

individuals with disabilities in choosing appropriate employment, 

building job skills, and acquiring the training and support they 

need to maintain a job. 

For people with intellectual disabilities and their advocates, the rules 

governing these programs can be impenetrable. They change over time 

and across jurisdictions. Information can be difficult to obtain, much 

less interpret. Rules designed to encourage people with intellectual 

disabilities to work are not only difficult to understand but are also 

difficult to administer. Recognition that change is needed is evident from 

the Social Security Administration’s Fiscal Year 2008-2013 Strategic 

Plan. An objective includes simplification of work incentive programs to 

“make it easier for disabled individuals to return to work” 

(http://www.ssa.gov/strategicplan). 
36

Some programs require limits on assets and incomes that may keep even 

full-time workers living at or near the poverty level (Morris, 2008). SSI, 

for example, is subject to income ceilings—commonly called “break-even 

points”—that vary based on individual case circumstances. SSI also 

limits recipients to owning only $2,000 in liquid assets. Many advocates 

for people with intellectual disabilities have urged the removal of income 

limits on earnings and accumulation of assets for people so they don’t 

present a barrier to employment. 

Few comprehensive studies have addressed how public and private 

programs for people with intellectual disabilities can be aligned with 

employment goals and incentives. It is clear that these federal programs 

must be considered together rather than separately in seeking to 

promote employment. In particular, the inter-relationships of SSI, SSDI, 

Medicaid and Medicare must be recognized and addressed to align these 

programs with worthy employment outcomes. 

Lindsay has an intellectual disability and is receiving Supplemental 

Security Income payments from Social Security (SSA). She lives with her 

parents and was in the Transition Program at the local high school. 

Lindsay assigned her Ticket (from SSA’s Ticket to Work Program) to an 

Employment Network called Career Connection in September 2004. She 

began working at Togo’s Eatery, successfully completed her probationary 

period and is working full-time. The Employment Network not only helped 

her prepare for and find her job, but it also helped her arrange 

transportation to and from work. It helped her understand her reporting 

responsibilities, SSA’s work incentives, and how work affects her SSI 

benefits. Lindsay is such an excellent employee that when the 

owner/manager is out of the office, Lindsay is the acting manager. Her 

employers are very satisfied with her abilities, attendance, and customer 

service skills. Although she is still receiving SSI, she has been able to 

reduce her dependence on public benefits. 

The program that has the greatest impact on the lives of people with 

intellectual disabilities is Medicaid. Since 1981, the Medicaid Home and 

Community Based Services (HCBS) Waiver has channeled resources to 

states to increase reliance on community-based, rather than institutional 

services for individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families. 

Today, Medicaid finances more than half of all family support services in 

the country, including “case management, homemaker assistance, home 

health aides, personal care, residential and day habilitation, 

transportation, supported employment, home modification, occupational, 

speech, physical, and behavioral therapy, and family support and respite 

care” (Braddock, 2008). 
37

As noted earlier, most state spending on programs for people with 

intellectual and developmental disabilities supports non-employment and 

segregation rather than integration and productivity. A shift in emphasis 

to achieving employment outcomes in community settings would lead the 

way for other state and local agencies with vocational rehabilitation and 

developmental disabilities resources to focus on employment. 

SUMMARY

People with intellectual disabilities and their families must navigate an 

intricate web of public and private support programs that provide 

essential services but can actually present barriers to community 

employment. Changes in the largest support program, Medicaid, and the 

realignment of the focus of all state and local day programs to 

community employment would have the greatest impact in achieving 

favorable employment outcomes. 

RECOMMENDATIONS

11. Expand investment in the Rehabilitation Services 

 Administration related to funding supports for transition from 

 school to adult life. 

Issue U.S. Department of Education guidance encouraging the use of 

vocational rehabilitation funds to support students with intellectual 

disabilities in transition to employment and post-secondary education 

programs, including higher education, from as early as age 14. 

12. Increase incentives to work and remove income limits 

 governing benefit programs for people with intellectual 

 disabilities, and promote these incentives. 

 Create a federal interagency workgroup to develop a coordinated 

and comprehensive approach focused on incentives for economic 

empowerment. 

 Work with the Social Security Administration to refine work 

incentive policies. 

 Expand Medicaid “buy-in” provisions, which allow states to 

expand program benefits to workers with disabilities whose 

incomes would otherwise make them ineligible, thus protecting 

health care benefits. 

 Provide tax incentives, to individuals and families, for employment 

support services such as personal assistance, transportation, and 
38

assistive technology. 

 Establish public-private partnerships to support people with 

intellectual disabilities during transition from school to adult life. 

13. Refocus existing resources to promote integrated employment. 

 Work with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 

related to Medicaid waivers to promote community outcomes 

rather than services in segregated settings. 

