Yes.

Supported employment has allowed nearly 150,000 individuals with multiple and profound disabilities in the United States to work successfully in the community. The American Association for Mental Retardation (AAMR) writes, "Real employment provides an opportunity for long-term dignity, a chance at upward mobility, and an opportunity to break out of the perpetual problem of unemployment and underemployment."

• The percentage of people dependent on public assistance/disability benefits as their primary source of income drops dramatically as a result of participation in supported employment. The result is that 52% of participants' primary income is their paycheck, rather than public assistance or disability benefits.
• Individuals with disabilities participating in supported employment increased their annual earnings 490%.

AAMR, "Fact Sheet: Supported Employment," http://www.aamr.org/Policies/faq_supported_employ.shtml,
March 5, 2004.