The Experience of the Social Rehabilitation Teacher on Employment Support for the User in Residential Facilities for People with Disabilities

This study aimed to explore the experiences of social rehabilitation teachers in residential facilities for the persons with disabilities in supporting their employment, analyze their practical roles and the constraints they face, and suggest future directions for residential facility-based vocational rehabilitation practices. For this, six social rehabilitation teachers with experience performing social rehabilitation work in residential facilities for the persons with disabilities were selected through a deliberate sampling method, and non-face-to-face video individual in-depth interviews were conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed through the process of conceptualization, subcategorization, and supercategorization. The research results were as follows: First, social rehabilitation teachers were performing complex and multi-layered tasks such as establishing individual support plans, admission/discharge and daily management, support for career life and independence, supervision of life rehabilitation teachers, and community linkage, beyond the role of simple job linkers. Second, in the midst of the low job competency and poor training conditions of residential facilities, social rehabilitation teachers were struggling for employment of users and cooperate with external organizations. Third, due to structural constraints such as the lack of job training space within the residential facilities themselves, difficulty in continuing training due to aging and repetitive lifestyle habits, high employment standards, and low community acceptance, job linkage was not smoothly achieved, and as a result, the work burden and burnout of social rehabilitation teachers were increasing. Fourth, in order to activate the job support work of social rehabilitation teachers in residential facilities, it was found that institutional clarification of the job identity and role of social rehabilitation teachers, differentiation of staff placement criteria according to the degree of disability of users, development of low-intensity job training programs, and establishment of a community-centered network were required. In conclusion, the significance of this study was to explore ways to activate the role of social rehabilitation teachers in charge of employment support for people with disabilities in a special environment such as a residential facility for the persons with disabilities and to find practical implications.