Social Networks and Disability: Access to and Stabilization of Integration into the Primary Labor Market

Abstract

Social science research and official statistics repeatedly point to the poor employment prospects of people with disabilities compared to those without disabilities (Eichhorst et al., 2010, p. 7; WHO, 2011, p. 237; Engels et al., 2017, p. 166 ff.; von Kardorff et al., 2013, p. 7 ff.; Pfaff, 2012, p. 235 ff.; Rauch, 2005, p. 28 ff.). People with disabilities are therefore also less likely to benefit from the manifest and latent functions of employment (Jahoda, 1983). The manifest functions include financial resources and access to the social security system. The latent functions encompass, for example, predefined time structures, the existence of common goals, social and professional prestige, the possibility to perform an activity experienced as meaningful, and the establishment and maintenance of social contacts. Deficits in access to the latent functions of employment are one of the main factors that explain the generally poorer health status of the unemployed (Batinic et al., 2010; Jahoda, 1982).

Protective Role of Social Networks for the Well-Being of Persons with Disabilities: Results from a State-Wide Cross-Sectional Survey in Kerala, India

“…People with disabilities generally experience low levels of social integration and inclusion compared to the general population [7,8] for various reasons, such as functional limitations [9], social stigma, and discrimination [10]. People with disabilities have fewer social contacts and are less likely to begin relationships in everyday life [11], further leading to poorer employment opportunities and health outcomes [12]. Moreover, a study on different social networks among people in Kerala showed that 37.6% of PWDs had a private restricted network type rather than a locally integrated one [13].…”