Predictors Associated With Paid Employment Status of Community and Technical College Students With Intellectual Disability
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A Quick Look:
For all students, going to a college or a technical school is a great way to find a good job, and earn more money. Sometimes, students with disabilities don’t have the same opportunities to go to college as other students. This means that students with disabilities often earn less money, or have trouble finding jobs.
A research study was done in 2018 that showed that going to college is really helpful for students with disabilities, too! In this study, the researchers looked at 228 students with disabilities at TPSID programs (Transition and Postsecondary programs for Students with Intellectual Disability) at two different community colleges. They wanted to know what activities helped these students get paid jobs while they were in school.
Key Findings:
The study found three important things that helped students with disabilities find paid jobs:
- When students took classes with everyone else (instead of being in separate classes that were only for students with disabilities), they succeeded! These students were almost 5 times more likely to get a paid job in college. This was the biggest finding.
- Students who had a job before they started college also had an easier time finding a paid job.
- Finally, students who spent more time with others were 3 times more likely to get a job. Going to campus events and volunteering helped students with disabilities practice talking to other people, and learn teamwork skills.
Putting it into Practice:
From this study, we learned that going to a community or technical college is helpful for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities can learn important skills, like responsibility, and how to work with others. There may be other things that the article didn’t talk about that also helped students with disabilities find jobs. These could include being more independent, and using different supports in college.
More About the Research / Next Steps?
This study showed some good and helpful activities that helped students with disabilities find jobs in college. But, we need to learn more about these schools and programs. Most researchers study big 4-year universities, but many students with disabilities go to 2-year community colleges. There needs to be more research about community colleges, so that we can make sure all students are finding a career that they enjoy.
Article Citation:
Qian, X., Johnson, D. R., Smith, F. A., & Papay, C. K. (2018). Predictors associated with paid employment status of Community and Technical College Students with Intellectual Disability. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 123(4), 329–343. https://doi.org/10.1352/1944-7558-123.4.329
The contents of this summary were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number #90RTEM0013).
For more on this topic, view the reseach study webpage: https://idd.vcurrtc.org/research/rs4.cfm