Kessler Foundation has issued a whitepaper that summarizes the outcomes of the initiatives supported under its Signature Employment Grant (SEG) program.
Titled “Employing People with Disabilities: Lessons Learned from the Kessler Foundation Signature Employment Grants,” the paper is based on the independent evaluations of more than 20 SEG program grants by experts at the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University.
The whitepaper identifies five best practices across a range of SEG projects, providing a close look at how the work done by Kessler Foundation grantees contributes to the understanding of best practices in disability employment, notes a media release from Kessler Foundation.
The paper details illustrative examples of the contributions of these elements to the success of selected Signature grantees: a focus on changing attitudes about people with disabilities and their ability to work, a person-centered approach, technological platforms or model documentation, strong community partnerships, and wraparound services.
The markers for success were increased employment of people with disabilities, employer and program participant satisfaction, and model replicability, the release continues.
“People with disabilities experience longstanding barriers to employment, as evidenced by lower employment rates, fewer hours worked, and lower wages compared to people without disabilities,” says Elaine E. Katz, MS, CCC-SLP, senior vice president of communications and grants at Kessler Foundation.
“Underlying these employment outcomes are persistent challenges such as negative social norms and the potential loss of critical healthcare and federal benefits once employment is found.”
In our new whitepaper, five elements were identified as factors in the success of employment programs for people with disabilities. These lessons learned are important considerations for all who work towards achieving truly inclusive workplaces.”
Since 2004, via the Signature Employment Grants, Kessler Foundation has provided more than $41.5 million to support initiatives that create or expand opportunities for people with disabilities.
[Source(s): Kessler Foundation, PRWeb]
