CT needs job coaches for people with disabilities. A new state pilot could help.

[Excerpt from article by P.R. Lockhart, September 11, 2026]

Thousands of workers with disabilities in Connecticut face barriers to employment, from lower wages to segregated work opportunities. Addressing those issues has only become more pressing as the state pushes towards “competitive integrated employment,” encouraging workers with disabilities to be hired alongside workers without disabilities, with equal chances for improved wages, benefits and promotions.

But to make that transition, the state needs to overcome a related challenge: a shortage of the counselors, coaches and support staff who help workers with disabilities succeed in the workplace.

As efforts to address broader caregiving, special education and other support-oriented workforce shortages continue across the state, the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services is stepping in with a program targeted at creating a pipeline for these workers, part of a larger group known as direct support professionals or DSPs, in Connecticut.

“We’re building to ensure that we have the right supports accessible to all corners of the state,” said David Doukas, the director of the BRS. “We believe that we can train people entering the workforce in this and that they’re going to provide the best support possible.”

Earlier in the summer, the agency announced it was launching a pilot for a 10-month paid training program called SPARK-CT, also known as Strengthening Professional Advancement in Rehabilitation Knowledge via Certified Training. The planning and development of the pilot was funded through federal grants, and the pilot is expected to cost around $3.7 million from the initial planning phase through completion and project closeout, according to program information shared with The Connecticut Mirror.

The money will be used to help develop a new cohort of Direct Employment Support Professionals, a uniquely trained subset of DSPs who specialize in job coaching and providing a wide range of employment services.

Over the course of the program, selected trainees will complete experiential and field work with community-facing rehabilitation organizations, while also receiving direct training from BRS on how to provide job coaching, handle administrative tasks and support workers with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

By the end of the program, successful participants will have the knowledge necessary to take the National APSE Certified Employment Support Professional (CESP) Examination, a credential that trainees can point to as proof of their skills.

The SPARK-CT pilot gives the state a chance to test how it can help to develop a key workforce, while also producing a cohort that can immediately fill vacant roles in a range of local organizations.

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The SPARK-CT program arrives as the state works to support people with disabilities, particularly when it comes to employment and workforce development.

According to data from the Center for Research on Disability, the national unemployment rate for workers with disabilities was 9.3% in 2023, compared to 3.9% for workers without disabilities.

In Connecticut, the disparity was roughly the same over the same period, with workers with disabilities facing a 9.7% unemployment rate while unemployment for workers without disabilities stood at 4.1%.

In 2023, the median annual earnings for workers with disabilities in the state was $31,660 compared to $52,990 for workers without disabilities. In other words, a worker with a disability made roughly 60% of what a worker without a disability made.

A survey published earlier this year by DataHaven found that while 1 in 4 adults in the state live with disabilities, there continues to be significant unmet need in Connecticut. Looking specifically at economic well-being, the report authors found “ a particularly large difference in overall self-rated financial well-being,” between people with disabilities and those without.

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