Abstract: The objective of this paper is to report on the vocational outcomes
of individuals with psychiatric disabilities participating in a supported
competitive employment (SCE) program. A total of 458 subjects enrolled in the
present SCE program which was developed on the basis of the Supported
Employment Model developed by Wehman [23] and the principles of the Individual
Placement and Support (IPS) developed by Becker and Drake [5]. Of the 458
subjects, 308 (67.3%) 134 days. The mean salary was $4,740 for full-time jobs
and was $2,321 for part-time jobs. The majority of subjects (59.4%) sustain
their job placement for more than 30 days, 74 (24.0%) subjects could work for
more than six months, and 38 (12.3%) maintain the job for more than one year.
Subjects who became employed were compared to those who did not gain employment
on a variety of demographic variables. Significant differences were found
between two groups in terms of sex and source of referral. The rate of
employment in the current study was slightly higher, but the job retention rate
was lower than in earlier studies. Recommendations for future research on
evaluation of the effectiveness of SCE program are suggested.
