Beyond employment: the value of work for people with intellectual disabilities and employers’ motivations in Costa Rica

Abstract

This study analyzes the labour inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in Costa Rica, focusing on the meaning attributed to work by employees with intellectual disabilities and the motivations underlying employers' hiring decisions. A qualitative phenomenological design was employed, and in-depth interviews were conducted with five employees with intellectual disabilities and five corporate representatives from nationally and internationally recognized companies. The findings reveal convergences, complementarities, and tensions between employees' lived experiences of work and organizational conceptions of inclusion. For employees, work is associated with autonomy, economic independence, social recognition, emotional fulfillment, and identity construction. For employers, inclusion requires clear policies and key leadership that promote affirmative measures such as professional training, the design of reasonable accommodations, and clarity in the roles and responsibilities of each employee. It also presents challenges related to productivity and coworkers' social prejudices. Another evident difficulty for both groups is providing these employees with real opportunities for career advancement within the company, as all employees have performed the same functions in the organization since the beginning. The triangulation of perspectives indicates that labour inclusion operates not only as access to employment, but also as a mechanism for substantive citizenship, organizational culture, and existential meaning-making. Tensions persist between formal compliance with legal frameworks and deeper ethical commitments to the recognition of diversity.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 2026 · DOI ↗