Informed Choice in Employment and Postsecondary Transition
Institute for Community Inclusion | Tools for Inclusion
Informed Choice in Employment and Postsecondary Transition
Employment and Employment Supports: A Guide to Ensuring Informed Choice for Individuals with Disabilities
This accessible web version is based on the original Institute for Community Inclusion publication and is provided within the Postsecondary Perkins Guide resource pages for accessibility and usability purposes.
Informed Choice and Employment: Overview
What is informed choice?
Informed choice is the process of choosing from options based on accurate information, knowledge, and experiences.
Core principles of choice
- Everyone is capable of making choices: Everyone, regardless of their limitations, is capable of making choices, and needs opportunity, experience, and support to do so.
- Choices are not unlimited: Choice does not mean an individual can do whatever they want. Choice means selecting among available options, and clearly defining what those options are.
- Choices have consequences: And it is important to clearly understand what those consequences are.
- All choices aren’t equal: Choices are made within the overall context of cultural and societal expectations. As a result, some choices are viewed as more acceptable and more positive than others.
Ensuring a choice that is truly informed
Like all of us, individuals with disabilities have the right to make choices over where they work and how they spend their days. However, people with disabilities too often have limited experiences on which to base choices, combined with lives in which well-intended professionals and family members have made choices on their behalf or had undue influence on their decisions.
Studies have found that, when given repeated opportunities to make a choice and act upon that choice, through observing or trying jobs in the community, individuals with severe disabilities clearly express their vocational preferences, which often differ from what their caregivers recommend or presume is their choice (Martin et al., 2005).
As individuals with disabilities consider their employment options, questions often arise: Does the person want to work in competitive integrated employment? What kind of a job do they want? What are their career interests? And who is really making the decision: Is it the individual, or others on their behalf?
As people with disabilities consider their options and future direction in terms of employment, it is important that they do so within a process that puts them in the driver’s seat in terms of decision-making. This process must ensure they have the necessary information to make the choice they feel is the right one for them, embracing not just choice, but informed choice.
But what is “informed choice”? And how we do ensure that a choice is truly “informed” and fully reflective of the individual’s preferences?
This publication answers these questions. In it, we provide a guide to decision-making regarding employment and related services and supports, through a process where individuals understand their options, and make choices and decisions that are fully reflective of their own interests and preferences.
“Listen to our dreams about having a job. We want to work just like others.”
–Stirling Peebles, Green Mountain Self-Advocates
Individuals with disabilities who are considering their employment and service options should have the opportunity to make a fully informed decision about whether they want to work in integrated community employment and what type of job they want.
To make that decision, the person may need assistance in understanding the benefits that work can bring to their life, such as new relationships, money, control, health insurance, and a sense of self-worth.
The result of this decision should always reflect the person’s preferences rather than what others think they should do.
Via laws and policies, government at the federal, state, and local level will often define the preferred choices available to individuals receiving publicly funded services. With the Americans with Disabilities Act as a basis, through federal and state policies, government has made clear that integration and inclusion of people with disabilities into mainstream society and within the general workforce is preferred.
If segregated service options are available, they can be among the choices that an individual can consider. However, government can still clearly indicate that segregated options are not preferred, and can place limits on or discourage their use.
The ability to make informed choices is a skill and habit built over time. Lack of self-determination and self-advocacy abilities can become a barrier to building this skill. Individuals who have had limited opportunities to make their own choices and have largely deferred to professionals, caregivers, and family members may struggle in expressing their preferences and need to go through a process of “unlearning” deferring to others in terms of choice making.
In addition, as a result of limited information and experiences, as well as misinformation, labels, and stereotypes, and a long-term history of low societal expectations, individuals often perceive their capabilities and opportunities as narrow and limited.
It is critical that professionals be mindful of these challenges as they facilitate the informed choice process.
Simply put, making a well-informed choice is not something that will happen automatically. It is impacted by self-perception and by the skills and abilities a person has developed in choice making. However, with the right supports, individuals with even the most significant disabilities are capable of fully expressing their choices and preferences regarding how they spend their day-to-day lives. Providing ongoing opportunities for choice making, along with training on self-advocacy and self-determination, can assist in this regard.
