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The value of employment support services for adults on the autism spectrum and/or with intellectual disabilities: Employee, employer, and job coach perspectives

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BACKGROUND: Employment rates among individuals on the autism spectrum or with intellectual disabilities (ID) remain extremely low. Although job coaching services have contributed to successful employment for these individuals, few studies have examined the importance of such support, and even fewer have explored which services are valued most by stakeholders. OBJECTIVE: We examined the importance of employment support services through employee, employer, and job coach perspectives, and employee and employer satisfaction of job coach support. METHODS: A multiple-case study was designed with a community organization providing employment support to individuals on the autism spectrum or with ID, and their employers. Nine employee-employer-job coach triads evaluated the importance of specific services and rated their satisfaction with the job coach support. RESULTS: Services were rated as important, however, some discrepancies were observed between the groups in their ratings of services (e.g., soliciting regular feedback about the employee’s performance). Satisfaction was high for employees and employers; both groups indicated that they would recommend these services. CONCLUSIONS: Job coach support was highly valued by all groups, underscoring the need for these services to be widely available, and suggesting that this support may serve as a critical factor in improving employment outcomes among this population.
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... Occupation is an essential element of life that enhances an individual's economic independence and social status, which affect physical and mental health, and determine the overall quality of life [1,2]. In particular, for people with disabilities, occupation is a medium that increases independence and self-esteem and promotes social integration [3,4]. Although most countries' governments strive to employ people with disabilities, many such individuals are still unable to overcome the barriers to employment [5,6]. ...
... Although most countries' governments strive to employ people with disabilities, many such individuals are still unable to overcome the barriers to employment [5,6]. This may be attributed to their lack of social, communication, and social problem-solving skills and health problems [4,7]. Furthermore, changes in employment due to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic have raised concerns about the unemployment of people with disabilities [8]. ...
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