Using the VRC Self-Employment Proficiency Scale

Dr. Riesen is the Director of the Research and Training Division at the Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice with an appointment as research associate professor in the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation at Utah State University. Dr. Riesen has 30 years of experience working with people significant disabilities. He has worked for adult residential programs that support people with autism spectrum disorder, worked as a certified special educator serving 18-21-year-old students with disabilities, and has worked as a researcher and faculty member in institutes of higher education. He has conducted a number of single-subject research studies on embedded instruction in secondary school and systematic instruction in community-based employment programs. He has conducted research on school-to-work barriers and customized employment. He has written articles on the Fair Labor Standards Act and its application to school-to-work programs, customized employment, and alternatives to guardianship. He is the co-author of a 2016 book on transition and a 2020 book on embedded instruction and has written book chapters on book chapters on transition, employment and residential issues, and job coaching, and single subject research design.

For 20 years, Molly has been assisting people with disabilities to pursue wage and self-employment. She has worked in direct service and program management for both non-profit and government agencies. For the last decade she has also provided training and technical assistance under numerous innovative projects at the local, state, and national levels including the Social Security funded WIPA National Training and Data Center, state Medicaid Infrastructure Grants, and state Disability Employment Initiatives.