For almost two decades, CPR has led a legal initiative to dismantle segregated employment programs for people with disabilities and expand integrated employment services that allow people to do real work for real pay in competitive integrated employment (CIE). It filed the first class action lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities (ADA) in Oregon that resulted in a landmark settlement agreement which eventually closed all sheltered workshops and dramatically expanded CIE. In lieu of similar litigation in other states, it is working collaboratively with state officials in Connecticut, Indiana, and North Carolina to transform their employment service systems.
Under the auspices of the federal Disability Employment Technical Assistance Center (DETAC), Steven Schwartz, CPR’s Special Counsel, just published a paper outlining the 14 components of an employment system transformation plan, and previously authored three seminal papers for DETAC on advocacy strategies for replacing segregated employment with CIE.