Strategies for employers: involving all workers

The traditional way of job placement is with the use of a vocational agency. The staff brings the applicant along, meets with the interviewer, coaches the person while on the job, then makes a few follow-up visits to the job site and meetings with the employer. This can be done more effectively by helping the employer understand the accommodations a person may need to succeed and ask him/her to prepare the staff. The best placements are with minimal presence from the staff because the goal is to build natural supports in the workplace. The main needs can be done with a mentor; a program many companies have anyway. The mentor meets with the new hire accompanies the person on breaks, lunch, and after work. This need not be special undertaking because the person happens to have a disability. If an agency staff is involved that sets the newbie apart and is likely to encourage dependence rather than independence. Many placements through vocational programs fail because the funding and staff decrease and the person hasn't really learned the job.