I. Introduction

"70 percent of people with significant disabilities are unemployed" (Nerney, 2001). Those few people who are employed often get too little pay for jobs unrelated to what they want and can do. The New Mexico Developmental Disabilities Planning Council funded this project to find and share successful ideas for employing people with significant disabilities. These ideas come from New Mexico and around the United States. What are significant disabilities? Examples include people with developmental disabilities who have multiple disabilities, as well as those with extensive communication, physical and/or cognitive challenges. This Guide is for people with these types of disabilities who want to work, their families, employers, support staff, and interested others. Use this Guide to learn how to support individuals with significant disabilities to employment success. The Guide describes barriers people experience. The topics, content, and stories give ideas to reduce those barriers. The ideas come to life with success stories about real people. "Hands-on", practical information is identified in the References.

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