Inclusive Higher Education and Employment: A Secondary Analysis of Program Components

Through secondary analyses of quantitative data obtained from the Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) National Coordinating Center database from the first cohort (2010-2015) of model demonstration sites in Florida, this study examined components of the postsecondary education programs for students with intellectual disabilities that are correlated with employment upon program exit. This study adds to the emergent knowledge base on inclusive higher education by identifying the programmatic components of the postsecondary education programs for students with intellectual disability most correlated with successful transition from college to employment. This information can be used to inform program development and refinement to foster employment upon exit, a worthy outcome that leads to greater quality of life. The academic access program component of inclusive coursework was found to have the strongest correlation with the post-school outcome of paid, competitive employment upon exit. This program component aligns with the established predictors of post-school success for students with disabilities (Mazzotti et al., 2016) and employment for people with intellectual disabilities (Southward & Kyzar, 2017). Areas of agreement are discussed as well as implications for a number of stakeholders