Customized Employment means creating a job that matches a person's abilities, interests, and needs. It is a flexible process designed for people with significant disabilities who may not succeed in traditional job settings. CE focuses on finding or creating job roles that highlight what the person does well, ensuring it benefits both the job seeker and the employer.

Significant disabilities are disabilities that make it harder for a person to do everyday tasks, like working, communicating, or taking care of themselves. In Customized Employment, individuals with significant disabilities receive personalized support to help them find a job that matches their strengths and abilities, overcoming barriers that might exist in typical employment processes.

Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) means a person with a disability works in a job alongside people without disabilities and gets paid the same for doing similar work. In Customized Employment, the goal is always competitive integrated employment, but the process of customizing the job allows people with significant disabilities to find roles that suit their unique skills in a regular work setting.

A person-centered approach is a way of working that focuses on the individual’s unique needs, strengths, and goals. It means putting the person at the center of decision-making and planning, making sure their voice guides the process. In Customized Employment, a person-centered approach is used to help the individual find a job that matches their interests, abilities, and life goals. It’s about what the person wants and how to support them in reaching those goals, rather than fitting them into a pre-existing system.

Discovery is an in-depth process of learning about a person's strengths, interests, and the type of support they need to find the right job. In Customized Employment, Discovery replaces traditional assessments and focuses on getting to know the person deeply—through observation and interviews—so that a job can be tailored to what they do best and what they enjoy.

Extended supports are ongoing help that a person with a disability receives after they get a job to ensure they continue to succeed. In Arizona, extended supports can come from the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD), Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation (VR), Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) or private pay. These supports are critical in Customized Employment to help individuals maintain and thrive in their jobs over time.

The goal of the Customized Employment Pilot is to implement Customized Employment services with selected employment providers and job seekers, offering support, training, and resources throughout the process. The pilot will help us learn what works best, with the ultimate goal of creating a Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Customized Employment service that can be expanded statewide. This will ensure that more people with significant disabilities in Arizona can access the benefits of Customized Employment in the future.

Employment providers for the pilot have already been selected, so no additional providers can participate at this time. Job seekers involved in the pilot are also being identified by the selected employment providers, and most have already been chosen.

However, now is the perfect time to start talking about Customized Employment within your organization! You can prepare by learning about the process, sharing information with staff, parents, and job seekers, and promoting the idea that everyone can work with the right supports. Most importantly, focus on Employment First—the expectation that all individuals, including those with significant disabilities, can achieve competitive integrated employment. By fostering this belief and building awareness, you’ll be ready for future opportunities as Customized Employment expands across the state.

Currently, Customized Employment is not a standalone service in Arizona, but it is a process used to support people with significant disabilities who face challenges in finding or keeping traditional employment. Individuals who are eligible for Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) or services through the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) may benefit from Customized Employment if they need a personalized approach to find a job that matches their strengths and abilities.

Customized Employment tailors the job to the person, rather than expecting the person to fit into a pre-existing job. It focuses on what the person does best and builds a role around those strengths, instead of using standard job interviews or applications.

We are actively creating resources and adding them to the Customized Employment webpage for job seekers, parents, employment professionals, and employers specific to Arizona. This webpage will provide helpful guides, tools, and information to better understand how Customized Employment works and how it can benefit everyone involved. Stay tuned as we continue to update and expand these resources to support individuals and organizations interested in learning more.

For national resources, you can also visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) page on Customized Employment at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/program-areas/customized-employment.

To access customized employment services, you must be eligible with Vocational Rehabilitation (VR). If you're eligible with DDD, ask your support coordinator to refer you to Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) or you may submit a referral form. For more details on how to submit a referral to VR, visit: Vocational Rehabilitation | Arizona Department of Economic Security 

User-friendly guides made by the ASU School of social work were created to help social service providers better support parents with disabilities. 

https://sites.google.com/asu.edu/lizlightfoot/home/parents-with-disabilities

A free, comprehensive online resource for employers seeking to move beyond basic compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in order to create more disability-inclusive workplaces.

https://askjan.org/toolkit/index.cfm