Although there has been extensive research on the career mobility of the general population, knowledge of the experiences of people with disabilities is much more limited. Research on disability and employment has tended to focus on addressing barriers and supports for obtaining or maintaining employment, rather than how career mobility can enhance employment outcomes. To fill this knowledge gap, researchers explored the obstacles and facilitators to career advancement and mobility for people with disabilities.
Career Mobility of People with Disabilities Report” by the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC) summarizes the research evidence on disparities and obstacles in advancement opportunities between individuals living with disabilities, (PWDs), and those without, as well as facilitating strategies that employers can use. (Career mobility for this study is interpreted as a positive concept, describing how employees have the opportunity to change positions or roles to obtain greater job fulfillment.)
The researchers found clear evidence that PWDs are more likely to experience limitations on career advancement and work in higher-risk and precarious positions. They often have fewer employment opportunities and can find themselves “stuck” in certain types of positions that offer little opportunity for mobility or advancement.
People with lived experience of disability interviewed for the study framed career mobility around the freedom of choice and prospects for pursuing a fulfilling career, including all the opportunities for movement (upward or lateral, education and training, and personal development) that a typical career journey involves. This conception of career mobility is important as it has implications at both a program and policy level, emphasizing the need to look at the whole person, including their short and long-term interests, needs, and desires related to pursuing a rewarding career.
The research highlights a number of barriers and facilitators not the least of which is the major barrier of discrimination—resulting from negative stereotypes and a lack of knowledge that exists with both their employers and their colleagues regarding ways to interact with them and the effective use of accommodations and interact with people with disabilities. The report highlights the importance of improving workplace culture and attitudinal barriers that permeate throughout all aspects of a PWD’s employment experience. Improving ‘disability confidence’ around disclosure and accommodations was also noted as critical as well as disability awareness training to help employers address misconceptions, stigma and negative reactions that employees living with disabilities can face.
Challenges in obtaining the accommodations they need, often having to continually advocate for themselves when taking on new job opportunities, even within the same workplace are all too frequent. The research highlights the importance of standardizing the accommodation process across an organization, which means that all employees, not just people with disabilities, are assessed for necessary accommodations as an automatic process when starting a job or moving to a new position.
While this research provides valuable insights into what is known, it also highlights key gaps in current knowledge on the subject:
• Beyond a few studies on career mobility in the Canadian public sector, there is very little research that addresses the extent of the challenges that people with disabilities face across the country.
• There is a very limited understanding of the impact that barriers to career mobility can have on people with disabilities, employers, and society as a whole.
• There is limited understanding of the different types of discrimination faced by people with disabilities at the systemic, organizational, and individual levels.
• There is limited research on how social identities, disability type and severity, and variability from sector to sector can impact the career mobility of people with disabilities.
Further exploration into the challenges experienced by those living with disabilities related to their career mobility is essential for the design of innovative career interventions that can help foster an environment where all employees can thrive.
To access the full report, visit srdc.org.
Shawn de Raaf is the Research Director, SRDC. Patrick Wray is a Senior Research Associate, Social Research and Demonstration Corporation. This research was funded by the federal government to inform the advancement of the Employment Strategy for Persons with Disabilities under the Disability Inclusion Action Plan.
