Factors that affect the employability of transition–age individuals with severe intellectual disabilities: rehabilitation providers’ perspectives

The purpose of this study was two-fold. It first aimed to facilitate a more in-depth understanding of what rehabilitation providers believe to be the critical job and job-related skills and vocational experiences needed by transition-age students with severe intellectual disabilities. It also attempted to gather rehabilitation providers’ perspectives on how other factors affected their decisions about whether to provide employment services to a student with severe intellectual disabilities. Qualitative interviews with rehabilitation providers were used to explore these two areas. The most important skills identified by participants were social skills and skills related to motivation and work ethics, whereas the most important experience identified was participation in paid work experiences prior to exiting school. Factors identified as influencing rehabilitation providers’ decisions about employment services for students with severe disabilities included student, family, school, rehabilitation provider, and community factors