The national percentage of people of working age with disabilities who are employed continues to hover around 37%, compared with 80% for their peers without disabilities (U.S. Census Bureau, 2005). According to Aspiritech, 85% of those with autism are unemployed or underemployed. However, according to the Harris Poll (2004), 67% of people with disabilities who are not currently working would like to be (Dixon, Kurse, & Van Horn, 2003).

In the late 1990s, a Presidential Task Force began work on improving the employment rate for adults with disabilities, a national priority that was further supported by the New Freedom Initiative of 2001, creating a bipartisan effort. Despite these initiatives, the rate of employment for people with disabilities has not increased. their counterparts.

In February the most recent report from the Department of Labor said that the rate of unemployment among this population was 13.8% compared to 10.3% among the rest of the population.

Research has demonstrated that wages and hours worked increase dramatically as individuals move from facility-based to integrated employment, and suggests that less tangible benefits include expanded social relationships, heightened self-determination, and more typical job acquisition and job roles (Cohen, 2005; Mank, 2003; Murphy, Rogan, Handley, Kincaid, & Royce-Davis, 2002).