Examining the Career Interests of High School Students with Disabilities

Abstract

Individuals with disabilities are faced with many factors that impact their post-school career options. Participants in this study (n = 64) were students with disabilities who enrolled in career-focused transition programs in a high school in southeast Alabama. This study examined participants’ results gained from completion on Holland’s Self Directed Search career interest inventory. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are significant correlations among participants’ age, race, gender, disability type, and number of discipline referrals in relationship to their first letter of the Holland code. Statistically significant relationships and mean differences were identified between race and first letter Holland Code, more specifically, African American students were more likely to identify with careers in the realistic domain.