Policies are shaped by social values and assumptions, and can significantly impact the delivery of health and social services. Marginalized groups are often disadvantaged in the political realm and reliant on publicly funded services and supports. The purpose of this research is to consider how public policies are constructed and implemented for marginalized groups and to increase understanding of the consequences of policy reform. It draws on a case study of the Ontario Disability Support Program, Employment Supports (ODSP-ES) and considers the impact of the policy revision that occurred in 2006 on employment support services for people living with mental illness. A constructivist grounded theory approach guided data collection and analysis. Key policy documents were analyzed and 25 key informant interviews were conducted with individuals who were involved in: the construction and/or implementation of the policy; developing and/or delivering employment services under the policy; or advocacy work related to the policy. The findings highlight the impact of outcome-based funding on employment services and practices, and provide lessons for the construction and implementation of public policy for marginalized groups. The new funding system has promoted a shift from a traditional social service model of employment supports towards a marketing model, wherein services focus on increasing job placement and short-term job retention rates. However, the introduction of market principles into employment services has had significant implications for people living with mental illness. Employment programs are required to absorb increased financial risk, thereby altering the way service providers work with clients to help them find and keep jobs; there is a heightened focus on the rapid placement of clients into available jobs and less attention to the quality of employment being achieved and to complex barriers that prevent individuals from succeeding with employment. Although ODSP-ES has been somewhat successful at connecting people with disabilities to competitive employment, it has led to secondary consequences that compromise its overall utility. The findings highlight the complexity of constructing and implementing public policy for marginalized groups and suggest that evaluating public policy is an interpretative exercise that should be explored from multiple perspectives beyond the stated objectives.

Today, tourists seek authentic experiences from places they visit. For countries where the historic environment is a key component of tourism, the concept of maintaining authenticity is vital to encourage potential visitors. Historic buildings, such as castles, were built in a time when accessibility for people with disabilities was not a major concern. Today, the number of people living with a disability is increasing and is expected to continue to grow as a result of the aging population and longer life expectancy. While all people may have a desire to participate in tourism, and a similar growing interest in an authentic experience, a historic site is enjoyed by all interested visitors only when it is accessible to all. How does a service provider enhance accessibility while continuing to preserve authenticity of the historic site? A service provider of a historic site is faced with the extra challenge of juggling both disability and heritage policy requirements. Satisfying the needs of both can be difficult and may, at times, feel like accessibility at a historic site is an impossible goal. Researching the interaction between these two types of policy and the influence they have on accessibility and disability at historic sites assists in the discovery of policy areas that interfere with a service provider’s ability to enhance accessibility. This may increase knowledge of how to increase accessibility, and how policy currently influences the perpetuation of accessibility and disability at these tourist sites. The purpose of this case study is to explore Glamis Castle in Scotland to illuminate accessibility at the confluence of three power contexts: the economics of tourism, the preservation of historic buildings, and the inclusion of people with disabilities. Stories uncovering the confluence of the three power contexts and its influence on Glamis Castle were created. Using narrative case study methodology and Roe’s (1994) approach to narrative policy analysis, stories about accessibility and disability at Glamis Castle were created through visual and textual data, and a review of policy and other related documentation. The stories reveal the current state of disability and heritage policy and its effect on Glamis Castle, the current perpetuation of disability and accessibility at the site, and current challenges that service providers may face at historic sites. The stories reveal the need for service providers, staff, and the public to be provided with more educational opportunities to help enhance accessibility at historic sites and encourage inclusion; specifically, they provide insight into the influence choice has on enhancing accessibility at the macro, organizational and individual levels.

Today, tourists seek authentic experiences from places they visit. For countries where the historic environment is a key component of tourism, the concept of maintaining authenticity is vital to encourage potential visitors. Historic buildings, such as castles, were built in a time when accessibility for people with disabilities was not a major concern. Today, the number of people living with a disability is increasing and is expected to continue to grow as a result of the aging population and longer life expectancy. While all people may have a desire to participate in tourism, and a similar growing interest in an authentic experience, a historic site is enjoyed by all interested visitors only when it is accessible to all. How does a service provider enhance accessibility while continuing to preserve authenticity of the historic site? A service provider of a historic site is faced with the extra challenge of juggling both disability and heritage policy requirements. Satisfying the needs of both can be difficult and may, at times, feel like accessibility at a historic site is an impossible goal. Researching the interaction between these two types of policy and the influence they have on accessibility and disability at historic sites assists in the discovery of policy areas that interfere with a service provider’s ability to enhance accessibility. This may increase knowledge of how to increase accessibility, and how policy currently influences the perpetuation of accessibility and disability at these tourist sites. The purpose of this case study is to explore Glamis Castle in Scotland to illuminate accessibility at the confluence of three power contexts: the economics of tourism, the preservation of historic buildings, and the inclusion of people with disabilities. Stories uncovering the confluence of the three power contexts and its influence on Glamis Castle were created. Using narrative case study methodology and Roe’s (1994) approach to narrative policy analysis, stories about accessibility and disability at Glamis Castle were created through visual and textual data, and a review of policy and other related documentation. The stories reveal the current state of disability and heritage policy and its effect on Glamis Castle, the current perpetuation of disability and accessibility at the site, and current challenges that service providers may face at historic sites. The stories reveal the need for service providers, staff, and the public to be provided with more educational opportunities to help enhance accessibility at historic sites and encourage inclusion; specifically, they provide insight into the influence choice has on enhancing accessibility at the macro, organizational and individual levels.

