Customized Employment:
Strategies and Possibilities
Richard Luecking, Ed.D.
U.S. Department of Labor, ODEP &
TransCen, Inc.
JAN is a service of the U.S. Department of Labor’s
Office of Disability Employment Policy.
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JAN’s Experiences
JAN’s experiences regarding calls about
customized employment:
•Any disability
•Any job
•Heavy emphasis on accommodations
• Job restructuring
• Obtaining services such as job coaching
• Acquiring or modifying equipment
Situation and Solution #1
Disability: Stroke
Position: Social Worker
Limitations: Memory deficits
Job Difficulty: Unable to remember sequence
of job tasks
Accommodation: Use a job coach
Effectiveness: Employee re-learns job tasks
through one-on-one instruction
Situation and Solution #2
Disability: Seizure Disorder
Position: set designer at a University
Limitations: disorientation during/after a seizure
Job Difficulty: can’t recall task or identify surroundings
Accommodation: Install video intercom system
Effectiveness: Employer can identify where the employee is
located by seeing the surroundings,
then
offer assistance
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Topics Covered
What is customized employment?
What employers say about hiring individuals
with significant disabilities in to jobs that
are “customized?”
A partnership framework suggested by these
perspectives?
Presumption of Employability
There’s a job for everyone who
wants one, regardless of
disability label, need for
support, or economic vitality
of the community.
David
Work Experience
 15 years in a
sheltered workshop
Interested in video and media
Enjoys a variety of concrete tasks and social
contact
Negotiating for mutual benefit
Company’s operational concerns:
• Rapidly expanding business – hard to keep
up with orders
• Technical staff performing administrative
duties
• Diverted and delayed workflow across
production and shipping departments
David’s duties:
• Duplicating DVDs & CDs
• Packing CDs
• Transferring videocassettes to DVDs
• Timing and checking tapes
Mutual Benefits
Results for the company
• Tech staff more focused on development
tasks
• Business orders filled more rapidly
• Increased sales
Results for David
• Work in environment that welcomes his
contribution
• Tasks and working conditions matched
to skills and preferences
• First job in integrated workplace
Implications
Service oriented consultation can create
demand for job seekers with disabilities;
Identifying ways to add value to employers’
operations can create hidden, customized
job opportunities for individuals not able
to easily apply for “off the shelf” jobs.
What is Customized Employment?
Employment where job tasks are reassigned
from an existing job, restructured from one
or more existing jobs, or created to match
the skills and accommodation needs of the
job seeker AND…
What is Customized Employment?
… help the employer’s
operation in specific ways.
Thus, the individual has a
“customized” job description.
Typical sequence
of customized employment
1.Person-centered exploration or
“discovery” of individual skills, interests
and support needs + list of potential tasks
to feature in job search
2. Individualized job search plan
Typical sequence
of customized employment
3. Negotiation with prospective employers
for task assignment and working
conditions
4. Individualized post-placement support
Can we create employer demand
for workers with disabilities?
What about those individuals who
require extensive support/
accommodation?
How do we know what employers
think about this?
When in doubt,
Ask Them!
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What we asked employers about CE…
• When first approached, what was
your reaction?
• What convinced you to work with
the project?
• What was the primary reason for
hiring the job seeker?
• How has the project helped meet a
company need?
What they said…
Customization met a specific need:
Helped meet production goals or
backlogged work
Helped meet sales goals or improved
aspect of operation
Freed other employees to take care
of other tasks
Competence and attentive service a
big plus
The success of linking job seekers
with work is as much about meeting
employers’ needs as it is about
serving job seekers.
Common Current Appeals to Employers
• “Selling” disability or disability category.
• Vague mutual benefit.
• Variations on the theme of recruiting from an
“untapped resource.”
Marketing
“It is better to find out what your
customers need and want and
then match it to what you have,
than it is to get them to buy what
you are selling.”
What Employers Want
• Partners who help address a particular
workforce need of the company
• Partners who help address an industry
wide workforce need
What Employers Often Get
• Programs defined by category of disability
• Programs defined by type of service
• Programs of varying quality
Confused and frustrated!
What would help?
• Improved focus on employer-focused,
demand-side approaches
• Partnerships that result in distinct benefits to
all parties
What to Look for
• Can work be re-organized to flow better?
• Are some employees overburdened by certain
tasks?
• Are there operational “bottlenecks”?
Job Development Partnerships
• Long-Term Process, not a One-Time Event
• Based on Relationship Building
• Built on a foundation of mutual benefit
Employer partnerships = jobs
• Identifying ways to add value to employers’
operations will often create hidden,
customized job opportunities
• It is these kinds of jobs that are always
available, regardless of the economy.
Bottom Line
The presence of a disability
should neither deter or
promote employer hiring
decisions.
Bottom Line
The jobs are there. We often
have to work together to
find them.
Resources
www.dol.gov/odep/
www.marylandcep.org
Resources
• Working Relationships:
Creating employment opportunities
for job seekers with disabilities
(Brookes Publishing Co., 2004)
• The Job Developer’s Handbook
(Brookes Publishing Co., 2007)
Resources
•
•
•
•
http://askjan.org/links/atoz.htm
http://onemoreway.org/index.htm
http://apse.org/
http://rwjms.umdnj.edu/boggscenter/projec
ts/supported_employment.html
Questions
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Job Accommodation Process
Contact
 (800)526-7234 (V) & (877)781-9403 (TTY)
 www.AskJAN.org & jan@askjan.org
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