Strengths-based employment services highlight the abilities of people with intellectual disabilities, challenging deficit-focused traditional orientations. These services foster hope, which plays a vital role in creating inclusive workplaces. This paper examines the presence of hope within strengths-based employment settings for adults with intellectual disabilities to understand its potential to establish inclusive workplaces.

This qualitative study investigated how social enterprises are able to facilitate people with intellectual disability transitioning to open employment. It found that key organisational characteristics included a variety of roles and workplace environments and dedicated staff support roles.

Little progress has been made towards community participation of people with intellectual disability despite it being a policy aim since the 1980s. The authors of this paper identify the features of programmes designed to support community participation.