Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling Commons^™

Individuals With Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities And Meaningful Employment, Bethanie Hernandez, Angela Labrie Blackwell, Evan Edward Dean

Spring 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Individuals with disabilities tend to face poverty at a higher rate compared to those without disabilities (Kelley, 2016). Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) benefit from a variety of supports to work in their communities. Not providing services to address these needs can cause increased unemployment rates and dependence on others. Currently, there is a lack of attention by OTP on supporting individuals with IDD (14-26 years) when acquiring meaningful employment. Increasing OTP’s awareness about the relationship between self-determination and employment can promote more services. Self-Determination is about acting or causing things to happen in your life as you …