According to the AAIDD (The American Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities) Intellectual disability is a“disability characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and in adaptive behaviour, which covers many everyday social and practical skills.” In simpler terms it is having difficulties with learning, problem solving, reasoning and in some cases communicating. These factors can affect many aspects of their live such as independent living and working. According to the Census 2002 the work participation rate for people with a disability was 23.2% and the rate for people with no disability was 63.3%.This leaves a gap of 40.1%!! In my opinion this needs to change as there are many benefits associated with working which I will discuss in this blog.
For people with intellectual disabilities they can find it harder to do the day to day tasks that we would not necessarily think twice about. For example cooking, taking the bus and dealing with money can be a challenge but with the help of support they can do it. The same should apply to the work place. Many people with intellectual disabilities have the capabilities to work but there are very little if any opportunities available. There are services around Ireland that support people with disabilities and with daily tasks. Within these services they provide classes and activities for people to do throughout the day. This is a way for people with intellectual disability to socialise and develop skills that will help them in day to day life. Unfortunately there are not enough opportunities available for them to show off the skills they have learnt. For the majority, the work that they do is voluntary. Although this is a great stepping stone which gives people a taste of responsibility it should develop into paid work.
A big part of intellectual disability in the workplace is the constant rejection they receive when attempting to find work. This rejection must be hard to accept as all they want to do is work, just like everyone else. People with disabilities find it increasingly hard to find work as nowadays employers are very selective when hiring. Most jobs require a specific set of skills and previous experience in the job sector. This is hard for people with intellectual disabilities as they may not have as many skills as others but that doesn’t mean that they are not capable of doing the job. What most employers don’t realise is that people with intellectual disability think differently as does everyone, and their point of view could be very valuable to a business.
As part of my research for my blog I chatted to two people who have jobs within the community. One works in a supermarket in their local area and one works in a cinema. One of them who works in a supermarket has the job of packing the shelves. They enjoys this job very much as they get to walk to work on their own which gives them a sense of independence. They also love talking and they are starting to get to know the repeat customers which they love as they say that they take an interest in their life. They get along very well with the staff and they get invited to any social outing or function that they have on. Their employers also make adaptions for them as they need a walking aid. Their employer lets them sit down and have a break whenever they are feeling tired. They only do a few hours a week but with that they get to socialise, get a sense of independence and earn money which gives them a sense of belonging within the community and gives them a social valued role.
The other person who I chatted with works at a cinema. They get to take the bus to work on their own which has been a huge step for them as previously they had to be accompanied on the bus. Their job in the cinema is ticket collecting, with this job they have improved on a skill of counting as they have to count the people and then the amount of people going in. They love this job as they get to see as many films as they want and they have independence which is new for them as they have had assisted help all of their lives.
As you can see with the people I chatted to they have the capabilities to work and were given a chance. The chance they were given has dramatically changed their life giving them a sense of inclusion and independence that they had not previously had. More organisations need to be giving this opportunity to people with intellectual disabilities as they have a lot to offer once given the opportunity.
Although this all seems very negative and that there is nothing available for people with disabilities that is not the case. There are some supports available for people to help find and retain employment. For example there are job interview interpreter grants, personal reader grants and grants for adapting/equipping the workplace for staff with disabilities. For most adapting and equipping the workplace would seem to be more for someone with a physical disability, however this is not the case. There have been places that have brought in electronics to help people with intellectual disability. For example in a restaurant people can use handhelds now instead of writing everything down. As some people with intellectual disability struggle with writing this is a great help as they can take orders quicker without the embarrassment of misspelling or taking too long.Also with these handhelds, items can have pictures and are usually colour coded which has been proven to help with learning for people with intellectual disabilities. There are also incentives for organisations to hire people with intellectual disabilities such as grants for employers to retain employees with disabilities.
For people with intellectual disabilities it is important for them to have a sense of inclusion and there are many programmes set up to help incorporate them with the community. In some counties in Ireland there are hubs set up which link workshops with the community through local libraries etc. but is that enough? It is important that everyone in life has a purpose and this is achievable through having meaningful roles within your community which most get with working. In most communities there are a few organisations such as Tesco and Dunnes Stores which are very good for including and hiring people with intellectual disabilities but more companies need to come on board.
We as a society have to be mindful that people with intellectual disabilities don’t necessarily see themselves with a disability. They see themselves as perfectly functioning members of society, so it is important that they are given equal opportunities to show their capabilities. As I have shown before there are lots of advantages for people with intellectual disabilities to work for example, getting friends through socialising, gaining independence through earning their own money and travelling on their own and feeling included in their communities. There is a famous quote that says “Being disabled should not mean being disqualified from having access to every aspect of life”, and of course this will not be without its challenges, but I believe that more needs to be done to make equal opportunities for everyone.
Author - Aoife Case
4th Year Recreation and Sport Management Student