Negotiating accommodations so that work-based education facilitates career development for youth with disabilities

Abstract

Workers with disabilities are entitled to have their individual needs accommodated in a way that allows them to perform the essential duties of their job. However, adults with disabilities are often lacking in career development and are ill-prepared to negotiate workplace accommodations. This has led educators to seek workplaces that can accommodate the needs of adolescents with disabilities, so these adolescents can learn to negotiate accommodations and enhance their career development through work-based education. This paper reports on two case studies in which employers had agreed to accommodate the needs of adolescents with disabilities participating in work-based education. Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) framed the analyses of these two cases - a case of a student with physical disabilities and a case of a student with developmental disabilities. SCCT proves valuable in understanding the role of work-based education in the career development of disabled youth. © 2008 IOS Press. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Author Keywords

career development Disabilities Work-Based Education

Index Keywords

Employment Teaching learning adult female human Humans adolescent Article Vocational education Interviews as Topic disability physical disability developmental disorder Negotiating Canada Social support cognition career planning cerebral palsy case report Disabled Persons Social Cognitive Theory social adaptation handicapped child job accommodation career mobility physical performance spasticity Observation

Author Affiliations

Faculty of Education, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada

School of Occupational Therapy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada

Funding & Acknowledgements

No funding information

References 10 References

1 Disability Management A Complete System to Reduce Costs Increase Productivity Meet Employee Needs and Ensure Legal Compliance, (1992)

2 undefined, (1993)

3 Social Foundations of Thought and Action A Social Cognitive Theory, (1986)

4 Benz, Michael R., Improving graduation and employment outcomes of students with disabilities: Predictive factors and student perspectives, Exceptional Children, 66, 4, pp. 509-529, (2000)

5 undefined, (2008)

6 Mental Health Works, (2008)

7 Chappell, Irene, An occupational therapy work skills assessment for individuals with head injury, Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 70, 3, pp. 163-169, (2003)

8 Charlton, Tony, Targeting exclusion, disaffection and truancy in secondary schools: An evaluation of an alternative curriculum for older pupils, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 9, 4, pp. 261-275, (2004)

9 Dowler, Denetta L., Outcomes of reasonable accommodations in the workplace, Technology and Disability, 5, 3-4, pp. 345-354, (1996)

10 High School Journal, (2006)

Negotiating accommodations so that work-based education facilitates career development for youth with disabilities

How to Cite