National APSE Supported Employment is an approach to assisting people with severe disabilities gain employment. Supported employment is founded on the belief that anyone can work if they are given the right support. The person is provided intensive support accessing and maintaining the job both on and off the job site.
Ongoing support is available to the person and the employer to assist that person maintain the job.
Vermont has been very successful getting people with severe disabilities employed. It was ranked second in the nation in per capita placement in supported employment. However, the real success of supported employment can only be understood through the following stories of individual people. He has a chronic mental illness, depression, and severe anxiety. In 1992, at the time he was referred to a supported employment program, he seemed set for a life of dependency on government benefits and the community mental health system.