A county-level initiative in Adams County prioritizes built-in employment for people with disabilities. This method emphasizes offering aggressive, community-based jobs as the primary and most well-liked possibility for eligible people, somewhat than sheltered workshops or different segregated settings. For instance, an individual with developmental disabilities could be supported in gaining employment at a neighborhood grocery retailer, interacting with the general public and incomes a aggressive wage.
Prioritizing aggressive, built-in employment provides quite a few advantages. It fosters larger independence and self-sufficiency for people with disabilities, permitting them to earn a residing wage, contribute to their communities, and expertise the social and emotional rewards of labor. This mannequin additionally advantages employers by broadening the expertise pool and selling a extra various and inclusive workforce. Traditionally, people with disabilities have confronted vital boundaries to employment, and this initiative represents a shift in direction of a extra equitable and inclusive system.