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FINNUT-Forskning og innovasjon i utdanningssektoren

Effective school - work transition processes for students with mild intellectual disability

Alternative title: Enklere overgangsprosesser mellom skole og arbeid for elever med lett grad av utviklingshemming

Awarded: NOK 5.0 mill.

Individuals with intellectual disability are commonly excluded from ordinary employment. This means that they also miss out on the many opportunities that employment gives, such as enhanced economic independence, a sense of meaningfulness, higher levels of self-determination, and larger social networks. Nonetheless, persons with intellectual disability will generally be able to engage in a variety of work tasks if they are given the necessary support. However, we need more systematic knowledge as to how we can help them in this process. With this project, we intend to gain more information about how persons with mild intellectual disability more readily can gain access to ordinary employment. We investigate two main areas in this project: 1) A qualitative study where we look into the characteristics of effective school-work transitions for persons with mild intellectual disability. 2) A quantitative study where we examine the expectations, attitudes and demands that employers have towards employees with mild intellectual disability. On the basis of these findings, we will develop a manual that may inform educators, counsellors, and supported employment services about how they can collaborate as best as possible with work places. This way, we aim to achieve that young people with mild intellectual disability receive the support that they need during their school-work transition. During the fall of 2021 and the beginning of 2022, we conducted the data collection and analysis for the project’s first work package, i.e., a qualitative case study that includes employees with intellectual disability who have managed a successful school-work transition, their employers, job coaches, parents, and teachers and counselors in upper secondary school. Based on this, the following articles have now been published: • “Which success factors do young adults with mild intellectual disability highlight in their school-work transition?”, published in the European Journal of Special Needs Education (2023); • “Caregivers’ experiences with school-work transitions for their children with disorders of intellectual development”, published in International Journal of Research and Public Health (2023). • “Norwegian teachers’ efforts in preparing students with mild intellectual disability for working life”, published in European Journal of Special Needs Education (2023). • “Job coaches’ role towards young adults with intellectual disability who are entering working life”, accepted for publication in Spesialpedagogikk, with expected publication in December 2023 (this article is written in Norwegian). At the same time, we have written and published scientific articles based on the findings from our quantitative survey amongst employers, about their experiences with and expectations towards hiring employees with intellectual disability. Three articles were published in 2022: • “Recruitment and work arrangements for employees with intellectual disability in competitive employment”, published in Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities; • “Employer Willingness to Hire People with Intellectual Disability: Influencing Factors”, published in Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation. • “Work opportunities and workplace characteristics for employees with intellectual disability in the Norwegian labour market”, published in International Journal of Disability, Development and Education. Moreover, one article is submitted to the journal Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. This article, with the title “Characteristics of workplaces and employers that embrace cognitive diversity on the work floor”, uses a mixed methods design and combines data from the quantitative survey and qualitative case study. This article is currently undergoing a second round of peer review. In 2023, we have mainly worked on the third work package of our project, i.e., the development of an instructional manual to assist people with intellectual disability and their network during the school-work transition. This peer-reviewed manual is written in Norwegian, and it will be published by Universitetsforlaget. Twelve authors contribute to this manual, and all chapters are currently under peer review. The planned publication date for this book is March/April 2024, and we are planning for a book launch conference in June 2024. In addition to disseminating our work in research articles, we also share our project findings with professionals and lay people through conference participation and media coverage. In agreement with the Norwegian Research Council, the project has been extended with five months, until June 2024.

Individuals with mild intellectual disability (ID) are commonly excluded from competitive employment, and as such, they may miss out on the multiple benefits that employment offers, such as greater financial independence, a sense of purpose, increased social networks, and increased autonomy. Yet, persons with this diagnosis are generally able to engage in employment if support is provided. However, transition teams may lack the knowledge and competencies to help persons with ID towards employment, and therefore, the process often remains unsystematic and random. This research project will consist of three parts: i) a qualitative best-case exploration of successful transition processes of employees with mild ID who are in competitive employment, and to identify which environmental characteristics and personal skills are essential for them to gain and maintain employment; ii) a quantitative survey to investigate attitudes and demands that employers have towards employees with mild ID, and iii) combining findings from the first and second project objective to develop a transition manual that can inform transition teams how to best partner with work places to ensure proper supports for employees with ID. The novelty of this study is that it will contribute with new knowledge about parameters that are significant in the planning of effective transition strategies towards work life for Norwegian students with mild ID, and the project has a clear ambition to contribute to the field with a hands-on research result, as it aims to apply empirical data for the development of a practical transition manual. In this project, researchers will collaborate with relevant stakeholders, such as individuals with ID, special educators in secondary education, pedagogical-psychological services, NAV counsellors, and employers.

Publications from Cristin

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FINNUT-Forskning og innovasjon i utdanningssektoren