An individualized approach begins with getting to know the person seeking employment, including identifying and considering all possible secondary conditions relating to the person's disability. In other words, professionals who provide services to people with disabilities need to begin to work with each person as he or she is in order to discover the whole person and the extent of the disability. It is most important to find jobs that truly match a person's wishes, dreams, and abilities, and that benefit his or her overall quality of life. For instance, if a man wants to work in a mailroom but can get to work only when his parents are available, finding a job for him in a mail house late in the afternoon is far better than placing him in a large company whose hours are nine to five. The latter might seem to be a better job, but the hours do not make sense for him.
Successful individualization depends on information.
The more information available on the person to be employed, the better the job match. The information to be gathered is based on already existing information, the life experiences, skills, and abilities of the person to be employed. It is a process that is completed by the person to be employed and the person assigned to help him or her find employment, known as the job developer. It results in a completed life painting, one that includes all aspects of a person's life. It looks at a prospective employee's existing skills, experiences, family and home life, neighbors, friends, job preferences, transportation, and other support needs.