Most people with intellectual disabilities want jobs.
Sometimes they need extra help to learn the skills to get the jobs they want.
Research about Australian Disability Enterprises (ADE’s) found that people are still not getting jobs.
This can be because staff in ADE’s (job coaches) don’t teach job skills in ways that people with intellectual disabilities understand.
ADE job coaches don’t always use the job training strategies that we know work for people with intellectual disabilities because:
- They do not have enough training.
- They do not know how positive behaviour support can help some people when they are working.
- They do not know how to train employers how to use storyboards to help people with intellectual disabilities to do their job.
- They do not have enough training in communicating with people with intellectual disabilities who do not talk.
- They can’t get funding to buy technology like iPads or phones for people who learn best by watching videos or looking at pictures.
We need more research about the best ways to help people with intellectual and learning disabilities to learn job skills.
Job coaches need time to learn how to help people with intellectual and learning disabilities get jobs and do them well.
People with intellectual disabilities also want enough time to learn the skills they need to be good at their jobs.
Job coaches and workers with intellectual disabilities both need good training to do their jobs well.
This is a link for the article about this research: Nature and extent of on-the-job training for employees with an intellectual disability: a pilot study, Research and Practice in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
ASID is an organisation that makes disability research easier to access for people with intellectual disabilities, researchers, and service providers. Go to the ASID website for information about ASID, or to become a member: https://asid.asn.au/
[1] Australia uses the term intellectual disability and New Zealand uses the term learning disability.