Turning a blind eye to employers’ discrimination? Attitudinal barrier perceptions of vision impaired youth from Oslo and Delhi

Abstract

Young adults with visual impairments encounter a twin burden of attitudinal and access barriers, which inhibits their employment inclusion. There exists a dearth of comparative research focused on the negative influence of attitudinal barriers on their employment outcomes. This article juxtaposes previously un-researched barrier perceptions associated with employers' discrimination of qualified YAVI from Oslo and Delhi. Employers' discrimination is couched in the social model approach, and its nuances are understood through the concept of disablism. A qualitative case study was conducted from November 2017 to June 2018, wherein 29 YAVI (12 from Oslo and 17 from Delhi) were interviewed. This article demonstrates unanticipated similarities associated with the perception of employers' discrimination in two dissimilar labour markets. It calls for further Global North South research to better comprehend the influence of employers' discrimination and concludes with some potential recommendations for different stakeholders.

Insider, Outsider or an In-Betweener? Epistemological Reflections of a Legally Blind Researcher on Conducting Cross-National Disability Research

“…Alongside the poignant critique of disability research coming from the European and North-American disability scholars, it is worth noting that disability research has predominantly been Global North-centric, as the perspectives of disabled people from the Global South largely have been overlooked and failed to shape the disability research agenda (Chhabra 2020;Goodley 2017;Meekosha 2008). However, in the last few years, active efforts are being made to challenge the unidirectional flow of knowledge production from Global North to Global South (Grech & Soldatic 2016) and to move beyond the 'liberal, identity-based framework' in order to acknowledge that disability identity is complex, intersectional and multilayered (Chaudhry 2018: 72;Ghai 2015;Thomas 2006;Traustadóttir 2006).…”

“…This gave them the confidence to express their employment challenges and discuss pragmatic solutions. During the course of interviews, they often relied on the pronouns 'we', ' our', 'us' to indicate some of the perennial employment barriers, such as employers' discrimination, which are encountered by people with visual impairments in the labor market (see Chhabra 2020). The boundary between the participants and me as a researcher often blurred when they forgot about my diverging biographical experience and social location, and they incorporated me within their employment narrative.…”

“…First, it is based on the observations secured from the fieldwork conducted in Oslo and Delhi entailing young adults with visual impairments (henceforth YAVI). Although vital, comparative disability research entailing Global North and Global South is few and far between (Chhabra 2020). Knowledge production and its dissemination is predominantly unidirectional, flowing from Global North to South (Grech & Soldatic 2016), thereby constituting a challenge of 'scholarly colonialism' (Meekosha 2008: 2) and perpetuating the power imbalance across the Global North-South divide (Crossley et al 2016).…”

“…Knowledge production and its dissemination is predominantly unidirectional, flowing from Global North to South (Grech & Soldatic 2016), thereby constituting a challenge of 'scholarly colonialism' (Meekosha 2008: 2) and perpetuating the power imbalance across the Global North-South divide (Crossley et al 2016). Second, this comparative research is conducted by a person with a severe visual impairment endeavoring to surface the hitherto marginalized voice of YAVI who are economically excluded and socio-culturally othered across countries belonging to the Global North and Global South (Chhabra 2020).…”

Social Resilience in the Labour Market: Learning from Young Adults with Visual Impairments in Oslo and Delhi

“…Thus, a general trend towards individualization, coupled with increasing labour market flexibilization, has contributed to labour market precariousness among the youth population (Hvinden et al, 2019;Walther, 2006). These youth transitions become even more precarious for disabled youth on account of individual and structural barriers (Bussi et al, 2019;Chhabra, 2020). First, they encounter rigidity within the education system and labour market.…”