Service Provider Promising Practice - Able Opportunities and the Work Independence Network (Washington): Creating an Individual Placement Model Focusing on the Needs of Both Job Seekers and Employers

Authors

ThinkWork! at the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston

Document Type

Occasional Paper

Publication Date

2014

Keywords

Customer Focus and Engagement, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, I/DD, Developmental Disabilities, Access to Integrated Employment, ThinkWork

Disciplines

Organization Development | Rehabilitation and Therapy | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Social Work | Sociology | Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling

Abstract

Able Opportunities is a certified vendor for the state of Washington’s Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, Developmental Disabilities Administration, Division of Developmental Disability, and Department of Labor and Industry. The Work Independence Network (WIN) began in 2005 as a partnership between Able Opportunities, Harrison Medical Center, and Kitsap County Developmental Disabilities to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) find jobs. Through WIN, Able Opportunities strives to meet the needs of both job seekers and employers through the use of innovative business model tools, including cost-benefit analysis and production charts. WIN’s goal is to help people with disabilities find meaningful work in their communities that pays at least minimum wage, while ensuring the satisfaction of the businesses hiring them. Within the WIN project model, staff members from Able Opportunities conduct outreach with local employers to create or carve out jobs for people with disabilities. The cost-effectiveness of the arrangement is emphasized to the employer, as well as the workforce diversity that results from hiring employees with disabilities. Able Opportunities works with the employer to provide any necessary job accommodations. The process used in the WIN model to delegate tasks, analyze costs, and write job descriptions is documented at the Able Opportunities

Recommended Citation

ThinkWork! at the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston, "Service Provider Promising Practice - Able Opportunities and the Work Independence Network (Washington): Creating an Individual Placement Model Focusing on the Needs of Both Job Seekers and Employers" (2014). ThinkWork! Publications. 53.
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/thinkwork/53