Working to Work: Resources Students With Intellectual Disability Use to Gain Employment

• In Event: Thursday Roundtable Session 2:30 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Charting the Contours of Transition: Exploring Postsecondary Possibilities for People Who Identify as Disabled (Table 5)

Abstract

Individuals with Intellectual Disability (ID) are historically underemployed due to a variety of barriers. In recent decades, more individuals with ID have been attending inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) programs, which has helped improve competitive and integrated employment (CIE) outcomes. This qualitative study analyzed interviews with graduates from one IPSE program who participated in an internship experience. Findings illustrated two major categories of resources that were used to gain employment: internal to and external from the IPSE. Some individuals are at a greater disadvantage in gaining CIE due to a lack of external resources, such as family connections. Findings and implications will be discussed.

Authors

• Katie E. Ducett, SUNY - College at Cortland

• Beth Myers, Syracuse University