 Develop and facilitate implementation of educational programs that 

are culturally sensitive and likely to increase positive outcomes in 

the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. 
39

PCPID Citizen Members

Steven C. Rhatigan, Chair

The Woodlands, Texas

Berthy De La Rosa-Aponte

Cooper City, Florida

Sambhu N. Banik

Bethesda, Maryland

Riccardo Barraza, Jr.

El Paso, Texas

James M. Boles

Amherst, New York

Stephanie Preshong Brown

Palm City, Florida

Eric Lee Cole

Kensington, Maryland

Olegario "Ollie” D. Cantos VII

Arlington, Virginia

Sharman Word Dennis

Washington, D.C.

William J. Edwards

Los Angeles, California

Carmela Vargas Gonzales

Taos, New Mexico

Harris N. Hollin

Palm Beach, Florida

Casey O’Halloran

North Fort Myers, Florida

Thomas James Reilly

Wyomissing, Pennsylvania

Mary Margaret Sharp-Pucci

Batavia, Illinois
40

Linda Hampton Starnes

Longwood, Florida

Dallas "Rob” Sweezy

Centerville, Virginia

William E. Tienken

Clarendon Hills, Illinois

Eric Treat

Conway, Arkansas

Charlie Weis

Granger, Indiana

Mary Ellen Zeppuhar

Morgantown, West Virginia
41

PCPID Ex-Officio Members

The Commissioner of the U.S. Social Security Administration

The Honorable Michael J. Astrue

Represented by: Richard E. Balkus, Associate Commissioner for 

Program Development and Research

The Attorney General

The Honorable Michael Mukasey

Represented by: Mark Gross, Deputy Chief, Appellate Section, Civil 

Rights Division

U.S. Department of Justice

The Secretary of the Interior

The Honorable Dirk Kempthorne

Represented by: Harry A. Rainbolt, Special Assistant to the Deputy 

Director for Indian Services

Department of the Interior

The Secretary of Commerce

The Honorable Carlos M. Gutierrez

Represented by: Patrick Leahy, Director of Legislative Affairs

U.S. Department of Commerce

The Secretary of Labor

The Honorable Elaine L. Chao

Represented by: Neil Romano, Assistant Secretary, Office of Disability 

Employment Policy; Christopher Button, Supervisory Policy Adviser, 

ODEP; Susan Picerno, Policy Adviser, ODEP

U.S. Department of Labor

The Secretary of Health and Human Services

The Honorable Michael O. Leavitt

Represented by: Margaret Giannini, Director, Office on Disability

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

The Honorable Steven Preston

Represented by: Stephen Hollingshead, Senior Advisor to the Secretary, 

and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
42

The Secretary of Transportation

The Honorable Mary E. Peters

Represented by: Caffin Gordon, Associate Director for Policy and Quality 

Control, Departmental Office of Civil Rights

U.S. Department of Transportation

The Secretary of Education

The Honorable Margaret Spellings

Represented by: Tracy Justesen, Assistant Secretary for Special 

Education and Rehabilitative Services; RoseAnn Ashby, Office of Special 

Education and Rehabilitative Services, Team Leader, Rehabilitative 

Services Administration, National Institute on Disability and 

Rehabilitation Research Policy Team

U.S. Department of Education

The Secretary of Homeland Security 

The Honorable Michael Chertoff

Represented by: Margaret Schaefer, Disability Policy Adviser

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

The Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and 

Community Services 

The Honorable David Eisner

Represented by: Jewel Bazilio-Bellegarde, Senior Training and Disability 

Inclusion Officer, the Corporation for National and Community Service

The Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 

The Honorable Naomi C. Earp

Represented by: Mary Kay Mauren, Senior Attorney and Adviser

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

The Chair of the National Council on Disability

The Honorable John R. Vaughn, Chair

PCPID STAFF

Sally Atwater, Executive Director

Laverdia Taylor Roach, Project Officer, PCPID 2009 Report to the 

President

Kodie Ruzicka, Program Specialist
43

Sheila Whittaker, Program Assistant

Madjid Karimi, Executive Director Assistant
44

Acknowledgments

The members and the staff of The President’s Committee for People with 

Intellectual Disabilities wish to acknowledge and express appreciation for 

the support and contributions of the following persons who helped shape 

this document.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2008, OFFICE OF DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT 

POLICY – PCPID FORUM PRESENTERS:

Sambhu N. Banik

President

Banik & Associates 

Washington, D.C.

