The transition to employment: the perspectives of students and graduates with disabilities

Table 1.

Student (S) numberDisabilityYear/FacultyGraduate (G) numberDisabilityEmployment statusS1Visual disabilityFourth year arts facultyG1Visual disabilityEmployedS2Visual disabilityThird Year Arts FacultyG2Significant ongoing illnessEmployedS3Mental health difficultyThird year arts facultyG3Mental health difficultyUnemployed-in between jobsS4ADHDFourth year scienceG4Significant ongoing illnessInternshipS5Asperger’s syndromeFourth year arts facultyG5Significant ongoing illnessUnemployedS6Visual disabilityMasters arts facultyG6Asperger’s syndromeEmployedS7Mental health difficultyFourth Year Arts FacultyG7Asperger’s syndromeEmployedS8Physical and visual disabilityPhD Arts facultyG8Asperger’s syndromeInternshipS9Mental health difficultyPhD Arts facultyG9Physical disabilityUnemployed- going on to do a post-graduate CourseS10Physical disabilityThird year arts facultyS11Mental health difficultyFourth year arts facultyS12Physical disabilityMasters arts facultyS13Physical disabilityPhD Arts faculty

Table 2.

Student (Undergraduate and postgraduate) themes (N = 13)Graduate themes (N = 9)Enabling and Building your Career Pathway – The theme relates to suggestions from students about enabling and building their CV and skills to enhance their career opportunities.Building Personal Strategies – Graduates suggest that students need to develop their confidence through developing their CVs and broaden their personal college experiences.Fit – This theme relates to the students personal view on disability and how to tailor their abilities to the jobFit – Graduates discourse on fitting into the workplace and matching their skills to the job demandsDisclosure – This theme relates to how and when students choose to disclose a disabilityDisclosure and Reasonable Accommodations (RAs) – This theme relates to the personal view of disability and the disclosure of their disability and suggestions for RAs within the work place (enabling the work environment).Future Advice and College Support – This theme identifies supports and advice for students as well as advice for college service providers on future developments to enhance the student journey.Advice for students and transitioning to work – This theme provides advice from graduates to students with disabilities as they enter into the workplace.Enabling and Educating for the Work Environment – This theme is concerned with suggestions from students on how to educate employers on disability in the work environment and personal strategies that students need to develop to manage their disability in the work environment.