Abstract
The main objective of this essay is to examine how and why supported employment has been legalized and to discuss the relationship between this employment program and other legislation related to people with disabilities such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Supported employment has become a widespread mode of employment in the United States in recent years. Supported employment, paid employment in a work setting where disabled and non-disabled people are employed, provides work opportunities for people with severe disabilities who cannot hold employment without ongoing support Supported employment was authorized at first in the Developmental Disabilities Act Amendments of 1984 by the U.S. Congress. It was, then, regarded as a major rehabilitation objective in the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1986. This essay, first, takes up the legislation process of these Acts, describes the definition of supported employment, and argues that this employment was introduced to meet the needs of people with disabilities who had been previously unable to gain and maintain employment in the existing service programs such as sheltered workshops. This essay also discusses the implications of supported employment for ADA. Although revolutionary as the Civil Rights Law to prohibit the discrimination based on disabilities, ADA has not necessarily produced a remarkable effect on enhancing the employment of people with disabilities. We argue that supported employment plays a supplementary but important role in increasing employment of persons with disabilities. Lastly, this essay touches on the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1992 and its relations to supported employment.
