Affiliations: Faculty of Education, Queen's University, Kingston,
Ontario, Canada | School of Occupational Therapy, Dalhousie University,
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Dr. Nancy L. Hutchinson, Faculty of
Education, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada K7L 3N6. Tel.: +1 613 533
3025; Fax: +1 613 533 6584; E-mail: hutchinn@educ.queensu.ca
Abstract: Workers with disabilities are entitled to have their individual
needs accommodated in a way that allows them to perform the essential duties of
their job. However, adults with disabilities are often lacking in career
development and are ill-prepared to negotiate workplace accommodations. This
has led educators to seek workplaces that can accommodate the needs of
adolescents with disabilities, so these adolescents can learn to negotiate
accommodations and enhance their career development through work-based
education. This paper reports on two case studies in which employers had agreed
to accommodate the needs of adolescents with disabilities participating in
work-based education. Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) framed the analyses
of these two cases – a case of a student with physical disabilities and a case
of a student with developmental disabilities. SCCT proves valuable in
understanding the role of work-based education in the career development of
disabled youth.
Keywords: Disabilities, career development, work-based education
