Workplace inclusion for persons with intellectual disability

Project summary

Globally, persons with disabilities experience significant marginalization in the labor market and mainstream work organizations. Confirming the right of this group to work in inclusive and accessible work environments, current disability law shifts the perspective from the ‘employability’ of individuals to the physical and social organization of workplaces. The way forward thus becomes one of removing attitudinal and environmental barriers.

Building on a Pragmatist scientific approach, I am exploring the processes of learning and adaption which mainstream organizations may need to include persons with disabilities who may need more intensive support and may have reduced productivity - for instance, persons with intellectual disability.

Method

My approach is qualitative and combines deductive, inductive and abductive strategies.

In part, I build on a multi-site case study, exploring seven jobs for persons with intellectual disability in Norwegian and Danish ordinary private and public sector businesses. I created data through 16 days of field work and interviews with the workers themselves, in addition to research interviews with a total of 43 managers, colleagues, external job coaches and parents.

Another part of my main research is related to how disability and equality is conceptualized in business research on work and disability. Taking the "ABS list" as my proxy for such research, I am compiling a data set of review level articles from the decade 2010-2019 to analyze this more closely. Again, I am using thematic analysis.

In both parts, my aim is to develop theoretical representations with the potential to inform research, policy and practice.