Connie Ferrell - Did Supported Employment Stagnate?

Connie Ferrell - Did Supported Employment Stagnate?

Employment

“I haven't really seen progression in supported employment since the 1990s,” recalls Connie Ferrell. She was hired as a field coordinator for the new Indiana Employment Initiative in 1992. In her 2015 interview, Connie explains why she feels supported employment plateaued in the state after the 1990s. One theory is the loss of block money to be creative in reaching individuals. It was also a time when Indiana moved from hourly billing to result-based funding. Connie sees stagnation in employment across the country. She feels disability service agencies have pulled away from people with the most intense support needs because they're afraid the agencies will lose money. Somebody once told her that when they saw what could be done, they stopped thinking about reasons why it couldn’t and found a million reasons why they had to. Connie states, “I think unless that happens, supported employment looks like a risky business.”

Indiana Disability History Project

Center for Health Equity at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community and Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities

2015-04-28

Connie Ferrell - interviewee

Jennie Todd - interviewer

Peggy Holtz - videographer/editor

Copyright © 2020 The Trustees of Indiana University

video/mp4

English

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"Connie Ferrell - Did Supported Employment Stagnate?" YouTube video, 00:05:19, from an interview by the Indiana Disability History Project, posted by "Indiana Disability History" on August 14, 2020, https://youtu.be/J9g2mmGGBUM

Indiana

1980s - 2000s