Employment and Quality of Life Outcomes: Before and After Employment First in Pennsylvania

Background In 2018, Pennsylvania passed the Employment First Act (EF), an initiative to ensure that employment is the primary goal for individuals with disabilities. It is unknown whether EF influenced employment or quality of life for individuals receiving services for intellectual and developmental disabilities in Pennsylvania (PA). Objective This research uses data from Independent Monitoring for Quality (IM4Q) to explore employment rates and quality of life outcomes before and after EF's implementation. Method IM4Q monitors, including people with disabilities, collected data on employment status and quality of life outcomes. Chi-square analysis was used to determine whether there were differences in employment status, and MANCOVA analysis was used to examine group differences on several measures of quality of life. Results In the years following the implementation of EF, the employment rate and several quality of life factors significantly increased, suggesting that individuals receiving services after the implementation of EF enjoyed significantly greater quality of life. Conclusion These findings suggest that the improved services and supports provided following EF increased competitive integrated employment (CIE) and quality of life. We discuss the impact of employment and choice on quality of life factors, supporting previous work.