One of the most practical employment books available, this forward-thinking guide walks employment specialists step by step through customized job development for people with disabilities, revealing the best ways to build a satisfying, meaningful job around a person's preferences, skills, and goals. Internationally known for their innovative, proactive job development strategies, the authors motivate readers to expand the way they think about employment opportunities and develop creative solutions.

Readers will get fresh, proven tips and ideas for every aspect of job development for youth and adults with significant support needs:

• discovering who the person is and what he or she really wants
  
  
• ensuring goodness of fit between employer and employee
  
  
• finding—or creating—"hidden jobs" in smaller companies
  
  
• empowering people through resource ownership (investing in resources that employers need)
  
  
• skillfully negotiating job duties while managing conflicts that might arise
  
  
• creatively maximizing benefits using social security work incentives
  
  
• encouraging family support while respecting the individual as an adult
  

To make each part of job development easier, the book arms readers with practical content they can really use: easy-to-follow, step-by-step guidelines; checklists of critical questions to answer; success stories in both urban and rural settings; and sample scenarios, dialogues, and interview questions.

Equally useful to veteran professionals and those just starting out, this compelling guidebook breathes new life into the job development process and helps readers imagine a wider world of employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

About the Authors
About the Contributors
Foreword
Steve Hall
Introduction
Acknowledgments

1: Introduction to Customized Job Development
Cary Griffin, David Hammis, & Tammara Geary

2: Discovery: The Foundation of Job Development
Michael Callahan & Ellen Condon

3: Job Matching and Analysis: Exploring Worksite Ecology and Seeking Goodness of Fit
Cary Griffin, David Hammis, & Tammara Geary

4: Person-Centered Job Development Strategy: Finding the Jobs Behind the Jobs
Cary Griffin, David Hammis, & Tammara Geary

5: Active Employer Councils: Leveraging the Networking Power of the Community
Cary Griffin, David Hammis, & Tammara Geary

6: Resource Ownership: Self-Determined Economic Development
Cary Griffin, David Hammis, Doug Crandell, Tammara Geary, & Nancy Brookes-Lane

7: Interest-Based Negotiation, Problem Solving, and Conflict Management
Cary Griffin, David Hammis, & Tammara Geary

8: Job Carving: Jobs that Fit an Individual's Ideal Conditions of Employment and Benefit the Workplace
Tammara Geary, Cary Griffin, & David Hammis

9: Using Social Security Work Incentives
David Hammis, Cary Griffin, & Tammara Geary

10: Active Families: Support, Partnership, and Roles
Tammara Geary, Cary Griffin, & David Hammis

11: Organizational Commitment to Customized Employment: The Role of Leadership in Facilitating Careers
Cary Griffin, David Hammis, & Tammara Geary

Appendix: Blank Forms
Index