Measures to open employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and ILO Convention No. 159 can build on extensive experience in recent decades in developing new approaches to training and employment. This working paper highlights, among other points, good practice in supporting people with intellectual disabilities in integrated employment settings. Evidence clearly points to better outcomes for employees with intellectual disabilities when they work in integrated settings, with appropriate supports.

The aims of this paper are to: examine changes over time in the understanding of intellectual disability and the capacity of persons with disabilities to learn; provide an international overview of employment options for people with intellectual disabilities, with special emphasis on Supported Employment (SE) models; examine and critically analyse from a research perspective examples of SE across a range of low- and high-income countries; and, make recommendations for the expansion and future development of inclusive employment options for this population.