Informed Choice as an Evolutionary Process
Making choices about employment and career direction is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process that evolves over time. As individuals gain more experience, information, and exposure to different environments, their preferences and goals may change.
This means that informed choice must be revisited regularly. What a person chooses at one point in time may not reflect what they want later, particularly as they develop new skills, build confidence, and gain a better understanding of their options.
Providing opportunities for individuals to explore, reflect, and adjust their goals is essential to ensuring that their employment outcomes continue to align with their evolving interests and preferences.
Informed choice should not be used just to decide if an individual wants to work in the general workforce.
Informed choice is not limited to individuals who are able to clearly communicate using traditional methods. All individuals, regardless of the nature or severity of their disability, are capable of expressing preferences and making choices when provided with appropriate supports.
Some individuals may require alternative methods of communication, additional time, or repeated opportunities to explore options before expressing their preferences. It is essential that these supports are provided so that each individual has a meaningful opportunity to participate in the decision-making process.
Assumptions should not be made about an individual’s ability to make decisions. Instead, the focus should be on identifying and providing the supports necessary for the person to express their preferences and make decisions about their employment and daily life.
Informed choice requires a systematic, structured, and comprehensive process. To make a truly informed choice, people need to have varied experiences and good information. This includes extensive job exploration and discovery to ensure the individual’s choices and preferences are fully understood, and all barriers to employment are identified and addressed. Staff play a critical role in effectively facilitating the process.
This should not be considered wholly separate from other service processes, and ideally will be integrated within person-centered planning, career exploration, and discovery.
- Provide information about the benefits of working in integrated settings. Examples include increased wages, economic self-sufficiency, and discretionary income; increased independence; opportunities to develop new skills and perform work that reflects personal interests; opportunities to build confidence, and a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment; opportunities to build new relationships and friendships; and greater control over how the person spends their day.
- Facilitate visits or other experiences in employment settings. These can include situational assessments (short-term job tryouts, job sampling), informational interviews, job shadowing, job tours, etc. Use a variety of settings that reflect a diversity of potential employment opportunities, based on a person-centered approach that identifies the person’s interests and what is important to them.
- Peer-to-peer discussions: These discussions can involve individuals with disabilities meeting with peers who are working successfully in integrated employment, and/or families meeting with other families whose members are thriving in the workplace. Facilitate these discussions to promote dialogue regarding the successes experienced in community employment, the processes for achieving that success, and concerns/challenges that have been encountered and addressed.
- Identify and address any concerns or objections raised by the individual or relevant decision maker (e.g., parent, guardian, case manager): Concerns and objections should not be viewed as insurmountable barriers to employment, but rather as issues to be addressed and resolved. See table on page 6 regarding common concerns and objections and how to address them.
- Regularly revisit a decision not to work in the community: Informed choice is not a “one and done” process. If an individual is hesitant to consider working in the general workforce, low-risk steps can be taken to introduce them to the possibilities of employment and address any concerns (e.g., talking to peers who are working, viewing videos of individuals who are successfully employed, touring employment sites, visiting an American Job Center). During this exploratory process, the decision not to work in the community should be revisited periodically to see if the individual has changed their mind.
Fully document the process undertaken for informed choice for an individual, including the planned steps to address concerns or objections that have been raised, which can be reviewed at a later date. This documentation helps ensure the integrity of the informed choice process, and will also provide documentation for any type of review regarding whether an individual’s right to informed choice has been fully respected and enforced. It is suggested that a standard format be used for documentation. The resource section at the end of this publication contains links to examples.
When it comes to informed choice, a variety of individuals are likely to be involved, including family members/guardians, funding source representatives, and support professionals. Support professionals not only include day program and employment services staff, but residential staff, mental health counselors, educators, and school personnel.
This includes sharing pertinent information to help the individual discover possibilities, and identifying and assisting with avenues for career exploration.
Informed choice is about individuals making decisions based on accurate information, not professionals directing them toward a specific outcome. At the same time, staff are not simply neutral observers in the process.
This creates a balance between respecting individual choice and ensuring that the individual has been exposed to the full range of opportunities and understands the benefits and implications of those options.
Staff should actively support the exploration of integrated employment, while ensuring that the final decision reflects the individual’s preferences and is based on informed choice.
