Employment First – Resources for Advocacy
Below you will find tools to begin, continue, or grow your Employment First advocacy efforts!
Legislative Toolkit
How to Connect with Your Legislative Officials
Trends and Current Status of 14(c). (Last revised: 7/1/24)
White Papers, Policy Position Statements and Other Resources
Read APSE's white paper on the Trends and Current Status of 14(c). (7/1/24)
APSE’s Pathway to Competitive Integrated Employment: A Discussion Guide is written for service-provider leadership to guide internal discussions about shifting business models towards competitive integrated employment while addressing 14(c) in Group Supported Employment and Day Habilitation programs. (9/7/22)
Letters of Support for Federal Legislation (119th Congress)
Last Update: Jan. 28, 2025
Check back for more information
Historical Position Statements and Policy Documents of Interest
APSE's Letter of Support for the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act to the 118th Congress. (2/23/23)
APSE's letter to the Senate HELP Committee leadership regarding the intent to reauthorize WIOA. (4/8/21)
APSE's summary of the Impact of COVID-19 on Disability Employment Services and Outcomes: Results from a National Provider Survey. (12/1/21)
APSE's response to RSA on the proposed guidance that clarifies the Department of Education’s policy on the criterion for an integrated employment location in the definition of “competitive integrated employment,” for purposes of the State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services program. (4/8/21)
APSE's response to ODEP on the proposal to move the Ticket to Work program from SSA to DOL. (11/13/20)
Check Out APSE's Action Center
Click HERE to take action on current advocacy campaigns. You can also search Federal and State legislation based on topics of interest to Employment First.
Legislative Strategies
Legislative advocacy is about making your voice heard and taking action on behalf of yourself or others. Legislative advocacy can involve working personally with legislative staff to organizing campaigns to raise awareness of issues via coordinated phone calls, letters and/or social media posts to legislators about a particular issue. Legislative advocacy is not a one-time thing!
In general, we recommend several different types of legislative advocacy when working with elected officials:
The most effective way to build relationships with your legislators is to communicate with them on a regular basis. This might involve in-person meetings, virtual meetings, attending town halls, etc.
A critical strategy for success is to amplify your message. Working in collaboration with others who share your views ensures maximizes your effort. For more information about working with and developing coalitions, review the Alliance for Justice Coalition Checklist here.
Competitive Integrated Employment Data Fact Sheets
Employment outcomes for people with disabilities vary by state. Having up to date information is important when approaching legislators. APSE provides available PDFs for download, sharing, or printing. Prepare to tell the Employment First story!
(Last update: 2020)
State Disability Employment Snapshots
Be prepared with data. Using the data from the 2019 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium / American Community Survey (2018), APSE has prepared state data snapshots available PDFs. These 1-page resources are useful when sharing information about Employment First in your state!
Public Policy Priorities
Read more about APSE's Public Policy Priorities and efforts, updated annually and as the year evolves. Check it out for more resources about specific issues.
Want to receive policy updates from APSE?
Visit APSE’s Action Center to sign up for Action Alerts from National APSE!