Perspective

Supported employment is an established approach to community-based employment that has provided many individuals with significant disabilities an opportunity to choose between a lifetime of low wages in segregated sheltered workshop settings and the challenges of a real job in their local community. As a service-delivery strategy that embodies the principles of individualized, community-based support services and consumer empowerment, supported employment has become the preferred employment alternative for large numbers of individuals previously excluded from work opportunities (Rusch, Chadsey-Rusch, & Johnson, 1991; Wehman & Kregel, 1994). The purpose of this article is to summarize the present status of supported employment, discuss the major accomplishments of the initiative, and identify those issues that must be addressed in the future to allow the program to achieve its long-term goal of promoting the economic independence and community integration of individuals with significant disabilities.