Disability and employment – overview and highlights

TLDR

With an aging workforce, people with disabilities are increasingly viewed as valuable, and research on disability and employment is essential, defined by the WHO ICF as interactions between person and environment. The paper surveys current research on disability and employment, focusing on individuals with mental disabilities, and proposes a research agenda and practice recommendations. Key issues such as defining disability, legal contexts in Europe and North America, and employment barriers and enablers are discussed. The review highlights key literature findings on disability and employment, identifies research gaps, and offers a concrete agenda and practice recommendations.

Abstract

Due to the expected decline in the working-age population, especially in European countries, people with disabilities are now more often recognized as a valuable resource in the workforce and research into disability and employment is more important than ever. This paper outlines the state of affairs of research on disability and employment. We thereby focus on one particular group of people with disabilities, that is to say people with mental disabilities. We define disability according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) of the World Health Organization, by that recognizing that disability results from the interaction of person and environment. Key issues, including the complexity of defining disability, the legal situation in Europe and North America concerning disability at work, and barriers and enablers to employment, are discussed. For each of the topics we show important findings in the existing literature and indicate where more in-depth research is needed. We finalize with a concrete research agenda on disability and employment and provide recommendations for practice.