Employment Enabling
Determining the work capacity of physically-, cognitively-, or psychologically-impaired individuals is a complex process. To deliver valid judgments, decision makers must weigh an individual's medical or psychological condition against the demands of work. Such judgments rely upon understanding the degree of limitation that the condition imposes for that specific individual, the degree to which certain accommodations might increase the range of work that falls within the person's capacity, and the extent to which vocational training and vocational rehabilitation might enhance the individual's options. Concurrent with requiring accurate information about persons, valid judgments also require accurate information about relevant occupations and the abilities and skills they embody.
AIR’s behavioral and medical scientists develop approaches to enhance the scientific basis for identifying occupations that impaired individuals can successfully perform, with or without accommodations. Working with scientists and practitioners here and abroad, AIR leads the way in linking individual assessment strategies to occupational requirements.
AIR’s expertise applies equally to public or private sector organizations responsible for enabling employment among individuals who suffer from physical or mental impairment. We:
- Develop customized methods and instruments for determining the degree of an individual's impairment, including:
- Linking initial findings to more detailed, targeted assessments
- Linking medical findings to functional limitations that affect employment
- Match an individual's functional capacity to specific occupations, including:
- Assisting individuals in their own quest for work
- Developing training for, and offering technical assistance to, programs that prepare individuals for transferring their skills to new occupations
- Identifying organizations that may benefit from employing workers from underutilized labor markets