Abstract
It is unclear whether or not open (competitive) employment programs are meeting the needs of the growing numbers of people with a disability seeking professional employment.
Objective: To understand and describe the experience of a newly graduated professional (Michael) who was seeking open employment support and to analyze those experiences in relation to principles of effective open employment support.
Participant: Michael a recently graduated accountant who also has a physical disability.
Methods: A review of the literature was undertaken to identify recommended principles and practices for the conduct of effective open employment and career development programs. A case study was used to describe Michael's experiences as he sought professional employment. Michael's experiences were analysed in relation to recommended principles and practice.
Results: The analysis confirmed that the concerns Michael experienced about the supported employment program compromised the effectiveness of the support he received.
Conclusions: Employment services based on models of independent living, disability service standards and remediation are likely to focus on the 'pathology' or performance 'deficits' of the person with a disability. Successful open employment models are more likely to place pre-eminence on the perspective of the person with a disability and effective practices for securing employment.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.