Creencias y percepciones acerca de las posibilidades laborales de las personas con discapacidad intelectual

Resumen

This study describes and compares the beliefs and perceptions of 118 families, 54 professionals and 60 people with intellectual disability (PWID) about the employability of PWID belonging to a non-governmental association from the Valencian Community, Spain. Opinions were explored through the Beliefs and Perceptions about the Employability of PWID Scale (Gómez and Cardona, 2008), open-ended interviews, and focus groups. All participant groups viewed PWID's employability positively but to a greater or lesser extent they also believed that (a) only some people with intellectual disability can work, (b) the most important skills for access to employment are job and personal life skills, and (c) family fears affect PWID's acquisition of higher levels of autonomy and opportunities to work. The findings suggest that periodic assessment of PWID's employment skills, guidance to both families and young/adult with intellectual disabilities, implementation of awareness campaigns, and enforcement of legislation on PWID employment are a must. The Association's roles in empowering people with intellectual disabilities as well as the roles of families and professionals regarding their employability are also discussed.