Thriving and surviving at work: disabled people's employment strategies

Review

Research on disabled people and employment has generally focused on the barriers to getting and keeping work, the impact of the benefits system, workplace disability management and job retention. Little attention has been paid to how disabled people in employment manage to survive and thrive in the workplace. However this publication reports a research study exploring the strategies used by disabled workers (including those with mental health problems) to get by in the workplace and the nature of the support received by disabled workers.

The research found that disabled workers used a diverse and often complex range of strategies to survive in the workplace. The most commonly used strategies included being assertive but not aggressive in asking for support, and being open about impairment, disability and barriers. In addition, a wide range of supports was used, such as moral and financial support, empathy, 'give and take', and mutual support and advice. The most successful approach was developing strategies gradually - allowing time to understand employment environments, management styles, personnel changes, corporate priorities and impairment changes. Formal and informal support, both inside and outside work, was central to disabled workers' survival and their enjoyment of work. Major sources of support were colleagues, Access to Work, family and friends, employers and managers, organisations of/for disabled people and trade unions. The researchers conclude that much still needs to be done to understand and respond systematically to disabled workers' needs. Despite their existing strategies and support, disabled workers want access to more structured, formalised and appropriate support.

The full report 'Thriving and Surviving at Work: Disabled people's employment strategies' by Alan Roulstone, Lorraine Gradwell, Jeni Price and Lesley Child, is published by The Policy Press at £13.95 (ISBN 1 86134 522 4).

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Copyright Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) Ltd. Feb 2004
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