A Comprehensive Employment Services Project
Supported Employment Plus (SE+) is a new project through the Indiana Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS) and providers. Designed to help people with disabilities move out of sheltered work and into competitive integrated employment (CIE), SE+ offers evidence-based services to families and individuals with disabilities.
The Need for SE+
In April 2017, Indiana passed the Employment First Act. It made competitive integrated employment (CIE) the first and preferred outcome for working-age individuals with disabilities.
Since then, the number of Hoosiers with disabilities in subminimum wage employment (SWE) has dropped, but many have remained out of the workforce.
In 2022, the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) refocused the Disability Innovation Fund (DIF) to help people move out of SWE and into CIE. Based on their proposal, DDRS was one of only 14 states selected to receive funding for their five-year program.
SE+ is a multi-component approach that uses best practices informed by peer-reviewed research to support the goals of RSA and foster better employment outcomes.
Our Goal:
At least 50% of SE+ participants in subminimum wage employment will achieve competitive integrated employment by the end of the grant cycle
Comprehensive
Six-Part Approach
SE+ uses a six-pronged approach to support meaningful CIE opportunities for people currently in or considering SWE. This specialized approach is supported by evidence-based research and years of experience.
Four-Stage Supported Employment
Individualized employment supports from highly trained and motivated professionals produce the best outcomes. SE+ is designed to execute with fidelity each of the four stages of SE:
Discovery and goal-setting
Job development and placement
Intensive job-site training
Ongoing support and retention
Peer Support Specialists
Individuals with disabilities who have transitioned out of SWE and into CIE can be great resources for those considering CIE.
SE+ will train these Peer Career Support Specialists to help guide adult and youth jobseekers by leveraging their shared experiences.
Expanded Benefits Counseling
Often, people give up on working if they are worried about losing social safety nets like SSI, SSDI, or Medicaid.
But early and ongoing benefits counseling can help to promote CIE.
SE+ expands the Benefits Information Network to ensure beneficiaries receive accurate information, exactly when they need it—like when they start working, when they get their first paycheck, or when they get promoted.
Family Involvement
SE+ uses Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT) to educate families about employment goals for people with disabilities, and how to make those goals a reality.
SE+ also includes a Family Engagement Liaison to provide one-on-one follow up and mentorship.
SE+ participants will be more likely to succeed when they have their family’s support throughout the process.
Training and Technical Assistance
SE+ provides tiered technical assistance and training for the entire organization, not just employment staff. That way, everyone can work together to support jobseekers.
These strategies lead to better placement rates for agencies and better earnings for participants.
Tailored Wrap-Around Services
Anyone with complex resource needs will often require services from multiple different providers.
Nevertheless, proper coordination between agencies is often overlooked.
SE+ providers will work together through Integrated Resource Teams to improve coordination between a variety of service providers.
The Pilot Sites
Four organizations with seven locations have agreed to be pilot sites for SE+. Each offers residential and facility-based services as well as community employment.
Together, these sites represent rural, suburban, and urban communities, reflecting the demographics of Indiana.
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Marshall-Starke serves several small rural communities. Its first pilot site serves Plymouth, a city of approximately 9,000 individuals in Marshall County. Its second pilot site serves Rochester, IN, which has a population of 6,000 citizens.
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Located in Danville, IN—population about 10,000—Sycamore Services serves jobseekers in the Hendricks County area and communities surrounding Greater Indianapolis.
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Benchmark Human Services has committed two sites for the pilot project. The first one in located in Fort Wayne, IN, which has a population of about 268,000. The second is in Richmond, IN, which has a population of about 35,000.
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Stone Belt has two pilot sites. The first one is located in Monroe County, which includes about 140,000 people. The second is in Bedford, IN, a town with about 13,000 people.
Our Project Partners
SE+ is based on input, insight, and feedback from key stakeholders and partners across Indiana. Their experience guides our approach across both state- and local-levels.
Our project design also follows from the efforts of the Indiana Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS) to improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities across Indiana. DDRS leaders were instrumental in creating SE+.
Working with PCG Indiana
PCG Indiana, a subsidiary of Public Consulting Group (PCG), has a long history of helping Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation support providers who work with individuals with disabilities. PCG has developed training for the state’s Vocational Rehabilitation staff, local employment specialists, and Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) providers. PCG has also managed the state’s vendor registration and claims payment system. PCG understands the needs of participants and how to support them. To learn more about PCG, visit their website.
Indiana Institute on Disability and Community (IIDC)
The Indiana Institute on Disability and Community (IIDC) at Indiana University, Bloomington works to put good ideas into everyday practice in schools and community settings to improve choices and quality of life for people with disabilities and their families. Their mission is to work with communities to welcome, value, and support the meaningful participation of people of all ages and abilities through research, education, and service. The mission is accomplished through the work of seven centers that cover the whole lifespan.