Affiliations: Department of Accounting and Finance, The University
of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6907, Australia | Edge Employment Solutions, 47 Forrest Street, Subiaco,
WA 6008, Australia
Abstract: This article reports the results of an evaluation of the impact on
employment on the quality of life reported by a sample of people with an
intellectual disability drawn from the register of Edge Employment Solutions
incorporated, a large Australian competitive employment agency. Specifically,
the article compares the quality of life of a group of individuals placed in
open employment through the agency (some of who previously attended a sheltered
workshop) with that of a matched sample of individuals seeking employment
through the agency (all of whom were unemployed, but some of whom attended a
sheltered workshop, whilst the others remained at home.) The results indicate
that employed individuals report a statistically significantly higher quality
of life than their unemployed counterparts. Amongst the employed group, no
statistically significant difference in quality of life was reported by those
who previously had attended a sheltered workshop and those who previously had
remained at home. Amongst the unemployed group, no statistically significant
difference in the quality of life reported by individuals attending a sheltered
workshop and those remaining at home, was observed.
Keywords: employment, intellectual disability, quality of life, Australia
