People with disabilities are first and foremost individuals. Regardless of the severity and classification of their disability, be it physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental, or a combination of these; disabled people, like most of society, have their own life plans and motivations, needs and professional goals (just salamone). Traditionally, there has been a clear professional distinction between people with disabilities and the non-disabled population (reference???). As Walls and Fullmer (???) state, occupation plays an important role in a person's identity; influence social, emotional and intellectual factors as well as physical well-being; people come to see themselves as productive members of the community rather than people weakened by disability (Walls_fullmer). One of the most significant advances in rehabilitation over the past two decades, due in large part to the continued societal emphasis on deinstitutionalization, has been the supported employment movement (Onley and Salamone). Although not without ongoing challenges and disparities, the primary goal of vocational rehabilitation is to enable individuals with disabilities to obtain and maintain competitive employment and meaningful careers. This empowerment advocacy movement has opened the professional door for the disabled population to participate in the mainstream workforce, in turn meeting the standardized expectations of the individual and society (Walls_fullmer). This essay will explore the nature of supported employment for people with disabilities and any implications for the future direction of the supported employment initiative. (happy??!!) Conventionally, the general consensus was that people with disabilities we...... middle of the paper...... compatible with the context in which it is to be used. We believe that each worker with a disability should first be considered as an individual and then supports should be built around their needs, rather than arbitrarily deciding that a specific method is appropriate for achieving integration in the workplace (Storey certainly). -ongoing support services, with an acute awareness of learning, empowerment and autonomy needs, the rehabilitation professional can help people with disabilities and their families to help themselves. As tory and ccerto (????) highlight, it is a collaborative approach between job managers, mentors and the client, to achieve the best possible result for the client. (story certain reading) Individuals with disabilities are individuals, first and foremost. Regardless of the severity and classification of their disability.