For people with intellectual disability the path to open employment is not easy. Most do not look for open employment. Instead, they often go into non-work settings like day programs. The decision about whether someone with intellectual disability attempts to find open employment is critical. Families are seen to play a very important role in making this decision for or with people with intellectual disability. However, information about why open employment is important to people with intellectual disability or how to navigate the intersecting systems that would facilitate this is not easy to
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For people with intellectual disability the path to open employment is not easy. Most do not look for open employment. Instead, they often go into non-work settings like day programs. The decision about whether someone with intellectual disability attempts to find open employment is critical. Families are seen to play a very important role in making this decision for or with people with intellectual disability. However, information about why open employment is important to people with intellectual disability or how to navigate the intersecting systems that would facilitate this is not easy to access. Parents have reported that the most straightforward option for post school activity for adult children with intellectual disability is to use National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding in a way that does not interfere with receipt of the Disability Support Pension (DSP) and to commence at a Day Service or Australian Disability Enterprise (ADE). To date, these options have commonly resulted in the segregation of people with intellectual disability, and have not contributed to their economic participation in the open labour market.
The purpose of the Employment First project was to make getting a job in open employment a more viable option for adults with intellectual disability through the provision of evidence-based information. Families, supporters and people with intellectual disability require clear, relevant and accessible evidence to facilitate navigating a pathway to open employment and help inform their decision-making. The project aimed to: (1) Give families of people with intellectual disability evidence-based information in a factual, warm and non-judgmental way. This would include facts, figures and stories about the choices families make throughout the life of their family member with intellectual disability that support open employment for adults with intellectual disability - and explain why this is important; and (2) Make it easier for families to navigate key disability systems and the interfaces between these (e.g. Centrelink, Disability Employment Services (DES), the NDIS, and ADEs) in order to achieve open employment.
This report draws together the 17 evidence pieces about what we know influences the employment outcomes of people with intellectual disability. The pieces are organised in a logical way, commencing with an overview of the factors, progressing through to programs that have shown efficacy in addressing the employment needs of people with intellectual disability, and ending with the outcomes of open employment for people with intellectual disability.
Excerpts from publication.
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