Affiliations: [a]
College of Education, Jouf University, Al Jouf, Saudi Arabia
| [b]
College of Education, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| [c]
College of Education, Tabuk University, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
Correspondence:
[*]
Address for correspondence: Reda E. El-Ashram, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, PO Box 319, Riyadh 11471, Saudi Arabia. E-mail: relashram@imamu.edu.sa.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Despite legislation that promotes the transition of young people from school to work and the increasing knowledge of the factors that contribute to successful transitions, young people with disabilities face lower rates of participation in employment, education, and vocational training compared to their non-disabilities peers. OBJECTIVE:The paper aims to examine the perspective of special education teachers (SET) regarding the success factors of the transition to the labor market for persons with disabilities after graduating from secondary school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS:To conduct the research, we used a questionnaire; participants were sampled intentionally, and they were a representative sample at the level of Riyadh city (N = 180) of secondary school SET in the 2022/2023 school year. RESULTS:Educators have identified several factors critical to success in the labor market transition which can be separated into three categories; 1) person-centered factors, 2) family-specific factors, and 3) community instruction-specific factors. There were no statistically significant differences between the responses of participating SET according to their demographic characteristics (gender, educational level, and years of teaching experience) and the factors for successful labor market transition for persons with disability questionnaire. The results were interpreted in light of the theoretical framework and previous studies, and many recommendations were made for those that employ persons with disabilities. CONCLUSION:The findings highlight some of the areas that are critical to the labor market transition: employment and vocational skills’ training in secondary school, and families and community members’ attitudes and high expectations for the future of persons with disabilities.
Keywords: Transition to the labor market, successful employment, pathways into working, persons with disabilities
