Traversing Disability: Employers’ Perspectives of Disability Inclusion (original) (raw)
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Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences
IntroductionOne of the major challenges that persons with disabilities (PWDs) are facing globally is unemployment. The challenge is attributed to systems that are not built with inclusivity in mind by employers. As such, the work of inclusion is not inviting PWDs to do more but to make a difference through social support. Most research on inclusion in the employment of PWDs in low-income settings has been concentrated upon the labor “supply” side, and to the best of our knowledge, no specific studies moved toward inclusion in employment issues from the employers’ perspective in informal settlements. Notably, our research question is: “what would it take to socially support employed PWD in informal settlements building from the perspectives of employers.”MethodsThis paper used data from in-depth interviews with 38 service providers in the education, health, water, sanitation, and solid waste management sectors and two sub-county officials in two informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya...
Employing people with disabilities in South Africa
2011
Key words: people with disabilities, attitudes towards People With Disabilities, employment of people with disabilities South Africa has developed policy and legislation to overcome barriers that people with disabilities face in the labour force, yet there remain practical issues relating to the implementation of these policies. This research aimed at identifying the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions and experiences of employers when hiring People with Disabilities (PWDs). Two organisations were selected using a purposive sampling method where interviews were conducted based on a completed questionnaire. It was found that there was a lack of knowledge about disability and although there were negative attitudes presented toward disabled people from fellow employees as well as physical barriers to their employment within the organisations, there were also clear benefits. These benefits were related to among others, the positive contribution made by the employees with a disability.
Traversing Disability: Building Social Capital through Skill Development for Employment
Disabilities
This paper investigates the influence of social capital in the training of persons with disabilities. The expansion of social networks is regarded as a central principle of the rehabilitation agenda and thus is a central concept that may influence the training experiences of persons with disabilities. Absent from much of social capital research is its influence on skill development and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. Social capital has the potential to play an important role in the livelihoods of persons with disabilities who are at high risk of being marginalised. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore and critically examine the experiences of persons with disabilities who participated in an auxiliary skill development programme, to determine whether and how it has strengthened and expanded their social capital to advance their opportunities for economic inclusion and/or employment. There is currently no convincing practice available, particularly ...
Barriers to the employability of people with disabilities in the South African public service
African Journal of Disability
Background: South African public sector efforts to employ people with disabilities (PWDs) in the post-apartheid have been less successful, resulting in a poor transformation record during the past 27 years (1994-2021) due to the failure to integrate PWDs into mainstream employment in government departments.Objective: The objective of this article is to identify and highlight some of the barriers to the employability of PWDs in the South African public service.Method: The research was framed as a case study within the transformative research paradigm. A typical department in the Western Cape provincial government was selected for the study. In-depth interviews were conducted with selected top managers within the Western Cape provincial government. Convenience sampling technique of the purposive sampling method was adopted to select targeted respondents (n = 10). Thematic analysis was employed to condense the data collected into a small number of significant themes. Atlas.ti version 7...
2013
Professor Frank Horwitz, for finding time in his very busy schedule to supervise the start of my thesis. Dr Linda Ronnie for agreeing to be my co-supervisor when Professor Horwitz emigrated. Professor Seyi Ladele (Dele) Amosun for being my co-supervisor, for all his encouragement, belief, support, and understanding of my work. My participants for their willingness to share their life stories and experiences so openly. Without their enthusiasm and involvement, this research would not have been possible. William Daniels and Amina Adam of the Research Commons for their technical support, assistance and encouragement. Professor Andre Görgens for his assistance with regard to the structure and content of my thesis. Elise Varga for her very thorough editing and valuable comments. Dr Brian Watermeyer for his friendship, perspective, ongoing support and advice. Tristan Görgens for his input, support and proofreading. The Harry Crossley Foundation, for the doctoral research funding that made this study possible, their belief in my work, and their ongoing support and encouragement. My parents Anne and Derek Coop their support and encouragement, technical advice, tireless babysitting, and endless editing and proofreading. My wonderful husband Vic McKinney for all of his love, enduring support, perspective and endless editing of my final drafts of my thesis. Without his support, this work would not have been possible, and I dedicate this thesis to him and our baby son James.