This case study aimed to do a critical, intersectional, policy analysis of a disability policy regarding personal assistance support for basic human needs in everyday life. In January 2019, a comprehensive preparatory report about new suggestions was presented by the Swedish Government. This caused many reactions from disability rights organisations. One particular topic became heated and criticized in the debates, namely interpretations of the legal texts about personal assistance support concerning help with breathing and nutrition feeding. I have analysed interpretations of this legal text in the preparatory report, referral response and its result in the Government bill. The analysis shows problematic, normative understandings about the body and how a specific integrity demand have affected whether a person has been entitled to personal assistance to support their basic needs. Cost efficiency, quantification, and measurable goals are increasingly visible in the Swedish welfare society. People with disabilities and their entitlement to assistance have decreased for the sake of productivity and cost reductions. An intersectional perspective of the policy’s legal texts illustrates how it lacks an essential understanding of human values. There is a need for a deeper perspective of empathy to see that basic human needs are non-measurable.

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Inklusion von Menschen mit Behinderungen ist zu einem der vordringlichen Ziele der Sozialpolitik der Europäischen Union und in der Russischen Föderation geworden, u. a. aufgrund der zunehmenden Zahl von Ländern, die die UN-BRK1 ratifizierten, sowie Herausforderungen wegen, die eine "alternde" Gesellschaft verursacht. Jedoch werden Menschen mit Hörbehinderung und deren spezielle Bedürfnisse im Vergleich zu anderen, eher sichtbaren Behinderungen, oft übersehen. Das zentrale Anliegen der vorliegenden Untersuchung ist es, die Mechanismen und Ergebnisse der sozialen Inklusion schwerhöriger Menschen in Russland und Deutschland näher zu betrachten und zu vergleichen, sowie mit empirisch belegten Befunden zur Forschung über schwerhörige Personen beizutragen. Der Forschungstand hierzu ist in den Disability Studies noch sehr lückenhaft. Eine Analyse der Sozial- und Behindertenpolitik in beiden Ländern sowie ein Vergleich der rechtlichen und institutionellen Maßnahmen als auch der Chancen bildet den Rahmen für eine empirische Analyse (Fragebogen, Interviews mit schwerhörigen Personen, NGOs und Experten). Die Einschätzung der politischen Maßnahmen und der Infrastrukturen folgt den konzeptionellen und normativen Bewertungsmaßstäben der Disability Studies. Die vergleichende Analyse konzentriert sich auf den Zugang schwerhöriger Menschen zu Bildung und Arbeitsmarkt, zu Wiedereingliederung, Information und Kommunikation – Bereiche welche für Inklusion und Teilhabe entscheidend sind. Die empirischen Erhebungen enthalten explorative, nicht-repräsentative Fragebögen-Untersuchungen unter a) 190 jungen Befragten, 18-35 Jahre alt (davon 136 aus Deutschland; 150 aus Russland) b) 110 älteren Befragten, 65 bzw. 60 Jahre alt — abhängig vom betreffenden Land — und älter (43 aus Deutschland; 67 aus Russland) und Experten-Interviews mit Schlüsselpersonen zum Thema (Forscher, politische Entscheidungsträger, medizinische und pädagogische Experten, schwerhörige NGO-Aktivisten); darüber hinaus Leitfaden-Interviews mit schwerhörigen Personen (11 in Deutschland, 16 in Russland). Übereinstimmungen und Abweichungen in den nationalen politischen Richtlinien werden diskutiert, Beispiele von positiven Praktiken in medizinischer, ausbildungsbezogener und beruflicher Rehabilitation und potentielle politische Maßnahmen werden vorgeschlagen. / Inclusion of people with disabilities has become one of the priorities of the social policy in the European Union and in the Russian Federation, in part, in connection with the increasing ratification of the UN CRPD worldwide and problems induced by the “ageing” society. However, people with hearing loss and their specific needs are often overlooked in comparison with more visible disabilities. The main purpose of this study is to look into and compare the mechanisms and results of social inclusion of hard of hearing people (HoH) in Russia and Germany and to contribute with empirically grounded findings to the research on hard of hearing people of which there is a lack in the disability research field. An analysis of the social and disability related policies in both countries and a comparison of the legal and institutional arrangements and opportunities provides the framework for the empirical analysis (questionnaire, interviews with HoH persons, NGOs and with experts). The appraisal of the policies and infrastructures is following the conceptual and normative benchmarks of the Disability studies. The comparative analysis is focused on access of HoH people to education and employment, to rehabilitation, information and communication – the fields critical to inclusion and participation. The empirical research comprises an explorative non-representative questionnaire survey with a) 190 young respondents aged 18-35 years (136 from Germany, 150 from Russia) b) 110 elderly respondents (65 or 60 years old and older; 43 from Germany, 67 from Russia), and expert interviews with the key persons in the field (researchers, political decision-makers, medical and educational professionals, hard of hearing NGO activists); furthermore, guided interviews with HoH people (N=11 in Germany, N=16 in Russia) were conducted. Commonalities and discrepancies in the national policy directions are discussed, examples of positive practices in medical, educational and professional rehabilitation and potential policy measures are suggested.