Background: Paid employment represents a challenge for people with an intellectual disability and/or autism. This paper analyses the quality of jobs offered by the Engage to Change project and their relationship to the 'typicalness' of the employment offered. Method: Data on the quality of 384 paid jobs were collected, including hours worked and…

Employment contributes to well-being, yet many autistic people who want to work face barriers to meaningful employment. Much research focuses solely on employment rates, rather than taking a more holistic view of professional trajectories and occupational experiences. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 18 autistic adults to explore their…

Employment specialists play an integral role in supporting individuals with disabilities to access competitive integrated employment; their skill or lack thereof has the potential to influence employment outcomes. A scoping review was conducted to identify the status of the empirical literature on employment specialist competencies and training to…

Many autistic people are unemployed. Of those who are employed, many are in roles that do not reflect their skills, qualifications and/or capabilities, and little is known about how autistic people progress throughout their careers. This study aimed to review and synthesise the existing evidence about career progression for autistic people. In…

Industry-led employment programmes have emerged to transition autistic people into employment and meet industry labour needs. However, theoretical research is limited in this area, often failing to appreciate the influence of the broader employment ecosystem. In this study, we interviewed 33 autistic employees (n = 29 males, M[subscript age] =…

Background: The study reports the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns on jobs for people with intellectual disabilities and autism. The study focuses on the impact of the first and the fire-break lockdowns and the actions taken to support young people. Method: Data was collected from the cohort of young people currently working in Wales,…

Supported employment initiatives have been shown to increase employment rates for autistic people who want to enter the workforce. Despite the success of supported employment initiatives in increasing employment rates, little is known about the first-hand experiences and views of those involved. In the current study, we examined the experiences…

The current study examined how employment conditions (competitive employment, work center employment, unemployment) are associated with the quality of life (QoL) for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Using the Comprehensive Quality of Life Scale -- Intellectual/Cognitive Disability (5th Edition; ComQoL-I5; Cummins,…

Early work experiences are associated with subsequent employment for students with significant disabilities, but they rarely receive such opportunities. This article presents two case studies illustrating a school-based intervention that connected students with significant disabilities to paid work during high school and included training for…

Background: To improve employment outcome, systematic research that is based on demandside needs is needed to clarify how employer practice factors can affect customized training efforts. Objective: The purpose of this study is to report the results of a scoping review to identify the best employer practices that are used to improve customized…

The purpose of this study was to examine the social validity of five different evidence-based and emerging pathways to employment (i.e., supported employment, customized employment, internships, apprenticeships, and postsecondary education) from the perspective of multiple stakeholders. A Delphi method was used to determine whether stakeholders…

The present study examined the employment landscape for 129 U.S. autistic young adults. Data were collected over multiple waves including high school and early adulthood. Parents participated in interviews and responded to questions regarding young adult employment outcomes, on-the-job supports, job match, and overall job satisfaction. The…

People with disabilities are employed at a rate much lower than people without disabilities (Erickson et al., 2022). People with disabilities can be excellent employees who bring a wide range of skills and abilities to their work. Businesses may experience increased productivity and positive publicity as benefits to hiring people with disabilities…

We present a cost-benefit analysis of an Australian Government sponsored 3-year supported employment program for autistic adults--the DXC Dandelion Program--in the information and communications technology sector. We explored the range of direct costs associated with running the program, benefits to participants, and avoided costs to the…

Recent national and state-level policy changes have created an imperative for service providers to transform from sheltered work to competitive integrated employment. The current study sought to understand the impact of participation in a 1-year, comprehensive technical assistance pilot designed to support service providers to transform away from…