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1. What are employers’ perceptions of strategies that can be utilized to provide
a positive view of individuals with IDD in the workplace?
2. What reservations do employers have with employing an individual with
IDD?
3. What are the negative social stereotypes that can influence the potential
employers?

Dr. Robin H. Lock is a Methodology
full professor of special The study utilized a phenomenological approach. Collection of the data occurred
education at Texas through scenario-based surveys, checklists, and virtual interviews. The findings
Tech University College
of Education. She is a documented employers’ motives for hiring individuals with IDD. The researchers
member of the Kappa also sought to identify how employers moved away from negative stereotypes to
Iota Chapter, where she overcome factors that influenced them to avoid hiring such individuals. Employers’
currently serves on the personal feelings concerning the employment of individuals with IDD were a focus.
Texas State Organization Ultimately, the purpose was to identify strategies that educators could use to support
Legislative Committee. individuals with IDD in gaining equal employment opportunities. The Thematic
She has been an active
member of DKG for 30 Analysis (TA) method was used to analyze the data collected (Clarke et al., 2019).
years. robin.lock@ttu.edu The researchers utilized an inductive approach within the analysis; in other words,
the data determined the themes.

Participants
Participants in the study worked as recruiters, department managers, or official
hiring individuals for their organization. Each participant was responsible for directly
hiring the individual or forwarding the candidate to the hiring individual. Initially,
Google searches of organizations known for hiring individuals with IDD provided
many potential participants. Contacts from various organizations that specialized
in employment services for individuals with IDD rounded out the participant pool.
Once the businesses or individuals expressed interest, the researchers contacted
them by email with a request for participation and the consent form.
Twenty-one individuals participated in the survey portion of the study. Of the 21
participants, 15 opted to continue by engaging in the checklist portion of the study.
Finally, out of those 15 contributors, 5 randomly selected individuals agreed to
participate in the virtual interview process. Nine males and 12 females completed the
survey. Six males and nine females completed the checklist, and three males and two
females engaged in the virtual interviews. All participants were located in the state
of Texas in the large metropolitan areas of Houston, Dallas, and Lubbock, or their
surrounding cities. A wide range of businesses participated in the study, including an
oil and gas company, several retail sales sites, nonprofit organizations, a hospitality
company, a health care entity, a restaurant, a K–12 school staff placement, and a
university housing and dining services unit with numerous employees with IDD.
Participant 7 provided many insights through his personal communications
in the results section of the study. This individual actively sought to participate
in all aspects of the study as he indicated tremendous enthusiasm for providing
employment opportunities to individuals with IDD. Although he expressed no
personal connections to anyone with an IDD, he revealed a strong calling to promote
hiring and advancement for these members of society.
The university’s Institutional Review Board reviewed and approved the study.
Each participant completed a form acknowledging his or her consent to participate
along with individual contact information. Participants then received a link to the

16 The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin: International Journal for Professional Educators