Using data to advance Employment First: Opportunities and direction

BACKGROUND: The continued advancement of Employment First requires, in part, a strong understanding about our existing policies and practices and how effective systems are as they undergo changes. Data about the employment of people with disabilities and about employment support systems are a critical component to this advancement. OBJECTIVE: This paper presents an overview of the current national context as it relates to the employment of people with disabilities. CONCLUSION: Next a discussion about the importance of employment data and key data-centric opportunities for the field are presented. A summary of important data innovations occurring nationally are offered to highlight opportunities that may exist in other states. Finally, the authors present a brief discussion on how to advance the field's use of these critical data.