Introduction to Employment Supports

This upper level undergraduate course examines historical and contemporary constructions of employment services and supports for people with disabilities, youth at risk, mental illness and others who have significant barriers. It will highlight various theoretical frameworks for interpreting the nature and meaning of employment supports. It will also provide an overview of evidence-based practice.

Course Content

• Review historical approaches to disability/employment models from a variety of contexts.
• Analyze the strengths and weakness of the models and frameworks.
• Examine the points of transition through the lifespan and how they relate to employment.
• Develop a conceptual understanding of the challenges of access to employment for individuals that experience significant barriers.
• Outline the principles of disability management.
• Explore the concept of rehabilitation and disability management. 
• Consider the roles of cultural and corporate competence when working with the client, employer and co-worker.
• Overview of the roles and responsibilities of individuals providing supports services and employment support.
• Consider principles of change and leadership and how they affect employment supports.
• Examine social and international policy as it relates to employment and disability.
• Examine the vocational profile process.

Methods of Instruction

• Lecture
• Case study
• Presentations
• Guest speakers
• Video/DVD

Means of Assessment

This course will conform to Douglas College policy regarding the number and weighting of evaluations. Typical means of evaluation would include a combination of:

• Research paper
• Presentation
• Literature reviews
• Case Study/critiques

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of historical and contemporary constructs of employment supports services and supports.
2. Evaluate employment and career development models in various contexts.
3. Analyze the trends and developments in evidence-based employment supports.
4. Assess the vocational and employment process, including disability management framework.
5. Describe the values, ethics and philosophy that underpin employment support services.

With Permission of Instructor

Below shows how this course and its credits transfer within the BC transfer system. 

A course is considered university-transferable (UT) if it transfers to at least one of the five research universities in British Columbia: University of British Columbia; University of British Columbia-Okanagan; Simon Fraser University; University of Victoria; and the University of Northern British Columbia.

For more information on transfer visit the BC Transfer Guide and BCCAT websites.

If your course prerequisites indicate that you need an assessment, please see our Assessment page for more information.