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Barriers to employment for people with intellectual disabilities in low‐ and middle‐income countries: Self‐advocate and family perspectives
Author(s) -
Bialik Kimber,
Mhiri Manel
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of international development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.533
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1099-1328
pISSN - 0954-1748
DOI - 10.1002/jid.3659
Subject(s) - denial , stigma (botany) , livelihood , economic growth , focus group , poverty , political science , sociology , psychology , economics , agriculture , geography , archaeology , psychiatry , anthropology , psychoanalysis
Despite a growing focus on disability‐inclusive employment and livelihoods, people with intellectual disabilities and their families remain underrepresented in both the literature and in employment programming. This paper identifies key barriers to inclusive employment collected through six (6) focus groups made up of people with intellectual disabilities (N:54) and their family members (N:45) in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and Bangladesh. Self‐advocates and families report stigma, denial of access to education, safety and security concerns, pressure to engage in self‐employment, and discrimination as key barriers. Their experiences can contribute to more inclusive cross‐disability perspectives on employment and provide guidance for practitioners aiming to design responsive disability‐inclusive employment programmes.