Barriers and Facilitators in the Transition From Higher Education to Employment for Students With Disabilities: A Rapid Systematic Review

Abstract

Despite legislation promoting equal opportunities for people with disabilities in education and employment, evidence suggests that these environments are far from inclusive. While there is a wealth of evidence on the barriers that people with disabilities face in both higher education and the workplace, there is currently a lack of literature that summarizes knowledge on the transition between these two settings. As such, this rapid systematic literature review aimed to identify barriers and facilitators in the transition from higher education to employment for students and graduates with disabilities. Following PRISMA guidelines, we conducted a systematic search across three databases (PsycINFO, ERIC, and Web of Science) and included 59 studies for review. The included studies reported on research conducted across 20 countries, reporting on various types of disabilities and on different subject areas and professions. In addition to a quality appraisal, we performed a narrative synthesis on the included studies. From the synthesis, we identified numerous barriers and facilitators, and grouped them into seven themes: disclosure; attitudinal barriers and facilitators; accommodations, accessibility; institutional and organizational barriers and facilitators; discipline-specific barriers and facilitators; and disability-specific barriers and facilitators. Overall, findings suggest that students with disabilities must often work beyond their capacity in order to succeed in higher education and access opportunities for meaningful employment. Findings also suggest there is still much to be done in creating inclusive education and employment environments on an international level. Recommendations from this review include developing inclusive disclosure processes and providing education on disabilities for staff in both the education and labor sectors. Finally, we call for collaboration between higher education institutions, employment sectors, and students with disabilities.

Impact of Management Development Strategy on Excellence Competition Using Performance as an Intervening Variable of the Private University under the LLDIKTI IX Area

“…In conclusion, empirical evidence highlights the positive impact of excellence competitions on university performance, innovation, and collaboration in Indonesia. By fostering a culture of excellence, encouraging continuous improvement, and facilitating collaboration, these competitions play a crucial role in advancing the quality and competitiveness of higher education institutions in the country (Damayanti et al, 2023); (Harahap et al, 2020); (Goodall et al, 2022).…”

Disability Employment in the Hospitality Industry: A Systematic Literature Review

“…This article considers the research related to both disability diversity and its diversity management. Against this backdrop, the current review draws from the barriers and facilitators framework, which is often used in multidisciplinary domains to organize issues in implementation/intervention-based research (Varsi et al, 2015), including disability employment research (Goodall et al, 2022). Such an approach identifies what needs to be enhanced and what needs to be addressed to achieve the desired goal, in this case, enhanced employment opportunities for people with disabilities.…”

Career Development of College Students With Disabilities: A Scoping Review

“…Given the increased attention to SWD in postsecondary education, several literature reviews have been systematically conducted to understand different aspects of SWD’s college experience, such as academic success (Moriña & Biagiotti, 2022; Zeng et al, 2018), college persistence (Kutscher & Tuckwiller, 2019; Lightfoot et al, 2018), and assistive technology support (McNicholl et al, 2021). Although several conceptual articles have been published to illuminate the career concerns of college SWD (Dipeolu, 2011; Dipeolu et al, 2015; Enright et al, 1996), there is a lack of systematic summary of empirical evidence focusing on career development of SWD (Goodall et al, 2022). Recently, Goodall et al (2022) conducted a systematic review to identify barriers and facilitators for SWD’s transition from higher education to employment.…”

“…Although several conceptual articles have been published to illuminate the career concerns of college SWD (Dipeolu, 2011; Dipeolu et al, 2015; Enright et al, 1996), there is a lack of systematic summary of empirical evidence focusing on career development of SWD (Goodall et al, 2022). Recently, Goodall et al (2022) conducted a systematic review to identify barriers and facilitators for SWD’s transition from higher education to employment. Some identified barriers included disclosure concerns, stigma and bias, and lack of accessibility, while facilitators included support systems, the use of career services, and assistive technology.…”

“…Some identified barriers included disclosure concerns, stigma and bias, and lack of accessibility, while facilitators included support systems, the use of career services, and assistive technology. Goodall et al (2022) highlighted the importance of contextual factors for SWD’s college-to-work transition, and it is beneficial to have a more comprehensive understanding of the salient career development issues for SWD, especially through the lens of a career development theory.…”