Career development and individuals with physical disabilities

Abstract

Purpose – Few studies have focussed on the situation of employees with physical disabilities from the perspective of human resources management – in particular on the career development expectations of this group. The purpose of this paper is to meet this need by focussing on individuals with physical disabilities in Andalusia (Spain). It analyzes three key aspects: whether the perception of discrimination is related to the perception of inequity due to their disabilities, with this relationship being moderated by gender; whether these perceptions of inequality and discrimination lead to feelings of dissatisfaction with the employing organization; and whether the perception of discrimination mediates the relationship between perceived inequity and job dissatisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – Using the theoretical framework of organizational justice, regression analysis is applied to test the hypotheses in a population of 459 employed people with physical disabilities. Findings – The results show that perceived discrimination is due to perceived inequity when peers who do not have a disability are used as comparative reference; however, this relationship is not moderated by gender. These perceptions of inequity and discrimination cause individuals to feel dissatisfaction in organizations, and a mediating effect is found for the perception of discrimination in professional development opportunities. The control variables considered, age and education, are not significant in the relationships studied. Originality/value – An original and valued model is proposed to explain job dissatisfaction among employees with physical disabilities and the possibility of perceiving a dual disadvantage, in their possibilities for professional development. The model links together three variables that have not previously been linked all together in the literature – perceived inequity, perceived discrimination on the grounds of disability, and dissatisfaction – highlighting that perceived discrimination on the grounds of disability mediates the relationship between perceived inequity and dissatisfaction. This model can also examine whether a dual disadvantage is perceived owing to an individual's being a woman and having a disability, considering gender as a variable that moderates the relationship between perceived inequity and perceived discrimination on the grounds of disability.

Academic Librarians with Disabilities: Job Perceptions and Factors Influencing Positive Workplace Experiences

“…Like the research on job satisfaction in librarians, research on people with disabilities indicates that key factors influencing job perceptions and satisfaction include support from coworkers and supervisors (Schur, Kruse, Blasi, & Blanck, 2009;Snyder et al, 2010;Uppal, 2005). Like visible minority librarians, employees with disabilities report higher rates of discrimination and harassment at work (Schur et al, 2009;Snyder et al, 2010;Villanueva-Flores, Valle-Cabrera, & Bornay-Barrachina, 2014), and a critical factor influencing job satisfaction is the level of workplace support for diversity and equity, particularly supervisor and colleague attitudes toward disability (Schur et al, 2009;Snyder et al, 2010). Other factors influencing positive workplace perceptions of workers with disabilities include perceptions of justice and fairness at work (Schur et al, 2009;Snyder et al, 2010;Villanueva-Flores et al, 2014), involvement in decisionmaking (Schur et al, 2009;Snyder et al, 2010), and high levels of workplace autonomy and flexibility (Jones, 2016;Schur et al, 2009).…”

Supporting workers with disabilities: a scoping review of the role of human resource management in contemporary organisations

“…However, individuals with physical disabilities may experience limited progression in their career as a result of their disability (Smith et al. ; Villanueva‐Flores, Valle‐Cabrera, and Bornay‐Barrachina ). Moreover, employees with a physical disability are more likely to be dissatisfied with their job when they perceive inequity and discrimination in their professional development opportunities.…”

When affirmative action is not enough: challenges in career development of persons with disability

“…Scholars have built on the literature since then and studied various aspects of treatment of employees with disabilities (Cramm et al , 2008; Kulkarni and Lengnick-Hall, 2014; Lau and Cheung, 1999; McLaughlin et al , 2004; Vornholt et al , 2013). The past research on disability has focused on issues such as discrimination in career opportunities leading to dissatisfaction (Villanueva-Flores et al , 2014, 2017), attitudes and biases in the organization affecting the recruitment and treatment (postjoining) activities such as promotion and job assignment of PWDs (Barnes and Mercer, 2005; Macy, 1996; Stone and Colella, 1996; Schur et al , 2005), perception of coworkers (Colella, 2001), effect of communication networks on the professional success of PWDs (Kulkarni, 2012; Schur et al , 2005) and limited employment opportunities or constraints toward employment of PWDs (Lengnick-Hall et al , 2008; Thanem, 2008; Woodhams and Danieli, 2000).…”

“…Finally, treatment of disability is dependent on the context in which the research is undertaken. We have answered the call of scholars to explore underresearched contexts (Villanueva-Flores et al , 2014); hence, we carried out the research in India with an aim to develop “locally relevant, culture-sensitive frameworks” (Klarsfeld et al , 2019). Kulkarni (2017) has expressed the need for deploying a social model perspective to disability studies in India.…”