The concept of natural supports was formally introduced to the field of supported employment in 1988. Since then, natural supports have been incorporated into supported employment policy as an extended service in the 1992 Rehabilitation Act Amendments. At the same time, numerous definitions of natural supports, as well as, strategies based on the concept of natural supports have been suggested. Considering the potential impact of natural supports on both supported employment policy and practice, we conducted a review of the research literature to document the contributions of strategies based on the concept of natural supports to supported employment. Although findings indicated a number of promising strategies, research is still needed. Results are discussed in terms of separating the concept of natural supports from strategies based on the concept of natural supports, future research areas, and the potential problems of having natural supports as policy without empirical support for practice.
AmsaP. (1986). Organizational culture and work group behavior: An empirical study. Journal of Management Studies, 23, 347–362.
2.
ButterworthJ.HagnerD.*KiernanW.SchalockR. (1996). Natural supports in the workplace and community: Defining an agenda for research and practice. Journal of The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 21, 103–113.
3.
CallahanM. (1992). Job site training and natural supports. In NisbetJ. (Ed.), Natural supports in school, at work, and in the community for people with severe disabilities (pp. 257–276). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
4.
Chadsey-RuschJ.GonzalezP. (1986). Social ecology of the workplace: Coding categories and rules. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois, Secondary Transition Intervention Effectiveness Institute.
5.
CulverJ.SpencerK.GlinerJ. (1990). Prediction of supported employment placements by job developers. Education and Training in Mental Retardation, 25, 237–242.
6.
CurlR. M.HallS. M.ChisholmL. A.RuleS. (1992). Coworkers as trainers for entry-level workers: A competitive employment model for individuals with developmental disabilities. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 11(1), 31–35.
7.
CurlR. M.McConaughyE. K.PawleyJ. M.SalzbergC. L. (1987). Put that person to work! A coworker training manual for the coworker transition model. Logan, UT: Utah State University, Developmental Center for Handicapped Persons, Outreach, Development and Dissemination Division.
8.
DiLeoD. (1991). Natural supports and integration: Beyond the buzz words into reality. Supported Employment Infolines, 2(5), 1, 3.
9.
DiLeoD.LueckingR. (1995). The risks of misapplying natural supports in the workplace. Supported Employment Infolines, 6(8), 4–5.
10.
FabianE. S.EdelmanA.LeedyM. (1993). Linking workers with severe disabilities to social supports in the workplace: Strategies for addressing barriers. Journal of Rehabilitation, 59(3), 29, 34.
11.
FabianE. S.LueckingR. G. (1991). Doing it the company way: Using internal company supports in the workplace. Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling, 22(2), 32–35.
GayL. R. (1996). Educational research: Competencies for analysis and application. (5th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
14.
GerveyR.BedellJ. R. (1994). Supported employment in vocational rehabilitation. In BedellJ. R. (Ed.), Psychosocial assessment and treatment of persons with severe mental disorders (pp. 151–175). Washington, DC: Taylor 8#x38; Francis.
15.
HagnerD. C. (1992). The social interactions and job supports of supported employees. In NisbetJ. (Ed.), Natural supports in school, at work, and in the community for people with severe disabilities (pp. 217–239). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
16.
HagnerD.ButterworthJ.KeithG. (1995). Strategies and barriers in facilitating natural supports for employment of adults with severe disabilities. Journal of The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 20, 110–120.
17.
HagnerD. C.CottonP.GoodallS.NisbetJ. (1992). The perspective of supportive coworkers: Nothing special. In NisbetJ. (Ed.), Natural supports in school, at work, and in the community for people with severe disabilities (pp. 241–256). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
18.
HagnerD.FarisS. (1994, December). Inclusion and support in the workplace, naturally. Paper presented at the annual conference of The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, Atlanta, GA.
19.
HagnerD.RoganP.MurphyS. (1992). Facilitating natural supports in the workplace: Strategies for support consultants. Journal of Rehabilitation, 58(1), 29–34.
20.
HendersonM.ArgyleM. (1985). Social support by four categories of work colleague: Relationships between activities, stress, and satisfaction. Journal of Occupational Behavior, 6, 229–239.
21.
HoodE. L.TestD. W.SpoonerF.SteeleR. (1996). Paid co-worker support for individuals with severe and multiple disabilities. Education and Training in Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, 31, 251–265.
22.
KochanyL.SimpsonT.HillJ. W.WehmanP. (1980). Reducing noncompliance and inappropriate verbal behavior in a moderately retarded food service worker: Use of a systematic fading procedure. In WehmanP.HillM. (Eds.), Vocational training and placement of severely disabled persons, Volume 2 (pp. 128–139). Richmond: Virginia Commonwealth University.
23.
KregelJ. (Fall, 1994). Natural supports and the job coach: An unnecessary dichotomy. Richmond, VA: Rehabilitation Research and Training Center at Virginia Commonwealth University.
24.
KregelJ.WehmanP. (1989). Supported employment: Promises deferred for persons with severe disabilities. The Journal of The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 14, 293–303.
25.
LeeM.StoreyK. (1995, July). The effect of coworker versus job coach instruction on integration in supported employment settings. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Association for Persons in Supported Employment, Denver, CO.
26.
LikinsM.SalzbergC. L.StowitschekJ. (1986, May). Coincidental training and self-initiated quality control: Teaching persons who are mentally retarded to make chef salads in restaurants. Paper presented at meeting of the Association for Behavior Analysis, Milwaukee, WI.
