"More Than a Paycheck": Parent Perspectives on Meaningful Work for Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Increasing employment outcomes for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) remains an enduring emphasis of research, policy, and practice. Parents are often primary partners in the pursuit of meaningful work for their family members with IDD. This qualitative study examine...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Intellectual and developmental disabilities 2023-04, Vol.61 (2), p.145-157
Main Authors: Carter, Erik W, Lanchak, Emily R, Guest, Laura, McMillan, Elise D, Taylor, Julie Lounds, Rowley, Hannah
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Autism
Child
Daughters
Developmental Disabilities
Employment
Families & family life
Family
Humans
Intellectual disabilities
Intellectual Disability
Parents
Parents & parenting
People with disabilities
Qualitative research
Young adults
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Summary:Increasing employment outcomes for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) remains an enduring emphasis of research, policy, and practice. Parents are often primary partners in the pursuit of meaningful work for their family members with IDD. This qualitative study examined the views of 55 parents regarding the importance of this pursuit and the features of employment that matter most to them. Participants discussed a range of reasons they valued employment for their family members with IDD, including factors that extended beyond a paycheck. Likewise, they described an array of features that they considered to be important to their family member thriving in the workplace (e.g., inclusivity, match with interests, opportunities for growth). We offer recommendations for promoting integrated employment among families and conceptualizing employment outcomes within future research.
ISSN:1934-9491
1934-9556
DOI:10.1352/1934-9556-61.2.145