SWTCIE Illinois Evaluation Dissemination and Utilization Brief (SIEDUB)
Developed by the SWTCIE Illinois evaluation team, the SIEDUB disseminates monthly evaluation findings of the SWTCIE Illinois project, addressing each of the six constructs of focus (Quality of Life, Interagency Collaboration, Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Implementation, Knowledge Translation, and Sustainability).

  • Vocational Rehabilitation Services: Competitive Integrated Employment Trends for Illinois Division of Rehabilitation Services Customers with Intellectual Disabilities

    Sep 17, 2024 12:30 pm by SWTCIE Illinois Evaluation Team: Austin, Bryan S., Lee, Chun-Lung, Kosciulek, John F., Rumrill, S., & Strauser, D. George

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    • 2,954 Illinois workers with disabilities employed in subminimum wage jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor as of Sept. 1, 2024.
    The number of people with disabilities working in subminimum wage employment has continued to diminish over time. At least 13 states have enacted laws that no longer allow employers to hold a 14(c) certificate (Jackson & Switzer, 2024, March), necessary to pay U.S. citizens less than minimum wage.
     
    2,954 Illinois workers with disabilities employed in subminimum wage jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor as of Sept. 1, 2024.

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    According to the U.S. Department of Labor, as of September 1, 2024, there are 62 Illinois employers that are 14(c) certificate holders or have certificates that are pending and 2,954 Illinois workers with disabilities employed in subminimum wage jobs. The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) has initiated the Illinois Subminimum Wage to Competitive Integrated Employment (SWTCIE Illinois) five-year project, funded by the U.S. Department of Education (Rehabilitation Services Administration), to help Illinoisans with significant disabilities (ages 25 and older) move out of subminimum wage jobs to competitive integrated employment jobs in our local communities that pay at or above minimum wage and that are fully integrated with all workers (with and without disabilities). Illinois DRS is also working with Illinois high schools to help youth with disabilities (ages 14 to 24) who are considering subminimum wage jobs for the first time to enter competitive integrated employment instead. This innovative and collaborative partnership model project also intends to assist six 14(c) organizations, who are participating in the project, in transforming their business models toward competitive integrated employment policies and practices.

    The SWTCIE Illinois collaborative project aligns with the Illinois     Dignity in Pay Act (still yet to be passed by both the Illinois House and Senate and signed into law, at the time of this writing) and the Illinois Employment First Policy with its underlying belief that “all Illinois citizens, regardless of disability, are capable of full participation and integration in their communities and that includes employment”, where employment-related services to Illinoisans with disabilities are the first service option. 

    Historically, workers paid subminimum wage in non-integrated settings (also called sheltered workshops) have been individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Of the total 11,672 Illinois DRS closed cases in 2023 that represent all disabilities, it is important to know that almost 10% had intellectual disabilities    . The brief overview below provides a snapshot of State Vocational Rehabilitation (Illinois DRS) employment outcomes for customers with intellectual disabilities who serve as a comparison group to SWTCIE Illinois project participants. Both a decrease in the number of subminimum wage workers with disabilities (U.S. Department of Labor) and an increase in the number of Illinois DRS competitive integrated employment outcomes for customers with intellectual disabilities will be used to measure, in part, the impact of SWTCIE Illinois. With this in mind, What are the competitive integrated employment trends for Illinois DRS customers with intellectual disabilities? To answer this question, Table 1 provides a five-year trend (2019-2023) of employment outcomes for Illinois DRS customers with intellectual disabilities. 

    Table 1. State Vocational Rehabilitation (Illinois DRS) Agency Data VR Closures: Intellectual Disabilities in Illinois 

    Program Year

    2019

    2020

    2021

    2022

    2023

     

    Total Closed Cases

    1,480 

    1,190

    914

    1,228

    1,145

    IPE

    1,193

    1,035

    802

    1,109

    1,036

    Successful Employment Outcome

    493

    416

     

    347 

     

    484 

     

    451

     

    Closures into Employment

    33%

     

    35%

     

    38%

     

    39%

     

    39%

     

    Rehabilitation Rate

    41%

    40%

    43%

    44%

    44%

    Weekly Earnings

    $210.74

    $232.16

    $252

    $264

    $299

    Hours Worked per Week

    21

    21

    21

    20

    20

    Average Days to Achieve Successful Employment Outcome

    758

    770

    800

    789

    848

    Note 1. IPE=Individualized Plan for Employment.
    Note 2. Rehabilitation Rate=% of Illinois DRS customers who signed an IPE who achieved a successful employment outcome (rehabilitated-status 26).

    During this five-year period, the number of closed cases for Illinois DRS customers with intellectual disabilities each year are relatively similar except for 2019 with a notable larger proportion of closed cases (1,480) and 2021 with a substantial drop in closed cases (914). Most successful employment outcomes are competitive integrated employment (99.5%) with a range of closures into employment from 33% to 39%, and rehabilitation rate from 40% to 44%. Again, rehabilitation rate means the percentage of Illinois DRS customers who signed an IPE who achieved a successful employment outcome (rehabilitated-status 26). Average weekly earnings were $251.58 and there was an average of 20.6 hours worked per week with a slight upward trajectory. Finally, over this five-year period, the average days to achieve a successful employment outcome from application to closure is 793 days (or 2.17 years).     

    How Findings Can Be Utilized to Improve Competitive Integrative Employment (CIE) Practices and Strategies

    The above data that illustrates competitive integrated employment trends for Illinois DRS customers with intellectual disabilities lead to the following recommendations to improve SWTCIE Illinois CIE practices and strategies. 

    • Use this data to understand typical CIE outcomes for Illinois DRS customers with intellectual disabilities (can provide context to serving SWTCIE participants)
    • Engage in outreach to increase enrollments of SWTCIE participants
    • Learn to apply new CIE practices and strategies to maximize the rehabilitation rate for SWTCIE participants
    • Facilitate SWTCIE participant engagement to complete the VR process in a timely and effective manner 

    Bibliography
    Illinois Department of Human Services. (2024). Employment first: Every skill counts. https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=80571 

    Illinois Institute for Rehabilitation and Employment Research, University of Illinois. (2024). Dignity in Pay Act. https://swtcieillinois.ahs.illinois.edu/dignity-in-pay-act/ 

    Institute for Community Inclusion, University of Massachusetts Boston. (2024). Think Work! https://www.thinkwork.org/   

    Jackson, K., &, Switzer, E. (2024, March). Subminimum wage for people with disabilities: An examination of policies and systems. ILR Carow, Cornell University. https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/carow/carow-policy/subminimum-wage-people-disabilities 

    Search results for: State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Agency Data: VR Closures: All disabilities in Illinois during years: 2023: https://www.thinkwork.org/statedata/build-a-chart?report=single 

    Search results for: State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Agency Data: VR Closures: Intellectual Disabilities in Illinois during years: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023: https://www.thinkwork.org/statedata/build-a-chart?report=single 

    U.S. Department of Labor (2024). 14c Certificate Holders. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/workers-with-disabilities/section-14c/certificate-holders 

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    The contents of this article were developed under a grant, H421D220009, from the Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. §§ 1221e-3 and 3474).