27.
MankD. M. (1994). The underachievement of supported employment: A call for reinvestment. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 5(2), 1–24.
28.
MankD.CioffiA. (1996). An analysis of companies and features of supported employees. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Association for Persons in Supported Employment, New Orleans, LA.
29.
MankD.OorthuysJ.RhodesL.SandowD.WeyerT. (1992). Accommodating workers with mental disabilities. Training and Development, 46(1), 49–52.
30.
McDonnellJ.NofsD.HardmanM.ChamblessC., (1989). An analysis of the procedural components of supported employment programs associated with employment outcomes. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 22, 417–428.
31.
MitchellR.BillingsA.MoosR. (1982). Social support and well-being : Implications for prevention programs. Journal of Primary Prevention, 3, 77–98.
32.
MurphyS. T.RoganP.M. (1994). Developing natural supports in the workplace: A practitioner's guide. St. Augustine, FL: Training Resources Network, Inc.
33.
NietupskiJ.VerstegenD.ReillyJ.HutsonJ. (1992). Overview of job development demonstration project. Iowa City, IA: The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Division of Developmental Disabilities.
34.
NisbetJ.HagnerD. (1988). Natural supports in the workplace: A reexamination of supported employment. Journal of The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 13, 260–267.
35.
OlsonD.FergusonP. (1991). The meaning of relationships in a supported employment site. In SandowD.OlsonD. (Eds.), Integration at work: Multiple methodologies in research (pp. 65–84). Eugene, OR: Specialized Training Program, Center on Human Development, University of Oregon.
36.
PeponisJ. (1985). The spatial culture of factories. Human Relations, 31, 357–390.
37.
PetersonM. (1995). Ongoing employment supports for persons with disabilities: An exploratory study. Journal of Rehabilitation, 61(2), 58–67.
38.
Rehabilitation Act Amendments of1992, P. L. 102–569. (June 24, 1992). Federal Register, vol. 52, no. 122, pp. 28432–28442.
39.
RenzagliaP.WheelerJ.HansonH.MillerS. (1991). The use of extended follow-along procedures in a supported employment setting. Education and Training in Mental Retardation, 26, 64–69.
40.
RoganP.HagnerD.MurphyS. (1993). Natural supports: Reconceptualizing job coach roles. Journal of The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 18, 275–281.
41.
RuschF. R.HughesC.JohnsonJ.MinchK. (1991). A descriptive analysis of coworker involvement in supported employment. Mental Retardation, 29, 207–212.
42.
RuschF. R.JohnsonJ.HughesC. (1990). Analysis of coworker involvement in relation to level of disability versus placement approach among supported employees. Journal of The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 15, 32–39.
43.
RuschF. R.MenchettiB. M. (1981). Increasing compliant work behaviors in a non-sheltered work setting. Mental Retardation, 19, 107–111.
44.
RuschF.MinchK. (1988). Identification of coworker involvement in supported employment: A review and analysis. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 9, 247–254.
45.
RuschF. R.MinchK.HughesC. (1989). Evaluating job site supervisors role in the long-term employment of persons with severe disabilities. The Journal of Vocational Special Needs Populations, 12, 9–16.
46.
SandlerR. (1982). You can sell your body but not your mind: A sociolinguistic examination of the folklore on the automobile assembly line. Dissertation Abstracts International, 43A, 887.
47.
ShaferM. S. (1986). Utilizing coworkers as change agents. In RuschF. R. (Ed.), Competitive employment issues and strategies (pp. 215–224). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
48.
ShaferM. S.TaitK.KeenR.JesiolowskiC. (1989). Supported competitive employment: Using coworkers to assist follow-along efforts. Journal of Rehabilitation, 55, 68–75.
49.
SowersJ.BraggK.DaviesT.RunionK. (1996). Can coworkers successfully train employees with significant disabilities?: Quantitative and qualitative results of a natural supported project. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Association for Persons in Supported Employment, New Orleans, LA.
50.
StoreyK.CertoN. (in press). Natural supports for increasing integration in the workplace for people with disabilities: A review of the literature and guidelines for implementation. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin.
51.
StoreyK.RhodesL.SandowD.LoewingerH.PetherbridgeR. (1991). Direct observation of social interactions in a supported employment setting. Education and Training in Mental Retardation, 26, 53–63.
52.
TerkelS. (1972). Working: People talk about what they do all day and what they feel about what they do. New York: Pantheon.
53.
TestD. W. (1994). Supported employment and social validity. Journal of The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 19, 116–129.
54.
TrachJ. S.RuschF. R. (1989). Supported employment program evaluation: Evolutionary degree of implementation and selected outcomes. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 94, 139–148.
55.
WackerD.Fromm-SteegeL.BergW.FlynnT. (1989). Supported employment as an intervention package: A preliminary analysis of functional variables. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 22, 429–439.
56.
WehmanP.KregelJ. (1995). At the crossroads: Supported employment ten years later. Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 20, 286–299.
57.
WestM. D.ParentW. S. (1995). Community and workplace supports for individuals with severe mental illness in supported employment. Psychosocial Rehabilitation Journal, 18(4), 13–24.
58.
YanX.StoreyK.RhodesL.SandowD.PetherbridgeR.LoewingerH. (1990). Clique analysis of interpersonal interactions: Grouping patterns in a supported employment work setting. Behavioral Assessment, 12, 337–354.
