Supported employment is conducted in a variety of settings, particularly, worksites in which persons without disabilities are employed. The purpose of these programs is employment with all the regular outcomes of having a job. Wages, working conditions, and job security are key considerations. The focus is on providing the ongoing support required to get and keep a job rather than on getting a person ready for a job sometime in the future. Jobs not services.
Emphasis is on creating opportunities to work rather than just providing services to develop skills.
People who have severe disabilities are not excluded. The assumption is that all persons, regardless of the degree of their disability, have the capacity to undertake supported employment if appropriate on-going support services can be provided. Contact and relationships with people without disabilities who are not paid caregivers are emphasized. Variety and flexibility. Supported employment does not lock programs into one or two work options.