The impact of customized employment on the competitive integrated employment outcomes of transition age youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A randomized controlled trial study
Affiliations: Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Lauren Avellone, PhD, Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1314 West Main St., Box 842011, Richmond, VA 23284-2011, USA. Tel.: +1 804 827 0756; E-mail: leavellone@vcu.edu.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Customized employment (CE) is recognized in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (2014) as a strategy for promoting competitive integrated employment. However, the existing body of evidence supporting CE is mainly descriptive rather than experimental research. OBJECTIVE:This study examined the impact of CE on the employment outcomes, hours worked per week, and wages of transition-age youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities. METHOD:The outcomes of transition-age youth participating in a CE intervention were compared to those receiving treatment-as-usual using a randomized controlled trial design. RESULTS:Participants receiving CE were significantly more likely to secure competitive integrated employment than controls who received treatment-as-usual. Participants in the intervention and control conditions earned similar wages. Participants in the control condition worked more hours per week than those in CE. CONCLUSION:The findings from this study demonstrate the effectiveness of CE to assist transition-age youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities in obtaining competitive integrated employment, but future research is needed to examine factors impacting weekly hours and wages of participants in CE.
