The status of the people with disabilities can be summarized as marginalisation and exclusion from the mainstream of the society. It is accepted that the process of exclusion of people with disabilities is grounded in time and history. Demographic, economic, legislative data, humanistic reasons and historical evaluation of disability indicate that employment is the most vital item for the participation of people with disabilities in social life. The status of people with disabilities related with employment can be summarized with the terms / unemployment or underemployment, discrimination, lack of satisfaction and advancement in work, loss of job and time pressure at work etc. Intensified competition and flexibility in labour market, lack of physical access, lack of information in an accessible format about job, inadequate training, incompetent personal qualifications and work experience, insufficient benefit and support of welfare systems, employers&rsquo / unwillingness to hire people with disabilities and to make adaptations, type and severity of disability, relatively low educational level of people with disabilities etc can be indicated as reasons for unemployment or underemployment of people with disabilities. Beside these, problems of employment have a close connection to the problems of workplace accommodations. Varieties of barriers in built and workplace environment increase the exclusion of persons with disabilities in the social employment environment. Space as an instrument for reproducing and sustaining social practices must not be perceived only with technical specifications. Space becomes the means of social mechanisms while keeping people with disabilities either &lsquo / in&rsquo / or &lsquo / out&rsquo / of the society. In other words, workplaces play an important role while maintaining either spatial isolation / marginalisation or inclusion of people with disabilities in the labour market. Although many people with disabilities share a common experience in relation to the labour market people with disabilities are very heterogeneous. Their experiences of employment are variable and exhibit a wide range of different skills, aptitudes and aspirations as with the remainder of the population. An inclusive society deserves an inclusive workplace accommodation which has been vital not only for people with disabilities but also for &ldquo / all people&rsquo / &rsquo / . An investigation on Universal Design Principles will provide a background in the evaluation of the thesis. &ldquo / Universal design&rdquo / that is also known as &ldquo / inclusive design&rdquo / and &ldquo / design for all&rdquo / , has become a widely accepted design approach which considers to make the built environment, products, and communications equally accessible, usable and understandable for everyone. The study aims to emphasize the significance of the consciousness that is acquired by exposing different aspects of workplace accommodation for the built environment and design process, and evaluate workplace accommodation in frame of the universal design.

This study highlighted the implications of the absence of well-delineated criteria for the workplace-effective mobility of employees with disabilities in South Africa for their employment, development and organisational mobility. In response to the dearth of research on workplace-effective mobility, and cognizant of the importance of well-delineated workplace criteria to oppose continuing workplace prejudice and discrimination against employees with disabilities, this two-phase sequential triangulation study aimed to identify and confirm criteria and compile a theoretical model for workplace-effective mobility of employees with disabilities. The study has significance for the achievement of greater workplace equity and redress, which will enhance the strategic human resources management and the productive image of employees with disabilities, as well as reduce welfare costs by enabling more people with disabilities to access paid employment opportunities. To attain the study objectives, the study was done in two phases. The first was a qualitative phase during which focus group interviews with participants with disabilities were conducted. The second phase involved a five-point Likert scale-based Delphi process with industrial and organisational psychologists. Focus group participants were formally employed or self-employed in various organisations and were recruited from four disability categories (people who are blind or deaf, or have a physical or speech impairment) in four provinces in South Africa (the Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape). The industrial and organisational psychologists who participated in the Delphi phase were used as experts with prior experience in the employee recruitment area. The study found that workplace-effective mobility is (a) a multi-dimensional concept comprised of a positive self-concept, self-efficacy, workplace accessibility, a sense of coherence and a positive sense of independence, which form the crux of criteria for workplace-effective mobility; (b) a result of self-efficacy beliefs, enabling organisational practices and workplace accessibility; and (c) at the heart of the pursuit for workplace equity to redress prejudice and discrimination against employees with disabilities in the workplace. The participating experts also reached consensus in their understanding of the term workplace-effective mobility. Within-group differences were identified for a number of categories; and therefore it is recommended that future research should be conducted on distinct categories of disabilities. Using the identified dimensions (positive self-concept, self-efficacy, workplace accessibility, sense of coherence and a positive sense of independence) and outcomes (organisational and personal effectiveness), a theoretical model of workplace-effective mobility was compiled. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

