Abstract
Unemployment rates across the globe for persons with disabilities (PWD) are disproportionately higher than rates for the typical population. As of September 2020, the unemployment rate for adults with disabilities in the United States was over 13%. Individuals with disabilities as a collective are comprised of many domains, including physical disabilities or intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). Statistics pulled from the results of the National Core Indicator’s Adult Consumer Survey showed that only 16% of individuals with Down syndrome (DS) 18 years and older were employed, which corroborates the information provided by the U.S. Department of Labor. While the employment rate in the U.S. for PWD has been 34%-39% in the past decade, it has been 18%-23% for people with IDD in the same period. The glaring difference in employment for PWD compared to the typical population may be attributed to many causes, including lack of opportunities for work experience and lack of employable skills. The goal of this capstone project was to create a career development curriculum based on peer-reviewed literature that would serve the needs of the participants at GiGi’s Playhouse Indianapolis, an achievement center for individuals with Down syndrome.
Site Needs:
Participation of project development beginning in week 3 of the capstone period, an informal needs assessment was conducted at the Indianapolis site. The needs assessment included conversations with the executive director to establish the needs and desires of the organization at both a national and local level. Per her report, the adult population at the Indianapolis location is their highest need population due to the number of individuals and the lack of services in the area.
Participant observation occurred 1-2 times per week over the course of the 14-week capstone. Based on the observations of peer-to-peer interactions and peer-to-community interactions, several areas of improvement were identified, including social relationship development, appropriate conversation, and communication. These areas of need were confirmed by parents of participants, who provided input on skills they desire for their child to develop
Graduation Date
2022
Document Type
Poster
Recommended Citation
Gruber, Lydia OTS and Simon, Rebecca EdD, OTR/L, FAOTA, "Development of a Career Skills Training Program for Adults with Down Syndrome" (2022). Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstones. 8.
https://scholarsarchive.jwu.edu/otd_capstone/8
