The goal of lifelong training for people with intellectual disabilities is to strengthen their independence and enable them a quality of life. In adulthood, the focus is placed on the issue of work and employment enabling each and every one an active participation in the society, independence, autonomy in addition to building social relationships. Most adults, especially those who need more support, are still working in protected working environments. The starting point for support planning in life and work activities of adults with intellectual disabilities derives from their strengths, goals, expectations and experiences. It is vital that they are autonomous and as independent as possible, which can be achieved by applying appropriate training and motivation strategies as well as by actively involving them in the planning processes (e.g. task selection, goal setting), implementation (e.g. autonomy training) and evaluation (e.g. work analysis) of the work process.
The present research thus provides the preparation, implementation and evaluation of a person-oriented incentive program for encouraging independence in individuals with intellectual disabilities who are employed under special conditions. The study included ten adults with intellectual disabilities who work under special conditions and need comprehensive assistance. The program consists of five steps that enable circular implementation, i.e. analysis of the previous work and scale preparation for independence assessment, assessment of the initial level of autonomy, personal development plan for encouraging work independence, a three-month training at the workplace, and progress evaluation, part of which is setting new goals. The main aim of the program is to promote person-centered planning and strengthen individual independence. The participants actively participated in all steps of the program in which they evaluated their own level of independence, decided on task selection, presented their strengths, trained, observed their progress and reported on their satisfaction. Accordingly, the study provides general findings about the program, which are supported by individual results of each research participant.
The results show that a person-centered planning and guided training of the participating individuals (supported by personal development plans, personalized support, appropriate teaching strategies and motivation) positively affects their independence. Within three months, the participants achieved higher levels of autonomy in the performance of their tasks, most of which were chosen by the participants themselves. Almost all of the participants used different types of support during the training, which they were able to completely abandon during the course of the program. What is more, they were able to undertake new tasks and perform them more independently. The participants were satisfied with the implementation, and suggested that they be part of similar training programs in the future.
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