For several decades now, within the conceptual and values-based field, approaches to disability have shifted away from focusing on the extraordinary nature of impairment toward an emphasis on the right to an ordinary life with the necessary supports (Butterworth, 2002). This move toward a support-centered model prioritizes full participation in society and the right to self-determination, and has required a transformation in the mission and organization of disability support systems and services.

In Portugal, as in many other European countries, the organization of these services has traditionally been informed by disability-centered approaches—i.e., focused on the nature and severity of disability and/or functional limitations—which serve as the basis for the development of metrics for the allocation and distribution of resources. However, this administrative practice has increasingly conflicted with the on-the-ground progression of support-centered models, leading to growing resistance to traditional approaches whose criteria for resource allocation and organization tend to neglect the intensity of the support needs of the individuals served (EASPD, 2020).

At the same time, there has been a gradual transformation in the configuration of funding—both in European countries such as Germany, Ireland, and Finland, and transcontinentally in countries such as the United States, Australia, and Taiwan—shifting from the allocation of funds to support organizations toward their direct allocation to the individuals supported (EASPD, 2020). This reform, which advocates the gradual adoption of person-centered funding models, places the power of choice and control over the types of services sought and contracted in the hands of individuals themselves. It is associated with an increased emphasis on needs-led support, that is, support guided by each individual’s needs and goals (Fleming et al., 2019).

The recognition of the insufficiency of disability-based funding models, on the one hand, and the emergence of person-centered funding models, on the other, has brought into the organizational sphere the need to ground decision-making processes in socio-ecological approaches, whose assessments focus on identifying the supports required for full participation in common life domains (WHO, 2003).

In this context, policies in the field of inclusion have been undergoing constant reconceptualization, seeking greater continuity between decisions regarding the supports to be mobilized and their implementation in practice, in ways that respond to each person’s profile of needs and objectives (Silveira-Maia et al., 2022). The Portuguese political and legal framework for employment support (Decree-Law No. 290/2009) exemplifies this approach, advancing measures to support training and employment that are explicitly anchored in assessments aimed at identifying “environmental adaptations and the most appropriate products and devices (…)” (Article 18, paragraph 3). Its funding regime also takes into account each person’s level of productivity in relation to the functions performed in the employment context (Article 72).

This focus on the supports each person requires to integrate into employment necessarily implies the use of assessment tools that are themselves built from a socio-ecological perspective. The Supports Intensity Scale – Adult Version (SIS-A), published by the AAIDD (Thompson et al., 2004; 2023), is a tool aligned with this perspective, enabling the description and quantification of each person’s support needs. By measuring the type, time, and frequency of supports required, SIS-A results allow for the development of personalized support plans and inform decision-making related to resource allocation. Although validated for the Portuguese context (Lopes-dos-Santos et al., 2020), the use of the SIS-A in the specific context of employment support still lacks sufficient evidence to enable its broader and more systematic application, both for the design of individualized support plans and for informing organizational-level decision-making.

Thus, the objective of this project is to describe and explore the usefulness of the SIS-A in:
(A) portraying the support needs of adults receiving employment support measures; and
(B) informing the allocation, organization, and implementation of supports in this domain.

The study will focus on addressing the following questions:

A.1. How does the support needs profile obtained through the SIS-A capture the diversity of individuals’ support needs throughout the employability support process?

B.1. Which SIS-A indicators are most relevant to decision-making related to the organization of employability support processes (type of measures and duration of support)?

B.2. How can the support needs index generated by the SIS-A contribute to the development of more appropriate funding algorithms and, consequently, to improvements in the quality of services provided?

To address these questions, we will adopt an exploratory approach based on the analysis of 150 support needs profiles derived from the administration of the SIS-A to individuals covered by different training and employment support measures, as well as on the reporting of case studies.

This research is part of the project Knowing and Monitoring to Act Better, developed by FORMEM and co-funded by the National Institute for Rehabilitation (INR).