Ableism and Workplace Discrimination Among Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities: A Systematic Review

Applying an intersectional ecological framework to understand ableism and racism in employment among youth and young adults with disabilities

PURPOSE

Youth with disabilities often face many barriers in finding employment. A knowledge gap exists surrounding the experiences of racially minoritized youth with disabilities who arguably encounter multiple and complex forms of discrimination. The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of ableism and racism in employment among racially minoritized youth and young adults with non-apparent disabilities.

METHODS

Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 racially minoritized participants aged 17-30 with non-apparent disabilities. Data were analyzed using a deductive thematic analysis approach informed by an intersectional ecological framework.

RESULTS

Themes that affected racially minoritized youth's employment included: (1) microsystems (i.e., individual barriers and facilitators to employment); (2) mesosystems (i.e., peers, family, disability, race/ethnicity, and work); (3) exosystems (i.e., workplace policies, healthcare system, educational institutions, community organizations); (4) macrosystems (i.e., ableism, racism, gendered discrimination and intersectional forms of discrimination); (5) the chronosystem (i.e., timing of obtaining employment, diagnosis and discrimination); and (6) ecological niche, which involved the extent to which work environments were safe and inclusive.

CONCLUSION

Applying an intersectional ecological framework facilitates our understanding of ableism and racism in employment among youth and young adults with disabilities. Further attention is urgently needed to minimize discrimination and enhance supportive, inclusive and psychologically safe, work environments for minoritized youth with disabilities.

From Classroom to Boardroom: Self-Advocacy and Navigating the Transition for Students with Disabilities

PURPOSE

This article evaluates the effectiveness of Career Services in supporting college students with disabilities to self-advocate for their accommodation rights during the job search.

METHOD

A qualitative case study was conducted at one university to examine how their Career Services unit educates, trains, and supports students with disabilities in their professional development. Two rounds of interviews were conducted: one with university staff responsible for such services to assess policies and practices in providing support, and one with students and alumni with disabilities to gather feedback on their experiences with career planning and employment.

RESULTS

Three key themes emerged from the data: (1) Disability stigma negatively impacts a willingness to self-advocate among participants (this is especially true among those belonging to multiple marginalized groups); (2) the lack of transition support by the university further entrenches this stigma; and (3) participants report subsequent challenges in the crossover to employment.

CONCLUSION

These identified barriers discouraged participants from planning for and seeking workplace accommodations and highlighted the need for universities to provide more comprehensive support for their professional development.

Employment equity groups' experience of inclusion and commitment to the CAF

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are subject to the Employment Equity Act, which requires federally regulated employers to identify and eliminate barriers to the employment of designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities (PwD), and racialized members), and establish short-term, numerical goals to address underrepresentation. Addressing employment barriers experienced by these equity seeking groups is one of the CAF's key priorities. The objective of this study is to examine group differences in feelings of inclusion (i.e., relatedness, organizational inclusion, and microaggressions) and retention-related measures (i.e., job satisfaction, affective commitment, and intentions to leave), the contribution of feelings of inclusion to retention measures, and the effect of numerical representation and number of marginalized identities on these concepts. We analyzed data from the 2022 Your Say Matters survey, which was administered to a representative sample of CAF members, with oversampling of under-represented groups. Respondents included 4,483 Regular Force members (30.9% response rate). The groups under study included Indigenous members, persons with disabilities, racialized members, women not part of another group (non-Indigenous, non-racialized, women without disabilities), and everyone else (non-Indigenous, non-racialized, not women, without disabilities). Our hypotheses were supported overall, such that groups with less representation in the CAF scored lower on inclusion measures than groups with more representation. The number of marginalized identities held by military members predicted the inclusion measures, but did not predict retention-related measures. There were some group differences on retention-related measures, such that women not part of another group scored more favorably than other designated groups, and racialized members scored more favorably than PwD and Indigenous members. Inclusion measures predicted job satisfaction, affective commitment, and intentions to leave equally for all groups studied, suggesting that feeling included is important for all.

A Codeveloped Web-Based Disability Disclosure Toolkit for Youth With Disabilities: Mixed Methods Pilot Evaluation

BACKGROUND

Youth and young adults with disabilities experience many barriers in securing employment such as discrimination, inaccessible environments, and lack of support. Youth often need to decide whether and how they should disclose their need for accommodations to employers, which can help them to do their best at work. However, few evidence-based toolkits focusing on disability disclosure exist for youth with various types of disabilities. Supporting youth to develop self-advocacy skills is salient because they are an underrepresented and marginalized group in the labor market.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to conduct a pilot evaluation of a web-based toolkit to enhance disability disclosure for youth and young adults helping to advocate for their needs and request workplace accommodations.

