The transition to employment: the perspectives of students and graduates with disabilities

ABSTRACT

Education and employment are basic human rights and during the past decade in Ireland, the number of students with disabilities progressing through universities has dramatically increased as a result of improved support (AHEAD 2012. Survey on the Participation Rates of Students with Disabilities in Higher Education for the Academic Year 2011/2012. AHEAD). However, embarking on the transition from college to employment can be fraught with challenges (Fichten, S. Jorgensen, A. Havel, M. Barile, V. Ferraro, M. È. Landry, D. Fiset, et al. 2012, “What happens after graduation? Outcomes, employment, and recommendations of recent junior/community college graduates with and without disabilities.”. Disability and Rehabilitation 34 (11): 917-924). Therefore, this qualitative study aimed to explore the perspectives and needs of students and graduates with disabilities as they transition from college to employment. Semi-structured interviews were employed to hear the voices of thirteen students and nine graduates. Content analysis guided data analysis. Five themes were identified in the student group and four in the graduate group. This study concluded that students and graduates with disabilities need support in transitioning into the world of work and higher education institutions need to listen to the voices of students in developing and refining career-related resources.

KEYWORDS:

• Transition
• university
• employment
• disability
• disclosure
• supports

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all the students and graduates for their time, honest opinions and advice which have made this research possible and which will provide a basis for the development of a model of support for the future.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Dr. Clodagh Nolan is an Assistant Professor with the Discipline of Occupational Therapy at Trinity College and is the co-founder of an occupational therapy service for students with disabilities at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. This service was established in conjunction with the Mr. Declan Treanor who is the Head of the Disability Service in Trinity College and it has been in operation for the past 14 years.

Ms. Claire Irene Gleeson is a Senior Occupational Therapist with the Disability Service delivering occupational therapy services to students enrolled within the disability service.