Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Availability

Open Access Dissertation

Abstract

Emerging adults (Arnett, 2000) struggled with their transition from school to employment (Arnett, 2015). Within that group, individuals with disabilities were in a particularly vulnerable and disadvantaged situation. The 2009 to 2019 employment rates for emerging adults with disabilities (33-39%) were far lower than for those without disabilities (73-79%; U.S. Census, 2019). There are employment programs designed to assist and support individuals with disabilities to transition to and retain employment. One such program, Project SEARCH, has served over 34,000 young adults with intellectual disabilities while achieving an average 72% employment rate when program participants had completed the training. Several studies find that program participants had experienced significant personal growth in addition to favorable employment outcomes. This case study utilized the Human Ecology Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) to understand the contributing factors to the development of program participants at one program site. Findings suggest flexibility, capacity-building, funding, and thinking outside the box exerted the greatest impacts on their development. Recommendations are made for other program sites and future studies.

Year of Submission

2023

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Department of Health, Recreation, and Community Services

First Advisor

Kathleen Scholl, Chair, Dissertation Committee

Date Original

5-2023

Object Description

1 PDF file (xiii, 165 pages)

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