Guest editorial The benefits of inclusion: disability and work in the 21st century

Abstract

Guest editorialThe benefits of inclusion: disability and work in the 21st century Changing perspectives on disability and workThe United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was adopted in 2006 with 82 nation signatories (United Nations, 2019). The purpose of the convention was to elaborate upon and codify the rights of persons with disabilities while setting a path for implementation of legislation, policies, programs and practices that ensure those rights are activated and maintained (United Nations, 2006). To date, over 160 nations have signed the convention (United Nations, 2019), indicating global interest in implementing legislation, regulations, policies and programs on the rights of persons with disabilities.Increased international attention on the rights of persons with disabilities is associated with a shift away from the medical model of disability, which characterizes disability as a deficit of the individual (e.g. Areheart, 2008). Historically, this model has been the focus of disability benefits programs (e.g. Withers, 2016). More inclusive approaches to disability are now being recognized, such as the social model of disability, which identifies disability as a societal rather than individual phenomenon (Oliver, 1983(Oliver, , 2013, and the human rights model of disability, which draws from the social model to highlight the centrality of upholding the rights and dignity of all persons in society (Office of Disability Issues, 2003).The social model of disability was first developed in Britain during the 1970s and 1980s. However, the social understanding of disability has been advanced by activists and disability studies scholars in several countries. This understanding proposes that disability is a form of oppression caused by social barriers that exclude persons with impairments from participation in society. Attention is drawn to the role of environment and society in creating barriers. This approach very much underpins the human rights approach to disability. Over the period that followed, the World Health Organization (WHO) and others integrated the social understanding and medical understanding into a biopsychosocial framework, known as the disablement process, which is described in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) (WHO, 2001) and in earlier work by the WHO (1980). In this framework, a health condition or impairment is a necessary but not sufficient condition for disablement. The social and built environments are seen as key factors that can be enabling or disabling. Earlier work by Nagi (1965Nagi ( , 1991 also took this approach. With this approach, disability is conceptualized as arising out of the complex interaction between a health condition or impairment, barriers in the physical and social environment, and personal factors (Kazou, 2017).The human rights model of disability looks to societal norms, practices and structures to understand the barriers that persons with disabilities experience. This approach focuses...

‘They don't think I can do it’: Experiences of self‐advocates, employment specialists, and employers on employment of adults with intellectual disability

“…Additionally, more exploration of the experiences of employers specifically is needed to better understand gaps and opportunities for improvements in organizational policy and practice. Future researchers may consider delving into a deeper exploration of the employer experience to better understand the barriers to employer participation in research, the scope and impact of stigmatizing attitudes and beliefs among employers, and the perspectives of employers who do not yet have experience with employees with intellectual disabilities (Chan et al, 2010; Delman et al, 2017; Kocman et al, 2017; Tompa et al, 2022).…”

“…Any discussions around or development of best practices should be developed in collaboration with self-advocates and based on lessons learned from success stories. intellectual disabilities (Chan et al, 2010;Delman et al, 2017;Kocman et al, 2017;Tompa et al, 2022).…”

Too depressed and anxious to speak up: The relationships between weekly fluctuations in mental health and silence at work.

“…Our results suggest that voice endorsement can be an effective and efficient tool for employees to mitigate the negative consequences associated with mental health (Wegge et al, 2014). Given recent shifts toward integrating an understanding of health and disability in employer training and skill development (Tompa et al, 2022), organizations might also consider training employees to endorse voice as a proactive means and low-cost investment that can alter perceptions about speaking up. Such training should be extended to all employees, consistent with our findings and a shared-approach to employee mental health management (St-Hilaire et al, 2019).…”

Disability Theatre as Critical Participatory Action Research: Lessons for Inclusive Research

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“…Employment enhances the quality of life, improves financial wellbeing, and increases social inclusion for individuals with intellectual disabilities (Randall et al 2022;Robertson et al 2019). However, people with intellectual disabilities face significant barriers to labour market participation (Tompa et al 2022). In British Columbia (BC), Canada, only 24.2% of individuals receiving community living supports reported income, and over 75% of these individuals earned less than CAD 10,000 per year with 53% of the 24.2% earning less than CAD 5000 per year (Community Living British Columbia 2019).…”