Supports

Personal friends, family and paid support can all assist someone with employment. These supports can be informal or natural such as a coworker giving someone a ride to work, a parent ensuring the alarm clock is set at night or a more formal approach of a paid Employment Specialist teaching a new skill on a job. Providers of services can help someone to decide what supports they need and who best can provide the support. A combination of natural and paid supports can be utilized. Support needs may also change over time and are determined by the person and their support team.

Professional, paid supports are usually based upon applying and being found eligible for specific services based on a disability. See table below for disability-specific resources.

Natural Supports

Personal relationships with people you know in your family, at work or in your community who could assist you with work related supports.

Professional Work Supports

Systems that are designed to assist someone to acquire and maintain their employment. This is usually a State entity such as Vocational Rehabilitation or The Department of Health and Human Services.

Disability	Natural Supports	Professional Paid Supports Information that can assist getting a job	Funding Resources Information that can assist in support for keeping a job	Other Resources
Traumatic Brain Injury	Family Friends Co-Workers	Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation	Long term VR TBI Resource Link
Mental Health Disability	Family Friends Co-Workers	Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation	Mental Health Long Term Support Manual	Maine Chapter of National Alliance for the Mentally Ill including support groups and resource information
Developmental Disability	Family Friends Co-Workers	Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation	Information on Developmental Services through DHHS
Physical Disability	Family Friends Co-Workers	Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation	Rules governing Extended Support Programs Basic Support provide services to persons with the most severe disabilities in order that they may maintain jobs in community, through Bureau of Rehabilitation Services.	Resources available through Alpha One around Employment Extended Support Programs Basic Support provide services to persons with the most severe disabilities in order that they may maintain jobs in community-based supported employment settings gained through their participation in either of the two VR Programs the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services offers.

---