Abstract
This article provides a quality-improvement framework for discussing the support of employees with disabilities in the workplace. Our intent is to ground the concept in the employment setting and shift the responsibility for supported employment practices from the traditional system to employers and coworkers. The discussion addresses opportunities to improve social and economic outcomes for people with developmental disabilities through supported employment. We apply the principles of quality improvement from business literature as a method for analyzing supported employment from a systems-change perspective. Based on this analysis, natural support emerges as a logical and conceptually sound approach to employment of people with disabilities. We also discuss several principles that have guided initial efforts at implementing support for employers who hire workers with disabilities.
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