Intellectual, Vocational, and Rehabilitative Assessment

Jewel Bazilio-Bellegarde and Gayann Brandenburg

Senior Training and Disability Inclusion Officer, Corporation for National 

and Community Service

Director, Corporation for National Service Program

Denver, Colorado

The Value of Volunteerism as a Path to Employment of People with 

Intellectual Disabilities

Joyce A. Bender

Founder and CEO

Bender Consulting Services, Inc.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Competitive Employment for People with Intellectual Disabilities—Real 

World Experience in Changing the Paradigm of the Way We Think

Richard Blumberg, Rebecca Daley, and Michael Yau

Assistant Professor and Program Director, Career and Community 

Studies

Career and Community Studies Coordinator

Student

College of New Jersey

Ewing, New Jersey

The Importance of Post-Secondary Education Opportunities for People with 

Intellectual Disabilities 
45

Michael Callahan

Chief Executive Officer

Employment for All

Gautier, Mississippi

Customized Employment for People with Intellectual Disabilities 

Daniel K. Davies

Founder and President

AbleLink Technologies, Inc.

Colorado Springs, Colorado

The Role of Assistive Technology in Successful Employment of People with 

Intellectual Disabilities

Tammara Geary

Consultant/Lead Associate

Griffin Hammis Associates, LLC 

Yorktown, Virginia

Support of Self-Employment for People with Intellectual Disabilities

Work Incentives for People with Intellectual Disabilities

Cathy Healy

Director of Training

Parent Education Advocacy Training Center 

Falls Church, Virginia

The Importance of Family Support to Successful Employment of People 

with Intellectual Disabilities

Jo Linda Johnson

Special Assistant

Office of Commissioner Christine Griffin

U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission

Washington, D.C.

Leadership for the Employment of Americans with Disabilities: 

Recruitment, Hiring, and Accommodation

Richard G. Luecking

President

TranCen, Inc.

Rockville, Maryland

Connecting People with Intellectual Disabilities to Employers 
46

Nancy Mercer and Jill Egle

Executive Director and Co-executive Director

The Arc of Northern Virginia

Falls Church, Virginia

Customized Employment for People with Intellectual Disabilities 

Michael Morris

Chief Executive Officer

Burton Blatt Institute

Syracuse, New York

Benefits to Enhance Employment Profitability and Asset Accumulation for 

People with Intellectual Disabilities

J. Erin Riehle

Director, Project SEARCH, Division of Disability Services

Children’s Hospital Medical Center

Cincinnati, Ohio

Making the Case for Employment of People with Intellectual Disabilities in 

Big Business

Debra Ruh

Chair and Founder

TecAccess 

Rockville, Virginia

Making the Case for Employment of People with Intellectual Disabilities in 

Small Business

Cherie Takemoto

Executive Director

Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center 

Falls Church, Virginia

Youth Transition

Madeleine Will

Vice President of Public Policy and Director, National Policy Center

National Down Syndrome Society

Washington, D.C.

The Importance of Post-Secondary Education Opportunities for People with 

Intellectual Disabilities
47

WE ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE CONTRIBUTIONS FROM:

David Braddock

University of Colorado

Boulder, Colorado

Brenda Finucane

Elwyn Genetics

Elwyn, Pennsylvania

William Kiernan

University of Massachusetts

Boston, Massachusetts

Tiina K. Urv

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human 

Development

Bethesda, Maryland

Paul Wehman

Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, Virginia
48

2009 REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT PRODUCTION:

David Mank (Writer)

Indiana Institute on Disability and Community

Indiana University

Bloomington, Indiana

Alice Porter (Technical Writer)

Seattle, Washington
49

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Casey is a citizen member of the President’s Committee for People 

with Intellectual Disabilities, an Eagle Scout, and an Honorary 

Deputy Sheriff in his home town of North Fort Meyers, Florida. He 

started working while still in high school with a job at Daddy Dee’s 

Ice Cream Parlor and at a local Gap store. Since graduation, he has 

worked as a clerical assistant for the Lee County Justice Center and 

has attended community college. In his personal statement to 

present employers, Casey expresses his desire to be “an asset to 

your organization because I am a dedicated employee. It is 

important to me to be a productive and loyal member of a team and 

to do my best for you. I have very good people skills. I am outgoing, 

friendly, respectful, mannerly, and upbeat. I can perform repetitive 

tasks with satisfaction. But I welcome new responsibilities, and 

once I learn them, I perform them independently”. Because 

employers and co-workers have focused on his qualities, strengths, 

and loyalty—and not on his Down syndrome—he has proudly 

attained his goal of becoming an independent, productive, taxpaying citizen.
The President’s Committee for People with

Intellectual Disabilities

The Aerospace Center, Second Floor Suite 2-B

370 L’Enfant Promenade, SW

Washington, DC 20447

Telephone: 202-619-0634

Fax: 202-205-9519

Website: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/pcpid/index.html

E-mail: pcpid@acf.hhs.gov