abstract: 'PurposeLockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic may have had a disproportionate impact on the daily lives of people with intellectual disabilities. Many of them had to deal with limited social contacts for an extended period. This study explores in depth how people with intellectual disabilities in the Netherlands experienced their daily lives, in particular due to lack of access to regular work activities.Materials and methodsEight participants with intellectual disabilities were interviewed. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was employed in conducting and analysing interviews.Results and conclusionsAnalysis yielded three overarching themes that are conceptually linked. Participants experienced a prolonged lack of social connections that resulted in experiences of social isolation and feelings of loneliness. This led to different kinds of struggles: either internal struggles involving negative thoughts or depressive feelings, or a perceived threat to their autonomous position in society. Meanwhile participants had to sustain their sense of self-worth in the absence of work activities. The findings emphasise the importance of social opportunities through the access to work activities for people with intellectual disabilities. Interventions are suggested to help reverse the increased social inequalities and enhance rehabilitation via work activities for people with intellectual disabilities.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABLITATIONMore awareness may be raised among authorities, employers and the general public about the significant value people with intellectual disabilities attribute to meaningful social connections, in particular through work activities.Also, more awareness may be raised about the potential adverse effects of the loss of work activities and social connections on the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities.Providing social support to others may help people with intellectual disabilities to construct social valued roles, either in or outside the work situation.Professionals and employers can support people with intellectual disabilities to find opportunities to provide social support to others.It is important to invest in sustainable and innovative post-pandemic community participation initiatives and particularly in accessible post-pandemic employment support, for example by organising paid in-company training placements.It is essential that professionals support people with intellectual disabilities to enhance their sources of resilience and coping strategies, that may have diminished as a result of the pandemic.' affiliation: 'Voermans, MAC (Corresponding Author), Tilburg Univ, Tilburg Sch Social \& Behav Sci, Tranzo, POB 90153, NL-5000 LE Tilburg, Netherlands. Voermans, Moniek A. C.; den Boer, Maria C.; Embregts, Petri J. C. M., Tilburg Univ, Tilburg Sch Social \& Behav Sci, Tranzo, Tilburg, Netherlands. Voermans, Moniek A. C., Amarant, Healthcare Org People Intellectual Disabil, Tilburg, Netherlands. Wilthagen, Ton, Tilburg Univ, Tilburg Law Sch, Publ Law \& Governance, Tilburg, Netherlands. Voermans, Moniek A. C., Tilburg Univ, Tilburg Sch Social \& Behav Sci, Tranzo, POB 90153, NL-5000 LE Tilburg, Netherlands.' author: Voermans, Moniek A. C. and den Boer, Maria C. and Wilthagen, Ton and Embregts, Petri J. C. M. author-email: m.a.c.voermans@tilburguniversity.edu author_list: - family: Voermans given: Moniek A. C. - family: den Boer given: Maria C. - family: Wilthagen given: Ton - family: Embregts given: Petri J. C. M. da: '2023-09-28' doi: 10.1080/09638288.2022.2147227 earlyaccessdate: NOV 2022 eissn: 1464-5165 files: [] issn: 0963-8288 journal: DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION keywords: 'Covid-19; daytime activities; employment; intellectual disabilities; interpretative phenomenological analysis; job loss; social contacts; meaning of work' keywords-plus: QUALITY-OF-LIFE; OPPORTUNITIES; EMPLOYMENT; ADULTS language: English month: 2022 NOV 17 number-of-cited-references: '53' orcid-numbers: 'den Boer, Maria/0000-0003-4945-7303 Embregts, Petri/0000-0003-3567-1528 Voermans, Moniek/0000-0001-8552-7378' papis_id: 883a9635a152adccc056bad825c0a277 ref: Voermans2022longtermsocial researcherid-numbers: 'den Boer, Maria/Y-2449-2018 ' times-cited: '1' title: 'Long-term social restrictions and lack of work activities during the COVID-19 pandemic: impact on the daily lives of people with intellectual disabilities' type: article unique-id: WOS:000888523000001 usage-count-last-180-days: '2' usage-count-since-2013: '4' web-of-science-categories: Rehabilitation year: '2022'