In a recent report prepared for the Maine Long-term Care Ombudsman Program, researchers at the Muskie School of Public Service captured the first-hand experiences and input of long-term care supports and services consumers, family members, workers, advocates, and community members so that their voices might become an integral part of state-wide planning for such services and supports.

Fifth in a series, this annual report summarizes basic facts about employment status and services for people with disabilities in Maine and is published by Maine's Commission on Disability and Employment and the CHOICES CEO Project, which is housed at the Muskie School.

As the oldest state in the nation, the use of long-term services and supports surfaces as a key issue of public policy in Maine. This chart book provides key demographic trends and data that will be relevant to public officials and policy makers making decisions about Maine's long-term care needs.

Recently, federal and state policy has encouraged a shift away from sheltered employment programs to competitive jobs in community settings for adults with cognitive disabilities. This report describes an innovative Maine program that relied on adults with cognitive disabilities who held competitive jobs to design and deliver training to their peers in sheltered workshops who wanted to work in their communities.