Barriers to School and Work Transitions for Youth With and Without a Disability During The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Comparison

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES: To explore barriers to school and work transitions for youth with and without a disability during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: An interpretive descriptive qualitative approach involving in-depth interviews. SETTING: Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada which was considered a hot zone for COVID-19 cases and deaths. PARTICIPANTS: A purposive sample of 35 youth (18 with a disability; 17 without), aged 16-29 (mean age 23). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Semi-structured interviews with participants. RESULTS: Our findings revealed several similarities and some differences between youth with and without disabilities regarding barriers to school and work transitions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key themes related to these barriers involved: (1) difficult transition to online school and working from home (i.e., expense of setting up home office, technical challenges, impact on mental health), (2) uncertainty about employment (i.e., under-employment, difficult working conditions, difficulty finding work, disability-related challenges) and (3) missed career development opportunities (i.e., cancelled or reduced internships or placements, lack of volunteer opportunities, uncertainties about career pathway, longer-term impact of pandemic). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight that youth with disabilities may need further support in engaging in meaningful and accessible vocational activities that align with their career pathway. AUTHOR(S) DISCLOSURES: None.