Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jan;34(1):239-249.
doi: 10.1111/jar.12802. Epub 2020 Sep 17.

The value of competitive employment: In-depth accounts of people with intellectual disabilities

Moniek A C Voermans  1   2 , Elsbeth F Taminiau  1 , Sanne A H Giesbers  1 , Petri J C M Embregts  1
Affiliations

The value of competitive employment: In-depth accounts of people with intellectual disabilities

Moniek A C Voermans et al. J Appl Res Intellect Disabil. 2021 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Increasing the societal participation of people with intellectual disabilities via competitive employment requires a full understanding of what this means to them. This paper aims to provide an in-depth examination of the lived experiences of people with intellectual disabilities in competitive employment.

Method: Interviews were conducted with six participants with mild intellectual disability or borderline functioning and good verbal communication skills. Interviews were analysed according to the guidelines of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Member checks were conducted.

Results: Analysis yielded three main themes: (a) Building on my life experiences, (b) My place at work and (c) Being a valuable member of society, like everyone else.

Conclusions: Competitive employment could make a substantial contribution to the sense of belonging to society and quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities. Nevertheless, they must cope with stigma-related obstacles and feelings of being dependent on others in the work environment.

Keywords: competitive employment; intellectual disabilities; interpretative phenomenological analysis; participation; qualitative research.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Akkerman, A. , Janssen, C. G. C. , Kef, S. , & Meininger, H. P. (2016). Job satisfaction of people with intellectual disabilities in integrated and sheltered employment: An exploration of the literature. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 13, 205–216. 10.1111/jppi.12168 - DOI
    1. Akkerman, A. , Kef, S. , & Meininger, H. P. (2018). Job satisfaction of people with intellectual disability: Associations with job characteristcs and personality. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 123, 17–32. 10.1352/19447558-123.1.17 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ali, A. , King, M. , Strydom, A. , & Hassiotis, A. (2015). Self‐reported stigma and symptoms of anxiety and depression in people with intellectual disabilities. Findings from a cross‐sectional study in England. Journal of Affective Disorders, 187, 224–231. 10.1016/j.jad.2015.07.046 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Barrick, M. R. , Mount, M. K. , & Judge, T. A. (2001). Personality and performance at the beginning of the new millennium: What do we know and where do we go next? International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 9, 9–30. 10.1111/1468-2389.00160 - DOI
    1. Bartram, T. , Cavanagh, J. , Meacham, H. , & Pariona‐Cabrera, P. (2019). Re‐calibrating HRM to improve the work experiences for workers with intellectual disability. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 73(4), 728–752. 10.1111/1744-7941.12230 - DOI

Grants and funding