02254nas a2200157   4500008004100000245006700041210006500108260000900173520175900182653001501941100002101956700001901977700001601996700001502012856006902027       2017                        eng d00aChildhood-onset disability, strong ties and employment quality0 aChildhoodonset disability strong ties and employment quality  c20173 aPurpose<br><br>Persons with childhood-onset disabilities are among the most marginalized populations, often unemployed or underemployment in jobs providing neither adequate hours for financial self-sufficiency nor fulfillment through skill-utilization. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which social capital in the form of strong ties with family and friends is associated with enhanced employment outcomes for persons with childhood-onset disabilities.<br>Design/methodology/approach<br><br>Questioning the current theoretical consensus that strong social ties are unimportant to employment quality, the authors draw on disability research and opportunity, motivation and ability social capital theory to propose a model of the impact of strong ties with family and friends on paid-work-hours and skill-utilization as well as the potential moderating role of gender and disability severity. The authors then test this model using data from 1,380 people with childhood-onset disabilities and OLS regression analysis.<br>Findings<br><br>As theorized, family-of-origin-size is positively associated with hours worked. Family-of-origin-size is also associated with having more close friends and children. These strong ties, in turn, are positively associated with hours worked. The impact of having more children on hours worked and skill-utilization, however, is positive for men but non-significant for women.<br>Originality/value<br><br>This study breaks new ground by focusing on the association between strong ties with family and friends and employment quality for people with childhood-onset disabilities – a marginalized and understudied group. Findings further indicate the particular vulnerability of women with disabilities.10aManagement1 aBaldridge, David1 aKonrad, Alison1 aMoore, Mark1 aYang, Yang  uhttps://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/EDI-11-2016-0093