The benefits to hiring individuals with intellectual disabilities : employers' perspectives
department or school: Health and Social Development, Faculty of (Okanagan)
department or school: Social Work, School of (Okanagan)
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCO
creator: Wells, Taylor Charlene
issued: 2018-07-26T16:30:28Z
issued: 2018
related degree: Master of Social Work - MSW
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: Many individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) desire meaningful community participation and are motivated to work. Despite this desire, employment rates for people with ID are considerably low. Negative employer attitudes are one of the main barriers faced by individuals with ID in securing competitive integrated employment. Employers who have had one and a half- to 30 years’ experience hiring employees with ID were interviewed on the benefits to hiring and retaining workers with ID. The sample included 13 employers and 2 additional workplace managers, totalling 15 participants. Four major findings emerged that describe the benefits to hiring people with ID: 1) Workplace Environment, 2) Business, 3) Employer Job Satisfaction, and 4) Community Support and Expertise. Hiring employees with ID led to a more positive workplace environment, bolstered by the employees’ personalities, contributing to a sense of teamwork and employer perspective shift on workplace operations. Employees with ID contributed to better business by filling roles, demonstrating strong work ethics and bringing diversity to the workforce. Employers experienced greater job satisfaction in knowing that they were making a difference by hiring inclusively and connecting to the community. Finally, employers commented on the benefits of community support professionals who assist with hiring, training and retaining employees with ID. One of the primary goals of the present study was to educate employers on the benefits to hiring people with ID. Study participants’ advice to more hesitant employers and further dissemination of results are discussed. No one who wants to work, should be excluded from the labour market, and with the right assessment, tools, support, and welcoming employers, this is achievable.
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/66596
note: i THE BENEFITS TO HIRING INDIVIDUALS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES: EMPLOYERS’ PERSPECTIVES by Taylor Charlene Wells B.A., Mount Allison University, 2015 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK in THE COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Okanagan) July 2018  Taylor Charlene Wells, 2018 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the College of Graduate Studies for acceptance, a thesis/dissertation entitled: THE BENEFITS TO HIRING INDIVIDUALS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES: EMPLOYERS’ PERSPECTIVES submitted by Taylor Charlene Wells in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Social Work . Dr. Rachelle Hole, School of Social Work Supervisor Dr. Shelly Ben-David, School of Social Work Supervisory Committee Member Dr. John Graham, School of Social Work Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Heather Gainforth, Health and Exercise Sciences University Examiner iii Abstract Many individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) desire meaningful community participation and are motivated to work. Despite this desire, employment rates for people with ID are considerably low. Negative employer attitudes are one of the main barriers faced by individuals with ID in securing competitive integrated employment. Employers who have had one and a half- to 30 years’ experience hiring employees with ID were interviewed on the benefits to hiring and retaining workers with ID. The sample included 13 employers and 2 additional workplace managers, totalling 15 participants. Four major findings emerged that describe the benefits to hiring people with ID: 1) Workplace Environment, 2) Business, 3) Employer Job Satisfaction, and 4) Community Support and Expertise. Hiring employees with ID led to a more positive workplace environment, bolstered by the employees’ personalities, contributing to a sense of teamwork and employer perspective shift on workplace op…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2018-09
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0369218
language: eng
degree discipline: Social Work
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/66596