"Expect Employment” Report Looks Ahead to Next Decade of Disability Employment

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Today, the Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging announced that the Employment First Task Force released its 2024 Expect Employment report. Key highlights include a significant increase in the use of enabling technology, the expansion of postsecondary opportunities for students, and growth in programming for transition-aged students.

The report was presented to Gov. Bill Lee and other state leaders today at Lipscomb University.  Lipscomb’s IDEAL Program provides opportunities for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities to experience on-campus life, attend college classes, and complete internships to develop job skills. The governor met students and learned about how the campus experience helps them prepare for independence and employment in the future.

“I am deeply committed to ensuring that every Tennessean has access to meaningful employment, including people with disabilities,” said Gov. Bill Lee.  “The work our colleges and universities are doing through higher education programs like Lipscomb IDEAL are helping prepare students with disabilities for employment and empowering them to contribute their talents to Tennessee’s workforce.”

This year’s report highlights how the state has improved employment outcomes over the past year.  Some highlights include:

• A 48 percent increase in the number of people with disabilities using enabling technology to increase their independence.  Enabling Technology can help people on the job by providing task reminders without the assistance of an in-person job coach.
• Rapid growth in the Medicaid Alternative Pathways to Independence (MAPS) Program, which provides transition-aged students and young adults with the tools they need to live, work and travel independently.
• Establishing the Employment First Inclusive Employer Award, to recognize businesses across the state who are dedicated to recruiting, hiring, and advancing people with disabilities. Six businesses and four state agencies received the award in 2023.
• Providing disability employment training (called Windmills) to employers across the state.
• Introducing employment services as a covered benefit in the CHOICES program

“The state of Tennessee has laid a solid foundation for improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities over the past decade,” said Department of Disability and Aging Commissioner Brad Turner.  “The next ten years provides opportunities to build upon that foundation, by continuing to increase access to technology and continuing to educate our employers about why Employment First matters.”

The Employment First Task Force is charged with eliminating barriers, streamlining services and increasing integrated and competitive employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental illness, substance abuse disorders and other disabilities.

The task force, which is co-chaired by DDA and the Department of Human Services, meets quarterly.  Representatives from the Departments of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Labor and Workforce Development, Education, Economic and Community Development, and Health as well as the Division of TennCare, the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and several disability advocacy groups are also members of the task force.

Read the Expect Employment report!

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About the Department of Disability and Aging

The Department of Disability and Aging is the state agency responsible for oversight of services and support to 1.5 million older adults and Tennesseans with disabilities. The department is the result of a merger between the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disabilities, effective July 1, 2024.  Every day, the department strives to support people to live rewarding and fulfilling lives through Medicaid waiver Home and Community Based Services (HCBS), and a wide range of services and supports for older adults and adults with disabilities. DDA also provides services to infants and toddlers with disabilities or developmental delays through the Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS), and children under the age of 18 with disabilities or complex medical needs through the Katie Beckett Program. The department supports people to live the lives they envision for themselves by ensuring people are free to exercise rights, engage with their broader communities and experience optimal health. DDA is the first state service delivery system in the nation to receive Person-Centered Excellence Accreditation from the Council on Quality and Leadership.  It has also been recognized as a national leader in its efforts to increase competitive, community-based employment outcomes for people with disabilities and its commitment to enhancing independence through Enabling Technology.