Families and guardians often play a significant role in the decision-making process regarding employment and services. Their perspectives, concerns, and expectations can influence the choices that individuals make.
It is important to actively engage families and guardians in the informed choice process by providing them with accurate information, opportunities to ask questions, and exposure to examples of successful integrated employment outcomes.
At the same time, it is essential to ensure that the individual remains at the center of the decision-making process, and that their preferences and interests are respected.
Supporting families and guardians in understanding employment options and outcomes can help align expectations and create a more supportive environment for the individual’s employment goals.
In discussing community employment, individuals may express concerns or objections. It is important to be prepared with responses for these. The goal is not to downplay the concerns or objections, but to understand them and identify how you might support the individual to address them.
First, acknowledge the concern or objection. Ask follow-up questions if you need more information. Then engage the individual in identifying potential strategies to address the concern. Keep in mind that many individuals and their families have been part of the service system for a long time, and solutions have often been promised that may not have resolved their concerns. Their past experiences will influence their response to new opportunities.
| Concern/Objection | Response |
|---|---|
| I’ll mess up my benefits and lose my medical coverage. | There are ways to maintain critical benefits and still go to work. Connect the individual with a benefits planner (Work Incentives Planning and Assistance, etc.), and provide information on online benefits calculators (e.g., DB101). |
| I’m worried about my safety working in the community. | Generally people with disabilities are safe in the community. Ask if they have experienced safety problems in the past. Note the safety track record for other individuals who are working. Identify specific safety concerns in a planning meeting, and strategies for addressing them (for example, working with the employer on safety issues, practicing using a cell phone to call for help, asking a bus driver for assistance, etc.). |
| I’ll miss my friends in the workshop or day program. | Discuss how all friends are made over time and new ones can be made. Find options that will allow new interactions with current friends. Make sure potential jobs are a good fit socially for the individual. |
| It sounds scary. The workshop/day program is all I know. | Use a person-centered approach to discuss interests they can explore, and provide job tryout options before conducting a job search. Hold meetings with peers/mentors who have had success in community employment. Point out examples in the individual’s life when they’ve made changes that may have been scary/uncomfortable at first, but they liked in the end. |
| How do I know the job will last? What if I lose it, or don’t like it? | There are no guarantees, but there are steps that can be taken to maximize success. Discuss the variety of jobs available in the local area and set up informational interviews with employers to create awareness of options. Discuss how the job development process will work, how job supports will be provided, and how re-placement will occur if needed. Provide examples of individual success, and connect with peers who have been successful. Provide agency statistics on both placement and retention rates. |
| I’m scared of feeling alone. | Stress the steps that will be taken via the planning and discovery process so the individual finds a job that is a good match for them socially, and that promotes interactions with others and full inclusion. Discuss how provider staff will work with the individual and employer to facilitate full social inclusion in the new workplace. |
| I don’t even know what jobs are out there. | Conduct discovery activities such as job shadowing, short-term job tryouts, and volunteering. |
| My family and friends don’t think I should work. | Identify and address the concerns family and friends may have through processes such as person-centered planning. Remind the person that while family and friends mean well, it is ultimately the individual’s decision on whether and where they go to work. |
| I worked in the community before, and it was terrible. | Remind the individual that lots of people try different jobs (and sometimes fail) before they find the right one. Explore why the previous work experience went poorly, and how those issues can be addressed via a better job match and support. Find avenues to experience new work situations to build confidence (volunteering, job shadowing, and job tryouts) before pursuing a final job goal. |
| It’s my choice to stay in the sheltered workshop or day program. | Validate that the individual has the right to stay in a sheltered workshop or day program (assuming funding and eligibility for these services continues). However, emphasize that the individual is capable of doing other things, and encourage them to take even a few steps to at least consider other options. Also, emphasize that working in the community provides a wide range of choices and options. |
Even if an individual with a disability is not their own legal guardian, they still have the right to informed choice. Per The Arc of the United States, all individuals “should be afforded opportunities to participate to the maximum extent possible in making and executing decisions about themselves. Guardians should engage individuals in the decision-making process, ensuring that their preferences and desires are known, considered, and achieved to the fullest extent possible.”
