A Visual CV to Empower Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Entering The Canadian Workforce

Abstract

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have faced continual barriers to achieving social inclusion within their communities and are often excluded from many avenues of community life. While segregated institutionalized living—and the social exclusion associated with it—has declined, individuals with IDD continue to face barriers to achieving social inclusion linked to restrictions placed upon them that inhibit opportunities to obtain meaningful paid employment. One of the first steps necessary to pursue employment opportunities is a coherent, effective and professional curriculum vitae (CV). For individuals with IDD, preparing and using a traditional text-based CV may be unrealistic. Therefore, the goal of this thesis was to equip a sample of young adults with IDD with a visual photograph-based CV and to help them practice using it in an interview. This thesis used photovoice narrative in order to visually document the strengths and skills that a person with IDD could offer to a potential employer through the communication tool of a visual CV. By engaging participants in producing and using a visual CV, this research project explored options for increasing channels of communication between prospective employees and employers in hopes of encouraging inclusion of people with IDD in Canadian labour markets.