I am considering research that you may find interesting, considering your level
of expertise in working with individuals with intellectual and developmental
disabilities (IDD). Employment is a goal and right of everyone in society, and,
through my recent findings, support for those endeavors is essential in the
lives of individuals with IDD (Kramer et al., 2020; Migliore et al., 2018). While
individuals with IDD may aspire to gain employment, job opportunities
consistently remain low compared to individuals without disabilities, such as
individuals without disabilities have better chances of acquiring jobs within
companies within the community, and individuals with IDD are not readily
accepted (Kramer et al., 2020; Migliore et al., 2018). Opportunities for
competitive integrated employment may be obtained for individuals with IDD
with support not from family alone but state agencies, increasing employment
longevity (Wehman et al., 2018). I am interested in studying support for the
families needed for a successful employment trajectory for individuals with IDD,
so I have included two articles for your consideration.
Research Article One
f f f f f f f f f f Article one’s research question is how do individuals with IDD and
their families interact with the service system to pursue employment
outcomes? (Kramer et al., 2020)? The sample size for this study is small and
includes 33 individuals. There were only three individuals with IDD Recruited,
and the remaining 30 individuals were relatives of the family (Kramer et al.,
2020).
f f f f f f f f The variables of interest in this study are individuals and families
interacting with state agencies, the independent variable, and pursuing
employment outcomes, the dependent variable. If individuals with IDD and their
families are offered support from agencies on a local level, for example, help
families learn how to navigate through the system to gain information on how
to utilize available services, which will allow better opportunities for
employment for individuals with IDD (Kramer et al., 2020). Surveying is the
statistical test used to assess these variables. The surveys included were
online, private Facebook gathering, and phone interviews, all occurring at
different times with the same question used for all platforms. The question
asked involved individuals with IDD, the support offered to their families, and
employment options (Kramer et al., 2020).
Conclusion for Research Article One
f f f Individuals with IDD and their families have many discrepancies regarding
support for employment, such as a lack of understanding of the support
services that are offered, staff that is competent to assist with skills needed to
gain employment, and a lack of knowledge about government funding (Kramer
et al., 2020). Many families have become frustrated with the ineffectiveness of
employment support. Support services tend to be limited, and strategies for
gaining skills for employment offered in the past are still implemented despite
minimal to no improvement (Kramer et al., 2020). More collaboration is needed
among individuals with IDD, their family members, support staff, and
community employers to help strengthen the employment trajectory for this
population (Kramer et al., 2020).
Research Article Two
Article two research question is what support methods are beneficial for
supporting individuals with IDD in obtaining paid individual employment
(Migliore et al., 2018)? Suggested support methods utilized in helping
individuals with IDD are the independent variable, and obtaining paid
employment opportunities is the dependent variable of interest. In this research,
16 job seekers specialists were recruited and obtained through higher-level
career professionals sought after in employment support globally Migliore et
al., 2018). The testing method used was open-ended questions in one-hour
semi-structured interviews with the employee consultant. The employment
consultants were very familiar with helping to provide the proper support that
is needed to increase employment among individuals with IDD (Migliore et al.,
2018).
Conclusion for Research Article Two
f f f f f f f f The interviews during this research made a plethora of information
on employment support for individuals with IDD and their families available.
Several critical components were described during the interviews, such as
gaining and maintaining trust with the individuals with IDD and their family
members (Migliore et al., 2018). For example, following up with families
making sure that support is working for everyone involved, and if not, change
needs to be implemented. Job matching is another component required for
individuals with IDD seeking employment. Job placement should be favorable
to the employer, employee, and family members to have a healthy and lasting
working relationship. Finally, recognizing that individuals with IDD need support,
not just with gaining employment as previously stated, but during their entire
employment trajectory (Migliore et al., 2018).
Synthesizing Article One and Two
Employment support professionals have similar thoughts regarding individuals
with IDD and their families need advocates within the support system to help
make more employment opportunities available (Kramer et al., 2020: Migliore et
al., 2018). As aforementioned, individuals with IDD desire employment and
opportunities to contribute to society. Still, if support agencies do not inform
parents and Individuals with IDD on available programs, employment
opportunities will diminish. Employment consultants are essential and needed
to help families navigate the support system; without knowledgeable employee
consultants’ employment opportunities for individuals with IDD may be even
more challenging (Kramer et al., 2020: Migliore et al., 2018).
f f f f f f f f The two articles I have perused have strengthened my resolve
regarding support for families with individuals with IDD and their employment
trajectory. Both pieces expounded on the need to enhance the staff while
making available information for families to help their sons and daughters gain
paid competitive integrated employment (Kramer et al., 2020; Migliore et al.,
2018). The articles have helped me understand even more that there is support
in society to help assist with employment for individuals with IDD, but there is
room for improvement. Thank you for taking the time to look over my findings,
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Yvonne D. Wright
References
Kramer, J., Bose, J., Shepard, J., & Winsor, J. (2020). Engaging families in
employment: individuals and families' retrospective transition experiences with
employment services. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 58(4), 314-327. f
f f f f f f f f http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1352/1934-9556-58.4.314 (Links
to an external site.)
Migliore, A., Nye-Lengerman, K., Lyons, O., Bose, J., & Butterworth, J. (2018). A
Model of Employment Supports for Job Seekers with Intellectual Disabilities.
Journal of f f Rehabilitation, 84(2), 3-13.
http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fschol
arly (Links to an external site.)
Wehman, P., Taylor, J., Brooke, V., Avellone, L., Whittenburg, H., Ham, W.,
Brooke, A. M., & Carr, S. (2018). Toward competitive employment for persons
with intellectual and f f f f f developmental disabilities: What progress have we
made and where do we need to f f f f f f f f f go. Research and Practice for
Persons with Severe Disabilities, 43(3), 131- f f f 144.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1540796918777730 (Links to an external site.)
