PROFESSIONAL INCLUSION OF YOUNG ADULTS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES IN QATAR

Abstract

To situate this investigation within its broader research territory, the study positions itself at the intersection of disability studies, labor market inclusion, and socio-institutional analysis in Qatar. This dissertation explores the professional inclusion of young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (YAwIDD) in Qatar, employing Activity Theory (AT) as its analytical framework. Despite Qatar’s ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and the establishment of an employment quota, persistent systemic, institutional, social, and cultural misalignments continue to challenge meaningful inclusion, highlighting a critical gap this study addresses. The study uses a mixed-methods design. The quantitative phase used a survey assessing perceptions and experiences of employment inclusion. The qualitative phase comprised semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, including YAwIDD, family members, training center staff, and employers. AT guided the data analysis to identify contradictions across key components of the theory, namely, subject, object, tools, rules, community, and division of labor. AT guided the data analysis to identify contradictions across key components of the theory, namely, subject, object, tools, rules, community, and division of labor. Key findings indicate that mediating tools such as job coaching, assistive technologies, and early intervention are underutilized; the division of labor is fragmented; rules, particularly the 2% quota, are poorly enforced; and employers remain unprepared for inclusive hiring. Community-level dynamics, including cultural stigma and conditional attitudes toward inclusion, further restrict opportunities. The study offers both theoretical and practical contributions. Theoretically, it extends AT by integrating language, emotion, and cultural discourse as mediational tools. As a practical outcome, this research proposes evidence-based recommendations for policymakers, employers, families, and civil society. This dissertation concludes that the path to professional inclusion in Qatar must move beyond compliance and tokenism and adopt a relational, rights-based model centered on equity, emotional well-being, and belonging at its core, with implications for similar contexts in the Gulf and the Global South.

Date of Award	2026
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Humanities and Social Science