Quality Work Environment:
Enhancing Employment Opportunities for People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled

The Quality Work Environment (QWE) Initiative is an AbilityOne program-wide framework to implement, identify and share employer best practices to provide employees with disabilities enhanced employment opportunities, improved wages and upward mobility. QWE is a continuous improvement process that can be tailored to the needs of each AbilityOne employer and its employees.

The continuous improvement process was led by a team of AbilityOne nonprofit agency (NPA) executives affiliated with National Industries for the Blind and NISH (the QWE Steering Group) and was based on employment practices shared by 170 NPAs as well as related research on for profit business employment best practices.

By participating in the QWE Initiative, agencies can leverage the expertise of other nonprofit agencies (NPAs) and over a year of research, development and collaboration among members of the AbilityOne Program. The best practices identified in the research will help agencies become leaders in providing employees who are blind or have significant disabilities opportunities to optimize their earnings and take advantage of career advancement and community-based employment consistent with the individual's informed choice.

The QWE Practice Guidelines are the foundation of the QWE process. Using input from 170 NIB and NISH affiliated agencies, 19 practice guidelines were identified in 4 categories.

• Enhance Wages through Productivity and/or Other Means
• Create Opportunities for Work of Choice
• Provide Access to and/or Navigation Toward Services, Support, Training, and Skill Acquisition
• Provide Supports and Flexibilities in the Work Environment

A Guidebook has been developed by the QWE Group as a reference to assist AbilityOne NPAs in understanding and implementing the QWE process and the QWE Practice Guidelines. The QWE Guidebook, the QWE Tools Guide, the QWE spreadsheet tool, and supporting materials are available for download; see the menu link to QWE Documents.  The QWE spreadsheet is a tool that contains the:

• Analysis and Planning Tool, including the practice guidelines
• Outstanding Practices Worksheet
• Strategic Action Plan worksheet
• QWE project plans template

The QWE Clearinghouse is a resource of management best practices and assistive technology solutions that enhance the quality of the work environment for AbilityOne employers. Items in the QWE Clearinghouse have been provided or developed by AbilityOne NPAs, rehabilitation engineers, research and design competitions. NPAs and other interested parties can search through the clearinghouse to identify solutions and technology that will support the QWE implementation. 

Contact the Institute for Economic Empowerment to provide photos or video illustrating your practices or assistive technology in use. We promise some publicity by featuring the best in the newsletter and on the Institute website.