Jason Bennington, an employment support services specialist with USOR, laid out how employers can shift support for employees with disabilities from paid job coaches toward employer- and peer-based natural supports.

Bennington said job coaching is a formal, vocational rehabilitation–funded service delivered by community rehabilitation programs and that the objective is to “increase that individual's independence.” He warned that "job coaches are not performing the job or the employee," and described a three-stage pathway: job development and placement, on-the-job coaching, then a planned fading of the coach as natural supports take over.

Why it matters: Bennington argued that using natural supports—supervisors, coworkers, mentors and family—can improve inclusion and performance. He said supervisors should retain responsibility for onboarding, performance reviews and maintaining confidentiality under workplace and disability rules, while coworkers can provide day-to-day reminders, encouragement and shadowing opportunities.

How employers can prepare: Bennington offered concrete steps for the fading process. Employers should (1) work closely and regularly with the job coach to develop an internal transition plan; (2) identify and continue accommodations the job coach flagged; (3) assign supervisors or mentors for regular check-ins and feedback; and (4) use job carving to realign tasks to strengths. He gave examples of simple accommodations—such as a chair at a computer or tablets for scheduling reminders—and noted vocational rehabilitation’s assistive-technology center can evaluate tools.

Legal and managerial context: Bennington advised managers to understand the Americans with Disabilities Act and to balance accommodation requests with legitimate undue-hardship concerns. He emphasized that accommodation conversations should be collaborative: "it's a back and forth" that aims to preserve workflow while making the employee successful.

Mentoring and workplace culture: The presentation stressed both formal and informal mentoring. Bennington described formal mentoring as an assigned trainer and informal mentoring as coworker help on the floor; both can provide emotional support, tips and a clearer path for development. He said mentoring is "an opportunity to really shape the workforce of tomorrow" by passing knowledge and improving retention.

Next steps and resources: Bennington passed the session to the business relations team for follow-up resources. Organizers said the recording and slide deck will be shared with registrants and pointed to resources such as the Job Accommodation Network and statewide events (employer workshops, career fairs, mentoring events). Attendees were invited to contact the business relations team or join the pwdnetjobsutah.gov listserv for job leads and employer connections.

The session closed with a reminder that staff can host local employer workshops or job fairs and that the team will circulate event and contact information to participants.