The Organisational Characteristics That Enable Successful Employment Transition for People With Intellectual...

Area of Science:

• Disability Studies
• Social Entrepreneurship
• Vocational Rehabilitation

Background:

• Social enterprises show promise in overcoming employment barriers for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
• Detailed understanding of how social enterprises facilitate this transition is lacking, hindering scalability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and understand the organizational characteristics of social enterprises that enable successful transitions to open employment for people with intellectual disabilities.
• To provide an adaptable model for social enterprises aiming to improve employment outcomes for this demographic.

Main Methods:

• Conducted 27 in-depth interviews.
• Interview participants included staff, supported employees, and partner organizations within a social enterprise setting.

Main Results:

• Key organizational characteristics include offering diverse roles and work environments tailored to individuals with intellectual disabilities.
• Dedicated staff roles are crucial for skill development and facilitating transitions.
• Support staff networking with open employers is vital for successful integration into open employment.

Conclusions:

• The study presents a transferable model for structuring social enterprises to enhance the transition to open employment for people with intellectual disabilities.
• Findings can inform policy and practice to improve supported employment outcomes.