METHODS

We conducted 2 in-person focus groups to codevelop a web-based disability disclosure toolkit, which was followed by a pilot evaluation with a pre-post survey. Primary outcomes focused on the relevance of the toolkit content, preliminary perceived impact on knowledge and confidence, and open-ended feedback on the usefulness of the toolkit. Secondary outcomes focused on effectiveness (ie, measures of self-determination).

RESULTS

A total of 14 youths with various types of disabilities took part in the study (aged 20-25 years; n=11, 78% female) including 3 who participated in the codevelopment focus group sessions and 11 youths who participated in the surveys. Our findings involved three main themes in the codevelopment sessions that included (1) disability disclosure and workplace accommodation experiences (ie, knowing when, whether, and how to disclose their disability and request workplace accommodations), (2) usefulness of the tool (ie, relatable content, format and design, and suggestions for further development), and (3) perceived impact of the toolkit (ie, navigating disclosure decisions and how to approach employers and develop other relevant employment skills). The survey findings showed that the majority of participants (10/11, 91%) reported that the toolkit increased or changed their knowledge or understanding of disability disclosure. Most participants (8/11, 73%) reported that the toolkit helped to increase their perceived confidence in their daily activities. The majority of participants (8/11, 73%) agreed or strongly agreed that the toolkit was easy to understand and comprehensive. Regarding the preliminary impact of the toolkit, participants did not demonstrate any significant improvements in self-determination (all P>.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings emphasize the importance of codeveloping a disability disclosure toolkit with youth to enhance its relevance for their needs. Our toolkit indicates preliminary potential as an educational resource for youth and young adults with disabilities as they search for and secure employment. Further research is needed to assess the impact of the tool with larger samples to understand the impact of workplace disability disclosure decisions for youth with disabilities.

Ableism among children and youth with acquired brain injury and their caregivers: a systematic review

PURPOSE

Children and youth with acquired brain injury (ABI) experience persistent discrimination and ableism. The purpose of this systematic review was to understand the experiences and impact of ableism among children and youth with ABI.

METHOD

Six international databases were systematically searched for articles from 2002-2022. Studies were screened independently by four researchers who performed the data extraction. Study quality was appraised using the Standard quality assessment criteria for evaluating primary research.

RESULTS

Of the 2085 studies identified in the search, 15 met the inclusion criteria, which involved 1442 children and youth with brain injuries or caregivers representing them. Studies in the review showed the following key trends: (1) incidence of ableism among children and youth with ABI; (2) experiences of ableism at the individual and institutional levels, (3) impact of ableism (i.e., mental health, social relationships, quality of life) and (4) coping strategies (i.e., resources, supports).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings reveal the alarming incidence of ableism among youth with ABI. Therefore, there is a critical need for more research to explore youth's lived experiences of ableism, especially from their perspectives along with the co-development of solutions to help enhance their social inclusion and well-being.

Varieties of 'new normal': Employment experiences among youth with and without disabilities during the reopening stages of the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Working and volunteering in the reopening stages of the COVID-19 pandemic has looked different depending on the location, employment sector and nature of the job. Although researchers have begun exploring the impacts on adults, little is known about what the transition to a 'new normal' in the reopening stages has been like for youth, especially those with disabilities.

OBJECTIVE

To explore and compare the experiences and perspectives of youth with and without disabilities who were working, volunteering or seeking work during the re-opening stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.

METHODS

We used a qualitative design involving semi-structured interviews with 16 youth (seven with a disability, nine without), aged 15-29 (mean 22 years). Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

Five main themes were identified: (1) Mixed views on being onsite in the reopening stages; (2) Mixed views on remaining remote; (3) Hybrid model as the best of both worlds; (4) Mixed views on COVID-19 workplace safety in the reopening stages; and (5) Hopes, dreams and advice for the future. Apart from the first main theme, there were more similarities than differences between youth with and without disabilities.

CONCLUSION

Our study highlights that youth encountered various work and volunteer arrangements during the reopening stages of the pandemic, and the personal preferences for particular models depend largely on their employment sector. The areas of agreement among youth highlight some longer-term impacts of the pandemic shutdowns and point to the need for greater mental health and career supports.