RACS Supported Employment Program staff with CARF Accreditation Certificate. Left to Right: Employment Specialist Amy Huffman, Program Manager Adam Sass, Employment Specialist Catherine Elkins-Lonergan, Community Support Services Director Mike Gieseke-Smith, and Employment Specialist Ashley Crutchfield.

RACS Supported Employment Awarded Three-Year CARF Accreditation   The International Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) announced that Rockbridge Area Community Services’ Supported Employment Program has been accredited for a period of three years for its community-based, integrated employment program. According to an agency spokesperson, the latest accreditation is the third consecutive Three-Year Accreditation that the international accrediting body has awarded to the RACS Supported Employment Program. CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of the persons served. Founded in 1966, CARF establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services. These standards are updated on a regular basis and currently include over 230 standards for supported employment programs. Adam Sass, Program Manager for the Supported Employment program, explained the CARF honor, “This accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and shows the organization’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards. An organization receiving a Three-Year Accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process and has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit that its programs and services are of the highest quality." "Additionally," Sass noted, "the outcomes of the program have to be measurable to enable funding sources and potential consumers to compare the performance of the program to other programs and national standards." The RACS Supported Employment Program has been providing integrated, community-based supported employment in Rockbridge County, Lexington, Buena Vista, and Bath County area since 1998. In fact, RACS’ Supported Employment is the only locally based program accredited to help people with disabilities seek, secure, and maintain truly integrated employment in the Rockbridge area. Sass commented, “This acknowledgement from CARF is particularly timely as October recognizes disability employment. Enacted by Congress in 1945, the first week in October was designated as ‘National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week.’ In 1988, Congress changed the name to ‘National Disability Employment Awareness Month.’” “It is important to note that having people with disabilities in the workplace is valuable to the individual and the business,” says Neil Romano, assistant secretary for the Labor Department’s Office of Disability Employment policy. “People with disabilities are the next great wave of diversity, and diversity fosters innovation to drive our economy and our nation into the future.” Sass added “Locally, our Supported Employment program serves an average of 40 individuals each year, either through individual job placements or supported enclave arrangements where a job coach stays on site to supervise the group. This past year, 94% of our participants got jobs through the program and were still working after six months. The average wage earned by participants was $7.05 per hour. This is significant employment for these individuals, makes an important contribution to our local workforce, and provides valuable connections between individuals with disabilities and local employers.” The mission of the Supported Employment program is Integration through Employment. The individuals with disabilities working through Supported Employment program work in the community along side the traditional workforce and not only provide an important contribution to our local workforce but also promote integration of people with disabilities into our community. For additional information about Disability Employment Awareness Month or the RACS Supported Employment program, contact Adam Sass, Program Manager, at 540/463-3141.

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