Assessing disability inclusion climate in the workplace: A brief report

Exploring the working conditions of disabled employees: a scoping review

PURPOSE

Disabled people are often overlooked in considerations about work design, which contributes to their exclusion from the labor market. This issue also reflects within research, as the body of knowledge on the working conditions of disabled employees remains relatively limited.

METHODS

A scoping review was conducted to assess the research landscape concerning the working conditions of disabled employees. Five databases have been searched, focusing on relevant studies published between 2017 and 2022.

RESULTS

One hundred fourteen studies were included in the review. It was found that social aspects of work appeared within a substantial portion of the examined studies. Furthermore, it became evident that the interplay of accessibility and flexibility provides an important dynamic to make work design both inclusive and feasible.

CONCLUSION

The recurrent prominence of social aspects, accessibility, and flexibility across the studies shows common challenges and potentials within the work situation of disabled employees. This suggests avenues for future research and inclusive work design.

Use of Customized Employment in State Vocational Rehabilitation Programs: A Retrospective Study 2017–2020

The purpose of this study was to examine the outcomes of customized employment via an analysis using Rehabilitation Services Administration Case Service Report (RSA-911) from Federal fiscal years of 2017 through 2020. The independent variables were demographics, barriers to employment, and types of state vocational rehabilitation agency (SVRA) services, and the dependent variables were competitive integrated employment status and weekly earnings at exit. Descriptive analyses, multiple logistic regression, and hierarchical multiple regression comprised data analysis. The study sample ( N = 2,280) was 57.9% male and 42.1% female and had a mean age of 32.69 years ( SD = 12.83). Seventy-seven percent identified themselves as White and 46.7% had a cognitive disability. The results of this study indicated that consumers who have cognitive disability and cultural barriers; are migrant farmworkers and/or dependents; and receive job placement assistance, short-term job supports, maintenance services, benefits counseling, and supported employment are more likely to get competitive integrated employment at exit ( R2 = .34). Multiple variables were found to be significantly related to weekly earnings at exit and explained 24% of the variance. Rehabilitation counselors should take into consideration the findings of this study to determine from which supports consumers may benefit to attain successful employment goals, particularly for customized employment.

Developing a tool for disability accommodation complexity: A sequential mixed study

BACKGROUND

For disability accommodation (DA) decision-making/planning processes to unfold successfully, an understanding of the factors influencing DA complexity and a reliable tool for measuring such complexity are needed. The current literature does not provide sufficient knowledge on either topic.

OBJECTIVE

We attempted to explore the factors influencing DA complexity and develop a DA complexity scale in three phases through the sequential mixed approach.

METHOD

The study used an exploratory sequential mixed method in three phases. In phase 1, a qualitative survey of 335 supervisors with recent DA management experience was conducted, and the data were analyzed using a thematic approach to identify and evaluate DA complexity factors. In phase 2, qualitative results were transformed into items to construct a DA complexity scale. Later, the scale was tested using data from a separate quantitative cross-sectional survey of 303 supervisors with recent DA management experience. In phase 3, another quantitative cross-sectional study of 307 supervisors with recent DA management experience to evaluate the validity of the scale and its dimensions.

RESULTS

In Phase 1, we identified 12 factors influencing DA complexity. In Phase 2, the DA complexity scale loaded 29 items in nine dimensions, which represented the factors influencing DA complexity. In Phase 3, DA complexity positively influenced supervisors' job demand and stress, and negatively influenced their work motivation, organizational commitment, and supervisors' perceptions about their relationships with employees with disabilities.

CONCLUSION

This study enriches the DA literature by offering an in-depth understanding of DA complexity and a scale to measure it.

Company Characteristics, Disability Inclusion Practices, and Employment of People with Disabilities in the Post COVID-19 Job Economy: A Cross Sectional Survey Study

Purpose In the post coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) recession economy, rehabilitation counselors, transition specialists, and other disability service providers must redouble their efforts to connect with employers to create employment opportunities for people with physical and mental impairments. The purpose of the present study was to investigate company characteristics and effective disability inclusion practices that are related to employment of people with disabilities. Methods Four hundred sixty-six employers completed a demographic questionnaire and the Disability Inclusion Profiler. Results Results indicated company characteristics and disability practices were positively related to employment of people with disabilities. Conclusions Findings of the present study can be used by transition specialists, rehabilitation counselors, and other disability service providers to engage and connect with employers to increase employment opportunity for people with disabilities in the post COVID-19 economy. Future research and practice implications are provided.