Faculty Advisor(s)
Orley A. Templeton
Files
Abstract
W.O.R.K. Towards Inclusivity in Employment was a doctoral capstone project focused on promoting sustainable employment for neurodiverse individuals. Despite their capabilities, neurodivergent individuals often face barriers to employment due to employers’ misconceptions about their abilities (Bonaccio et al., 2020). This project addressed these challenges through three main components: researching employers’ perspectives, curriculum revision, and educating employers. For research, Luzerne and Lackawanna county employers were surveyed to assess their training, resources, and perspectives on neurodiversity in the workplace. Findings indicated that employers were open to receiving more education and training on how to support their employees, but they currently lack the knowledge and resources to do so. Within this project, the doctoral capstone student revised two Inclusive Postsecondary Education (IPSE) courses and the internship curriculum to ensure universal design for learning (UDL) and person-centered principles were within courses to enhance inclusivity among neurodiverse students within the broader university population (Ezeafulukwe et al., 2024).The final component was a five-part Employer Workshop Series aimed at equipping both on-campus and off-campus employers with neuro-affirming best practices. The first three sessions were interactive workshops covering foundational topics such as neurodiversity, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disability (ID), and workplace inclusivity. After completing these sessions, employers received a workplace analysis conducted by the student, assessing job demands and environmental factors, followed by the development and training of tailored job supports (Fong et al., 2021). The employers that attended the workshop reported feeling an increase in confidence and competence in assisting their neurodivergent employees within the workplace.
Publication Date
2025
Document Type
Poster
Department
Occupational Therapy
Keywords
neurodiversity, inclusive postsecondary education, inclusive higher education, inclusive workplace, occupational therapy’s role
Disciplines
Business | Education | Medicine and Health Sciences | Occupational Therapy | Rehabilitation and Therapy
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Tinklepaugh, Chloe N., "W.O.R.K. Towards Inclusivity in Employment" (2025). Entry Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Projects Class of 2025. 13.
https://digitalcommons.misericordia.edu/otd_capstone2025/13