Preprint
Review

Ableism and Employment: A Scoping Review of Literature

Altmetrics

Downloads

20

Views

11

Comments

0

Submitted:

19 December 2024

Posted:

20 December 2024

You are already at the latest version

Alerts
Abstract

Background: Ableism obstructs employment equity for disabled individuals. However, despite protective legislation, research lacks a comprehensive understanding of how ableism multidimensionally manifests across job types, disability types, stages of employment, and intersecting identities. Objectives: This scoping review examined how ableism affects disabled workers and jobseekers, as well as its impacts on employment outcomes, variations across disabilities and identities, and best practices for addressing these. Eligibility Criteria: Included articles were 109 peer-reviewed, empirical studies conducted in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland between 2018 and 2023. Sources of Evidence: Using terms related to disability, ableism, and employment, databases searched included Sociology Collection, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Web of Science, SCOPUS, Education Source, Academic Search Complete, and ERIC. Charting Methods: Data were extracted in tabular form and analyzed through thematic narrative synthesis to identify study characteristics, ableist barriers within employment, intersectional factors, and best practices. Results: Ableism negatively impacted employment outcomes through barriers within the work environment, challenges disclosing disability, insufficient accommodations, and workplace discrimination. Intersectional factors intensified inequities, particularly for BIPOC, women, and those with invisible disabilities. Conclusions: Systemic, intersectional strategies are needed to address ableism, improve policies, and foster inclusive workplace practices.

Keywords: 
Subject: Social Sciences  -   Sociology
Copyright: This open access article is published under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license, which permit the free download, distribution, and reuse, provided that the author and preprint are cited in any reuse.
Prerpints.org logo

Preprints.org is a free preprint server supported by MDPI in Basel, Switzerland.

Subscribe

© 2024 MDPI (Basel, Switzerland) unless otherwise stated