Employment supports have traditionally been available to help reduce barriers to
employment, promote workforce participation, and empower individuals to achieve their career goals. However, there is very limited knowledge regarding the intersection of race and disability and how it can impact the delivery of employment supports for racialized disabled job seekers and workers. To address this gap, this thesis includes a scoping review and a qualitative study to understand the impact of race and disability in employment support systems. The scoping review consists of 73 studies and a grey literature search on vocational rehabilitation (VR). Data was extracted and thematically analyzed to synthesize the existing knowledge about VR services currently in place for racialized disabled job seekers and workers. The findings highlight the disparities in accessing VR and its delivery in the United States. The included studies reported lower acceptance rates to enter VR programs, and lower probabilities of a successful exit. These findings suggest the importance of service providers conducting comprehensive assessments to determine the unique requirements of each job seeker and worker
to customize their supports accordingly. To capture the varied lived experiences and perspectives while navigating the Canadian employment support systems, a qualitative interpretive descriptive study was conducted. In-depth semi-structured interviews were performed with racialized disabled job seekers and workers, service providers, and employers. Interviews were thematically analyzed to identify common themes and patterns about the impact of race and disability in employment supports. The employment support process, as reported by the participants in this study, was identified to be inflexible and bounded by multifaceted structural, organizational, and attitudinal challenges that intersect across race, disability, and employment. Overall, an intersectional approach that is targeted, flexible and inclusive of changes and strategies is needed to create a more equitable employment landscape that better supports racialized disabled workers. / Thesis / Master of Science Rehabilitation Science (MSc) / This thesis examines the impact of race and disability in employment support systems.
The first paper is a scoping review examining the existing literature to understand the process of accessing employment services for racialized disabled workers. The findings of the review highlighted that racialized disabled workers face disparities in accessing employment supports and require personalized supports that cater towards their intersecting identities. The second paper is a qualitative study drawing on interviews with racialized disabled workers, service providers, and employers to understand their experiences navigating the Canadian employment support systems. The findings show that several participants reflected on the lack of development regarding employer education, government policy and programs, service provider training and capacity to better serve disabled workers with multiple intersecting identities. This thesis expands our understanding of how social constructs such as race and disability can impact
experiences of accessing employment supports and consequently affect employment outcomes.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/30484 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Grewal, Eakam |
| Contributors | Gewurtz, Rebecca, Durocher, Evelyne, Premji, Stephanie, Rehabilitation Science |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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