Article
Family Perspectives on Integrated Employment for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
The Journal of The Association for Persons With Severe Handicaps
(2018)
Abstract
Families are essential partners in efforts to elevate the employment outcomes of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). We examined the employment-related expectations, preferences, and concerns of 673 parents and other family members of adults with IDD. Participants prioritized paid integrated employment over sheltered options, and such perspectives were strongly associated with the recent employment status of their family member with IDD. In addition, they valued qualitative dimensions of a potential workplace (e.g., personal satisfaction, social interaction opportunities) more highly than prevailing employment metrics (e.g., rate of pay, hours per week, benefits). Multiple factors informed the views of parents and other family members regarding integrated employment and the extent to which their family member with IDD had been employed previously in the community. We offer recommendations for research, practice, and systems change efforts aimed at raising expectations for and access to integrated employment for adults with IDD
Keywords
- employment,
- families,
- attitudes,
- intellectual disability,
- systems change
Disciplines
Publication Date
March 1, 2018
DOI
10.1177/1540796917751134
Citation Information
Carly B. Gilson, Carly B. Gilson, Erik W. Carter, Jennifer L. Bumble, et al.. "Family Perspectives on Integrated Employment for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities" The Journal of The Association for Persons With Severe Handicaps Vol. 43 Iss. 1 (2018) p. 20 - 37 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/jennifer-bumble/4/