Participation of Students With Intellectual Disability in Community-Based Work Experiences: A Scoping Review

Abstract

The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the literature about the participation of students with intellectual disability in community-based work experiences (CBWEs). We analyzed 54 original research articles written in English, conducted in the United States, and published between 1975 and 2020 in peer-reviewed journals. We identified study characteristics (e.g., research design, participants, data sources, and CBWEs) and the focus of each study. Studies focused on five areas: descriptions of student participation in CBWEs, correlates of student participation in CBWEs, relations between student participation in CBWEs and post-CBWEs outcomes, descriptions of transition programs that include CBWEs, and descriptions of stakeholders’ perceptions of student participation in CBWEs. Implications for how teachers plan CBWEs and how researchers can address gaps in the literature are discussed.