Labor inclusion of individuals with disabilities: Managers' conceptions as a contributing factor

Issue title: Special Section: Work on Ergonomics and People with Disabilities

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Brite, Roberta | Nunes, Francisco | Souza, Danielle

Affiliations: Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Note: [] Corresponding author: Francisco de Paula Nunes Sobrinho, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524 12° andar – Bl. A – sala 12.017 Maracanã Rio de Janeiro – RJ CEP: 20550-013, Brazil. Tel.: +5521 8812 8703; E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze the managers' conceptions involved in the process of labor inclusion in 18 supermarkets with 5,000 employees, 300 of whom with disabilities. METHODS: A group of 90 managers working with people with disability completed a Conceptions of Disability Inventory (CDI) about their conceptions of people with disabilities. Their responses were categorized as follows: a) disability as a spiritual manifestation; b) disability as a deviation from normality; c) disability based on assumptions of inclusion; d) disability assessed from performance criteria; e) disability assessed from the connection established with the work organization; f) disability conceived by contracting benefits, and g) disability based on the perception of the need for training. RESULTS: Based on the outcomes of the Pearson Correlation Matrix, significant linear correlations were found in seven managers' conceptions of disability. The results also indicate that the managers' conceptions contributed to differentiated inclusionist actions based on their perceptions related to people with disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: This study data contributes to identifying the best practices in labor inclusion. The outcomes of the present study could lead to development of a public policy aimed towards humanizing job alternatives for people with disability.

Keywords: Managers' conceptions, people with disabilities, labor inclusion

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-141966

Journal: Work, vol. 50, no. 4, pp. 553-561, 2015