Vermont supports employment expansion
Vermont providers are expanding supported employment programs to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities enter the workforce, with Champlain Community Services and partners scaling statewide capacity. Advocates frame these efforts as models for inclusive hiring that strengthen communities and create pathways into quality jobs. (vtdigger.org)
Champlain Community Services reports that 98% of Way2Work participants are employed and that 69% of all people served by the agency are employed, and the program has been the highest-performing supported employment agency in Vermont for 15 consecutive years. (ccs-vt.org) CCS’s Way2Work and related programs operate primarily in Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle counties and work in coordination with other developmental services providers across Vermont’s provider network. (vermontcarepartners.org) Vermont’s supported-employment services are administered through the Developmental Disabilities Services Division and are financed in part by the DDSD Medicaid Home-and-Community-Based Services waiver and, for some populations, CRT Medicaid case rates, according to the state WIOA and DDSD planning documents. (wioaplans.dol.gov) Individuals seeking supported employment are referred through the Intake Coordinator at their county’s Designated Agency, and the state maintains a public list of Supported Employment project locations and provider contacts by town. (ddsd.vermont.gov) Way2Work’s model includes employer partnerships across sectors, supports for participant-run micro-businesses, and a Bridging high-school-to-career transition that currently partners with five Chittenden County high schools. (ccs-vt.org) Statewide figures show long-term gains for Vermonters with disabilities — an 88% increase in employment from 2002 to 2019 — while CCS’s Way2Work has also earned international recognition for its employment practices. (vtdigger.org)