M. Tech. (Department of Human Resource Management, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / This study noted the implications of the absence of a strategic framework to manage the career mobility of employees with disabilities in the Gauteng-based, state-owned enterprise (SOE). In response to the limited research on career mobility of employees with disabilities (EwDs), the study aimed to investigate EwDs understanding of the phenomenon, identify its enablers and inhibitors, as well as propose a strategic framework for managing it. The study is significant for the inclusion of EwDs and contributing to employers achieving employment equity targets, as required of them by the Employment Equity Act (55 of 1998). In order to achieve the study’s objectives, an exploratory design was employed by conducting individual interviews with five purposively selected participants on junior management levels. A semi-structured interview schedule was developed and piloted with two champions who represent the interests of EwDs in disability forums within the SOE. Given the prevailing circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, the researcher collected the data online via Microsoft Teams (MS Teams). The data were analysed manually for emerging themes using Braun and Clarke’s six steps of data analysis. The study found that career mobility was understood by participants to include promotion (job change), succession planning and gainful employment supported by opportunities for skills transfer and reasonable accommodation. Factors identified as enablers of career mobility are training and career development, disability awareness and sensitisation, reasonable accommodation, social networks and benchmarking. Those factors perceived as inhibiting career mobility are mind-set, inaccessible training, lack of confidence and poor succession planning. Through conversations with the participants, the researcher identified critical components for the development of a strategic framework to enhance career mobility for EwDs as organisational diagnostics (input factor), enabling policies and support systems (process factors) and inclusion and career mobility evident in employment equity targets being met (outcomes) to manage career mobility of EwDs in the workplace. The main limitations of the study are that the results cannot be generalised to other settings without validation of the proposed strategic framework due to the sample size involved. It is recommended that future studies consider sensitivity regarding the prevailing circumstances around research during periods of pandemics and the use of language in the field of disability research. It is further recommended that employers consider implementing benchmarked disability awareness and sensitisation programmes to create a conducive environment for EwDs to achieve career mobility in the workplace. Lastly, employers should develop and implement programmes that will enhance mental health and well-being of EwDs and consider the establishment of empowered disability forums.

This study investigated the education, training, and developmental support offered to employees with disabilities, the contribution thereof to their wellness, and the support needed to further improve their wellness. The Bio-psycho-social Model of Disability and the Six-dimensional Model of Wellness were used as the theoretical lenses to better understand disability and wellness. The aim was to answer the research question, “What kind of education, training, and developmental support is offered to employees with disabilities in organisations?” Within the interpretivist paradigm, the researcher used qualitative research to better understand the wellness experiences and developmental needs of employees with disabilities. Twelve participants were identified with the assistance of organisational representatives as part of snowball sampling, before the researcher conducted semistructured interviews with each. The researcher and an independent co-coder then analysed the data, using content analysis. The study revealed that participants described mostly positive experiences on all six wellness dimensions, but they considered the education, training, and developmental support provided insufficient on most of the dimensions. They indicated that, to improve their wellness, their employers need to offer disability-specific education, training, and developmental support to all stakeholders including colleagues, managers and community members. This stressed the need for a wellness framework that includes the education, training, and developmental needs unique to disability. The Wellness Framework for Employees with Disabilities proposed as a result of this study indicates the participants’ personal and work-related developmental needs, as well as the organisational and community development they feel will contribute to their wellness. This support should also empower employees with disabilities to become change champions for disability, to drive disability awareness, and, with organisational support, change and ensure the implementation of relevant public policies. The study was limited by the availability of research on disability, and further research to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed wellness framework and the disability-related public policy developed since 2014 is suggested. Future studies could also investigate other wellness variables, to holistically understand the wellness of persons, specifically those with disabilities. / Inclusive Education / D. Ed. (Inclusive education)