2015
The practice of democratisation at the centre of development in South Africa has brought about dual impacts of change. Diversity within South African societies has increased challenges facing the state. While emphasis has been continually placed on promoting processes of transformation, there has simultaneously been a challenge of deceleration in state developmental practice during pursuits of social change in working environments. Persons with disabilities continue to be secluded, regardless of increased pressure for inclusiveness in workplaces. Diversity in employees as an inevitable element of social groupings has surfaced as a precept of both strengths and challenges to organisational structures in private and public organisations. In light of diversity in public organisations, the primary focus nonetheless remains fixated on the divisions etched in the workplace as a consequence of disablism, in particular. Persons with disabilities have been pinpointed as one of the targets of...
2015
Access to work for disabled persons in South Africa: The intersections of social understandings of disability, substantive equality and access to social security Meryl Candice du Plessis February 2015 This thesis examines possible synergies and points of friction between understandings of disability that emphasise its social contingency and jurisprudential debates on substantive equality and access to social security in the context of the promotion of access to work for disabled persons in South Africa. In consequence of an analysis of theoretical debates in the field of disability studies and how these find application in the sphere of employment equity law, it is concluded that, while social
2013
Definition of terms Disability: For the purpose of the study, the research focuses on the social model of disability, which defines disability as "A complex system of social restrictions imposed on people with impairments by a highly discriminatory society. Disability is a concept distinct from any particular medical condition. It is a social construct varying across culture and through time, in the same way as, for example gender, class, or caste…In this sense, disability as a policy issue becomes a cross-cutting social one, rather than something primarily associated with health and individual well-being"
Work-a Journal of Prevention Assessment & Rehabilitation, 2021
BACKGROUND: Work holds great meaning and benefits beyond just monetary gain for people with intellectual disabilities. It gives these individuals the opportunity to engage in meaningful occupation. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to explore challenges that people with intellectual disabilities (PWID) experience when adapting to their worker roles in the open labor market. METHODS: The study used grounded theory as the research design. Five male participants and two key informants participated in the study. Two semi structured interviews were conducted with each one of the seven participants (five PWID and two key informants). RESULTS: Three core concepts emerged: 1) Unforeseen challenges of change; 2) A well-planned work preparation program enables success and 3) Crossing the bridge into the workplace: "Do I belong here?" CONCLUSIONS: This indicated that with sufficient external support, PWID are able to gain a sense of social belonging and develop the necessary skills to cope with challenges that arise in the workplace when PWID transition from protective/sheltered workshops to the open labor market. The findings of the study also indicated that work preparation programs and supportive employment approaches helped PWID transition to the open labor market.
Achieving disability inclusive employment -Are the current approaches deep enough
Journal of International Development, 2022
Diverse approaches to promoting disability inclusive employment aim to transform workplaces into truly inclusive environments, usually with intervention strategies targeting two main groups: employers and jobseekers with disabilities. However, they do not always consider other relevant stakeholders or address the relationships and interactions between diverse actors in the wider social ecosystem. These approaches often neglect deeper ‘vexing’ difficulties which block progress towards disability inclusive work environments. Most interventions rightly embrace hegemonic ‘social models of disability’ and use human rights arguments but may neglect entrenched structural factors. Disability inclusive employment is complex, with unaddressed invisible aspects that continue to limit progress. We explore some key relevant disability concepts and then interrogate evidence from the ‘Inclusion Works’ programme working in four middle- and low-income countries, considering some intractable barriers underlying the slow movement towards inclusive employment. Finally, we propose that a more participatory action orientated approach involving disabled people and others is needed to both generate deeper understanding and provide pathways towards new solutions to obstinate problems through progressive action learning processes in context. Programmatic interventions that work across the levels of the ecosystem and address power relations and interactions between stakeholders could lead to more substantial forms of disability inclusive employment.