Participation in employment and day care for adults with intellectual disabilities: Equal access for all?

Abstract

Equal rights to employment for people with intellectual disabilities are also included in the UN's Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) (United Nations, 2006, Article 27). Nonetheless, a decline in employment and day care participation has been recordedamong people with intellectual disabilities in Norway Søderstrøm & Tøssebro, 2011); in 2015, more than half were registered as neither employed nor in municipal day care

Mental health, challenging behaviour, diagnosis, and access to employment for people with intellectual disabilities in Norway

“…More than 90% of these employed participants worked in sheltered employment (NOU, 2016, p. 17). More recently in a large study ( n = 14,517), Engeland et al (2021) reported 26.1% registered in sheltered employment or facilitated jobs with support among people with intellectual disabilities in Norway. Only people registered in public daycare, sheltered employment or facilitated jobs with support were included in the Norwegian report and the study by Engeland et al (2021).…”

“…A more thorough evaluation of the individuals' wishes and prerequisites, making Affairs, 2002). Still, no evaluation of the needs and resources of people with intellectual disabilities is required by law before a disability pension is granted (Engeland et al, 2021). Most people with intellectual disabilities are granted a disability pension at the age of 18 and are thus perceived by the Norwegian welfare-system to have low capacity for work (Proba, 2016).…”

“…However, there is a disconnect between legislation and practice when it comes to paid and unpaid employment for people with intellectual disabilities, as evidenced by Norway's relatively low rates of both (Halvorsen et al, 2016; Kuznetsova et al, 2017). In a large Norwegian registry‐based study, Engeland et al (2021) reported that 26.1% of people with intellectual disabilities were registered in sheltered employment or facilitated jobs with support. Only 2.4% of Norwegians who were working age with intellectual disability were in mainstream employment, according to a study by Wendelborg et al (2017).…”

“…Challenging behaviour may be the result of an interaction between the person and her various environments like day care or work. Currently, no evaluation of the needs and resources of people with intellectual disabilities are required by law before a disability pension is granted(Engeland et al, 2021). More individualised evaluation of the wishes and prerequisites of this population, making use of instruments like the MPAS-Check and the ABC-C, and adjusting the workplace thereafter might reduce irritability and improve employment for this group.Based on the findings from this study, future studies should analyse the excluding mechanisms of intellectual functioning, organic mental conditions, and irritability that were found to reduce the odds of employment.…”

Monitoring disability inclusion: Setting a baseline for South Africa

“…Johora, Fleer & Hammer 2021 ; Kunz, Luder & Kassis 2021 ; Reese 2021 ), just in excess of one in 10 was about inclusion in employment and the workplace (e.g. Clube & Tennant 2021 ; Engeland et al 2021 ), and the remainder (one-quarter) covered the legal aspects of inclusion (e.g. Buckley & Quinlivan 2021 ), or dealt with inclusion in religion (e.g.…”