The intersectionality of race, disability, gender, and employment through the Project SEARCH lens

Abstract

BACKGROUND: People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face chronically low rates of employment and high rates of poverty. These effects are amplified for women and ethnic minorities. Project SEARCH was developed to help address this disparity in employment. OBJECTIVE: This report looks at the demographic make-up of Project SEARCH participants and compares employment outcomes by gender, race and ethnicity, and disability type. METHODS: Authors examined data from 3,773 interns in the United States during the 2018-19 program year. Data were entered by representatives of 523 licensed program sites into the Project SEARCH database, which is accessed via a secure online Member Portal. RESULTS: The demographic make-up of Project SEARCH interns was representative of the U.S. population, but with some overrepresentation of racial and ethnic minorities and underrepresentation of females, consistent with patterns of enrollment in special education. There were no large differences in employment outcomes of Project SEARCH graduates based on race, ethnicity, gender, or disability type. Some small differences were observed, and these will be explored further in future studies. CONCLUSIONS: Project SEARCH serves a diverse population effectively and equitably. However, there are some differences in outcomes that warrant further investigation.