“Supported employment” is a key term in the developmental disabilities and mental health field.

It helps match individuals to job opportunities in typical workplaces, letting them work alongside people without disabilities.

In an new GHN Commentary, Kathy Keeley, executive director of All About Developmental Disabilities, urges state lawmakers to include more money for supported employment.

“There are thousands of Georgians with developmental disabilities, and the unemployment rate for this group is more than 85 percent,’’ Keeley writes. This job help, she adds, “means the difference between a life of isolation at home and full participation in the world of work and the community.”

Here’s a link to her Commentary.

Georgia Health News welcomes Commentary submissions. If you would like to propose a Commentary piece for Georgia Health News, please email Andy Miller, editor of GHN, at amiller@georgiahealthnews.com