As one of the first states to adopt an
Employment First Policy in 2008, Oregon is a national leader in its commitment to competitive integrated employment for people with I/DD. Before Oregon adopted its Employment First policy, many individuals with I/DD worked in isolated groups at provider sites called sheltered workshops. They were not given opportunities to do jobs beyond what the workshops prescribed and often earned below minimum wage. People were denied employment services for being “too disabled to work.”
In 2012, Disability Rights Oregon, later joined by the United States Department of Justice, sued the state in a federal class-action lawsuit. Lane v. Brown sought to end sheltered workshops and expand employment opportunities for people with I/DD.
In April 2013, Governor Kitzhaber issued an Executive Order, later affirmed in
Executive Order 15-01, as the next step in Oregon’s ongoing commitment to integrated employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He also issued this letter to ODHS staff affirming Oregon’s commitment to offering integrated employment services for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.
As a result, Oregon made the first significant steps to implement its Employment First policy and changed the way it helps people with I/DD find and keep jobs. The state also closed all state-funded sheltered workshops and ended the practice of paying people with disabilities less than minimum wage. ODE and the ODHS Office of Developmental Disabilities Services (ODDS) and Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program worked together to help former workshop employees find community jobs with competitive wages. As a result, the number of Oregonians with I/DD who work in competitive integrated jobs has more than tripled since 2015. In addition, more students with I/DD are accessing pre-employment services to help them prepare for the future.
This achievement could not have happened without Oregon advocates’ efforts to change the status quo and build new systems that support job seekers with disabilities.