Consider these guidelines when dealing with guardianship issues:
- Determine the parameters of the guardianship—i.e., what specific issues the guardian has responsibility for, which can vary from individual to individual. In some cases, it may be legally necessary to involve the guardian in issues regarding employment, but in other cases that might not be required.
- Learn what type and level of relationship the guardian has with the individual. If the guardian is a family member, they have an emotional attachment and are potentially involved in day-to-day decisions. A state-appointed guardian will have a professional relationship and may have more limited contact with the individual.
- As appropriate, involve the guardian, and advocate for their support of the informed choice process. As explained by The Arc, it is the role of the guardian to know and understand the individual’s needs and wishes and act in accordance with them whenever possible, and whenever any action will not negatively affect the individual’s health, safety, financial security, and other welfare. If the guardian opposes the choices that an individual is making in terms of employment, assuming they have the right to do so, determine their reasons for opposition, and work to address the issues.
Among these standards are:
- The guardian shall identify and advocate for the person’s goals, needs, and preferences.
- The guardian shall attempt to maximize the self-reliance and independence of the person.
- The guardian shall encourage the person to participate, to the maximum extent of the person’s abilities, in all decisions that affect him or her, to act on his or her own behalf in all matters in which the person is able to do so.
- The guardian shall make and implement a plan that seeks to fulfill the person’s goals, needs, and preferences. The plan shall emphasize the person’s strengths, skills, and abilities to the fullest extent in order to favor the least restrictive setting.
- The guardian shall wherever possible, seek to ensure that the person leads the planning process; and at a minimum to ensure that the person participates in the process.
References and Publication Information
Martin, J. E., et al. (2005). Choice-making and self-determination for students with severe disabilities.
This publication is part of the Tools for Inclusion series developed by the Institute for Community Inclusion, University of Massachusetts Boston.
The Think College Transition Project is funded by an Investing in Innovation Development Grant from the Office of Innovation and Improvement with matching funds provided by the Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation.
Recommended citation: Hoff, D., & Holz, N. (2020). Employment and Employment Supports: A Guide to Ensuring Informed Choice for Individuals with Disabilities. Boston, MA: Institute for Community Inclusion, University of Massachusetts Boston.
This material is a product of the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Permission to reproduce and post this material for the Minnesota State System Office was provided on April 13, 2026.
Even if an individual with a disability is not their own legal guardian, they still have the right to informed choice. Per The Arc of the United States, all individuals “should be afforded opportunities to participate to the maximum extent possible in making and executing decisions about themselves. Guardians should engage individuals in the decision-making process, ensuring that their preferences and desires are known, considered, and achieved to the fullest extent possible.”
Consider these guidelines when dealing with guardianship issues:
- Determine the parameters of the guardianship—i.e., what specific issues the guardian has responsibility for, which can vary from individual to individual. In some cases, it may be legally necessary to involve the guardian in issues regarding employment, but in other cases that might not be required.
- Learn what type and level of relationship the guardian has with the individual. If the guardian is a family member, they have an emotional attachment and are potentially involved in day-to-day decisions. A state-appointed guardian will have a professional relationship and may have more limited contact with the individual.
- As appropriate, involve the guardian, and advocate for their support of the informed choice process. As explained by The Arc, it is the role of the guardian to know and understand the individual’s needs and wishes and act in accordance with them whenever possible, and whenever any action will not negatively affect the individual’s health, safety, financial security, and other welfare. If the guardian opposes the choices that an individual is making in terms of employment, assuming they have the right to do so, determine their reasons for opposition, and work to address the issues.
Among these standards are:
- The guardian shall identify and advocate for the person’s goals, needs, and preferences.
- The guardian shall attempt to maximize the self-reliance and independence of the person.
- The guardian shall encourage the person to participate, to the maximum extent of the person’s abilities, in all decisions that affect him or her, to act on his or her own behalf in all matters in which the person is able to do so.
- The guardian shall make and implement a plan that seeks to fulfill the person’s goals, needs, and preferences. The plan shall emphasize the person’s strengths, skills, and abilities to the fullest extent in order to favor the least restrictive setting.
- The guardian shall wherever possible, seek to ensure that the person leads the planning process; and at a minimum to ensure that the person participates in the process.