Employing People With Disabilities in the Taiwanese Workplace

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the experiences of employers who had long-term experiences with employing people with disabilities in Taiwan. In-depth qualitative interviews were adopted as the main data collection instrument. The participants included 12 Taiwanese employers in the private enterprise sector with 2 or more years of experience hiring employees with disabilities beyond the required employment quota enacted by the Taiwanese government. The results identified four main reasons that led to hiring, including personal experience relating to people with disabilities, economic concerns, charitable perspectives, and policy implications. Although the employers were highly willing to collaborate with vocational rehabilitation systems, their needs for services rendered differed in the distinct employment processes. Employers expressed greater concern about the employability of applicants with disabilities during the recruitment and selection process than during the placement and accommodation stages. Barriers to career advancement for individuals with disabilities were indicated. This study underscores the importance of demand-driven employment strategies and highlights the need to gain insights into the experiences of employers who actually work with people with disabilities. The implications of the findings for rehabilitation practitioners are discussed.

On the treatment of persons with disabilities in organizations: A review and research agenda

“…In contrast to studies of barriers related to inclusion, some studies reported positive expectations of working with persons with disabilities, such as higher loyalty and reliability, and lower turnover (Gröschl, ; Huang & Chen, ). However, Huang and Chen () note that employers hire persons with disabilities to address persistent labor shortages for lower‐level jobs that college‐educated applicants will not take—a positive attitude that points to other persistent problems such as the underemployment of persons with disabilities. It would be helpful to have investigations of a full range of expected future contact and expected outcomes.…”

“…Some employers were concerned about “headaches” (Lengnick‐Hall et al, ) such as more frequent absences or higher government scrutiny associated with hiring persons with disabilities, which increased their fear of discrimination litigation (Jasper & Waldhart, ; Kaye et al, ). A qualitative study of Taiwanese employers by Huang and Chen () found the perceived need for accommodations and extra training and supervision also decreased managers' perceptions of promotability for employees with disabilities.…”

“…Operationalizations varied significantly across studies. For example, studies examined hiring as both actual (e.g., Huang & Chen, 2015) and hypothetical (e.g., Reilly et al, 2006), and presented inclusion as both instrumental inclusion (e.g., not having opinions heard) and social inclusion (e.g., exclusion from social groups) (e.g., Fevre et al, 2013). Studies generally supported Stone and Colella's (1996) proposed relationships, but some variables received limited or no empirical attention.…”

“…Various studies have investigated the influence of disability type on selection and hiring decisions and found applicants with a mental or psychological disability were judged more negatively than persons with physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities (Dalgin & Bellini, 2008;Gouvier et al, 2003;Huang & Chen, 2015;Premeaux, 2001). In some studies, stigma dimensions such as origin (Reilly et al, 2006), course (Gouvier et al, 2003;Robinson, 2000), and aesthetic qualities (Hayes & Macan, 1997) were examined.…”

Hiring of people with disabilities: Perceptions of Hispanic small business owners

“…Although there is no one type of small business that is unwillingness to hire people with disabilities, employers' hiring decisions are nevertheless often influenced by the types of and severity of disabilities (Huang & Chen, 2015). For instance, people with visual impairments have trouble maintaining, seeking, or even obtaining a job (Unger, Rumrill, & Hennessey, 2005).…”