PROMOTING EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES IN INDIVIDUALS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY: A MULTIPHASE ANALYSIS OF CHALLENGES, VOCATIONAL FIT, AND FUNCTIONAL PREDICTORS

Abstract

People with intellectual disabilities (ID), a condition marked by significant limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior that originate before age 22, have long faced barrier to systemic exclusion from meaningful work. Work is more than a paycheck; it offers structure, social networks and autonomy, yet employment for working-age adults with ID remains less than half that of the general population. These persistent inequities, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, motivated a multiphase dissertation that integrates environmental, measurement and personal factors influencing employment for young adults with ID. Chapter 2 synthesized 11 research articles published between December 2019 and November 2023 on supported employment during COVID-19. A scoping review was chosen to avoid additional survey burden and followed Arksey and O’Malley’s framework. Three themes emerged. First, disparities in remote work showed that disabled workers were far less likely than nondisabled peers to transition to telework. Lack of technology access and the concentration of people with ID in blue-collar roles limited flexibility. Second, employment disruptions and resilience revealed that individuals with developmental disabilities (DD), a broader category of lifelong conditions that includes ID, experienced disproportionate layoffs but also returned to work quickly when supports were available. Third, universal design (UD) and inclusive strategies highlighted the need for workplaces, technologies and policies that are accessible from the outset to improve remote work access and job retention. The review concludes that some pandemic-driven adaptations should become permanent inclusive practices and that UD can bridge digital divides. Chapter 3 assessed whether the Vocational Fit Assessment (VFA), an instrument measuring worker abilities and job demands, captures changes over time and predicts employment outcomes. Participants completed the VFA and employment follow-ups over roughly two years; mixed-effects models examined domain changes while exploratory factor analysis and regression assessed predictive validity. Six of ten domains showed significant improvements, whereas the other four remained stable. Moderate ID severity predicted lower self-determination, whereas services received through Project SEARCH , a business-led transition to work program, predicted higher scores. Factor analysis revealed three latent dimensions: physical/task independence, cognitive/technical ability and social/communication skills. Greater physical/task independence predicted more weekly work hours and lower odds of unemployment, while stronger social/communication skills predicted higher hourly wages. The study demonstrates that the VFA is responsive, functions as a dynamic indicator rather than a static screening tool, and provides actionable information to tailor transition planning. Chapter 4 used baseline data from the same cohort to test whether work-related physical abilities and self-determination mediate the relationship between physical health and employment support needs. Physical health was measured via the Short Form-12 Physical Component Summary, vocational abilities by relevant VFA subscales, and support needs by the Support Intensity Scale. Structural equation modelling showed that in single-mediator models, both work-related physical abilities and self-determination were associated with better health to lower support needs. However, in a parallel model the pathway through self-determination remained significant while the physical-ability pathway lost significance. The findings indicate that improvements in physical health reduce support needs primarily by enhancing personal agency rather than by directly boosting work-related physical capacity. Taken together, these three studies illustrate that improving employment outcomes for young adults with ID requires coordinated action across macro-, meso- and micro-levels. At the macro level, policies should codify remote-work accommodations and UD principles to ensure that technological innovations benefit disabled workers. At the meso level, measurement infrastructure such as the VFA is crucial for matching individuals to jobs, monitoring progress and informing interventions. At the micro level, interventions must integrate physical health promotion with strategies that foster self-determination, because personal agency is a key mechanism through which health status translates into reduced support needs. Overall, this dissertation advances understanding of how environmental disruptions, person–job fit and individual capacities converge to shape vocational trajectories, and it recommends inclusive design, data-driven assessment and empowerment-oriented supports as pathways to equitable employment.