Research Methods: Supporting People with Physical Disabilities

This literature review examines strategies for managers to support individuals with physical disabilities in the workplace, addressing the challenges they face in securing and maintaining employment. It highlights the importance of creating supportive working conditions, raising awareness of the issues, and implementing specially designed programs to promote inclusivity. The review draws upon various studies and research findings to emphasize the need for a proactive approach from employers and managers in removing barriers to education and employment for people with disabilities, ultimately fostering equal opportunities and a more inclusive society. The document is available on Desklib, a platform offering a wide range of study resources for students.

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Support people with physical disabilities
<University>
Research Methods in the Social Sciences
by
<Your Name>
<Date>
<Lecturer’s Name and Course Number>

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Introduction
It is very challenging for a normal individual with proper education and social skills to
find employment in the competitive world of today. The competition is growing steadily, and
one can only assume how difficult it must be for people with disabilities to find jobs or
employment. Thus, it becomes essential to look into the issues faced by the people with
disabilities and how to improve social and workplace condition for the marginalized population.
The managers can work proactively to support people with physical disabilities and make them
feel appreciated and successful in their workplace environment.
People with disabilities( PD) constitute about 15% of the global inhabitants or stand at
about one billion people (de Guimarães, Martins. & Junior 2015, p. 1832). It would be a mistake
to ignore the social and emotions needs of such as a large population. Every individual wants to
live with dignity and avoid being a burden to others. Research on the youth with disabilities as
they transit from school to the professional world finds them to be most vulnerable. They risk
social isolation that impacts their self-esteem and self-concept (King et al. 2010, p. 104).
Constraints to sports participation among people with disabilities can arise due to location,
convenience of facilities and the costs of involvement. It is essential to see how those constraints
to sports participation can be removed (Sotiriadou. & Wicker. 2014, p. 47). It seems that people
with physical disabilities face social barriers that keep them away from enjoying equal social
rights within the society. This literature review will offer an overview of the current literature
related to how to support people with physical disabilities and overcome any hurdles. The
objective is to look for support material for the research question which is how managers can
support people with physical disabilities as well as make them feel appreciated and successful in

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their workplace environment.
Methods
This literature review and research were carried out through the online databases from
literature, publications, and websites. Peer-reviewed articles were selected from online databases
like Scopus, ProQuest, PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar to gather both primary and
secondary data. Keywords like Physical disability, Managers, Support as well as Key Phrases
like Hearing impairment, handicap, speech impairment, visual disorder, Director, administrator,
head, supervisor, boss, principal, help, aid, assist, encourage, back, were used for searching the
databases. It was essential that the articles were published from 2009-2018 and targeted on
people with physical disabilities and employment conditions for them. After collecting about
twenty articles, six were selected based on their relevance to the topic and were produced for
review. Any articles that were not peer-reviewed, or unpublished or were just reviews of other
studies were excluded. The focus was kept on the relevance and the latest infers made from
reasarhe and studies on the subject.
Results and critical analysis /discussion
Disability is not a medical disorder but a social issue that needs to be handled with
sensitivity and understanding. PD are often deprived of basic opportunities in life and remain as
a marginalized section within the society. It is essential they be given equal facilities and
opportunities. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990a, b (ADA) defends the fundamental
civic rights of people with disabilities (von Schrader, Malzer, & Bruyère 2014, p. 238). Its
objective is to help create equal opportunities for qualified people with a disability. Despite such
regulations, the employment rate of such people remains significantly low. It is thus essential to

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look beneath the problem and understand the barriers faced by the PD at home as well as
workplace.
As asserted by Angela (2014, p. 980), people with disabilities face greater economic
problems and are in poor financial conditions. Special employment conditions can help these
individuals and allow them to enjoy strong financial support at least. Findings support that active
support is a must to take care of those with severe intellectual deficiency. Greater attention is
required in this area to improve care and create better preparedness of the staff management
(Graham et al. 2013, p. 263).Individuals with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities plus co-
occurring physical problems carry the risk of display aggressive behavior. Aggressive behavior
and attitude by these individuals can pose as problems to their social and educational integration
within the society (Crocker, Prokić, Morin, & Reyes 2014, p. 1032). A study that examined the
link between aggression and health and mental disorders shows that these individuals carry a
higher risk of manifesting aggression. It is essential to identify such risks and develop strategies
for addressing these problems. Careful attention and consideration must be given to people with
disabilities not just when they seek educational and employment as well as their mental attitude
and health.
Being employed means a lot to any individual. He feels that others need his services and
he feels like a part of the society. However, for people with disability things are different as they
get marginalized within the competitive society looking for higher productivity, education, and
flexibility (Bomana, Kjellbergb, & Bomana 2015, p. 117). Due to several barriers towards
employment, people with disabilities find little societal support. Persons with disability are
sometimes looked upon with an indifferent and same attitude. A research was done on the Brazil
construction industry with millions of workers. The focus was on employment for people with

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disabilities. The survey shows that employees with disabilities worked in offices and not on the
sites of construction. Most of these workers with physical disabilities were male (de Guimarães,
Martins. & Junior 2015, p. 1836). These workers did not use prostheses, most of them were
males and did not complete high school. They commonly worked as laborers or were
accommodated for in the workplace. Education and employment rate for an individual with
disabilities is much lower when compared to the general population. Segregated education and
home education creates significant disadvantages for these people (Angelaa 2014, p. 980). As a
result, even if they are employed, they get lower incomes when compared to the general
population. Private companies employ the majority of the disabled people. Looking at the above
statistics and discussion, it is evident that disparities exist for the PD not just because of their
disability but also because of the gender and who hires them. It is thus essential to change the
mindset of the society towards people with disabilities so that they can enjoy equal rights within
the society.
A study on what motivates employers to hire workers with disabilities and how do they
look at them or what suggestions they have reflects that it is the mindset and attitude that can
make all the difference (Mohamed Yusof, Mohd Ali, & Mohd Sallehb 2015, p. 980). A study on
Irish adults and their interactions with persons with different impairments show how the comfort
levels and attitudes impact the relationship between them. Those who expressed more favorable
attitudes felt a lot more relaxed in the company of PD (Research 2015, p. 226).A positive attitude
of the employers towards workers with disabilities and being open minded can encourage
employers to hire workers with disabilities. These workers carry their own strengths and
weaknesses just like any other human beings. It is essential to raise awareness regarding people
with disabilities within the public and community. Their disability should not be the reason to

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keep them unemployed. Better working relationships and understanding can motivate both
employers and the workers to raise productivity as stated by Mohamed Yusof, Mohd Ali, &
Mohd Sallehb (2015, p. 980). Workplace Accommodation coordinated by case-managers can
promote employment and motivate people with physical disabilities to return to work (Nevala et
al. 2015, p. 446). Thus, Workplace accommodation is a great way to provide equal opportunities
to PD but needs regular and strong support.
A study on Swedish labor market and the workforce with disabilities concludes that the
type of disability plays an essential role in employability and impacts directly on the employment
opportunities (Bomana, Kjellbergb, & Bomana 2015, p. 118). Higher education did not raise the
chance of employment opportunities irrespective of the age and gender. However, primary level
education did raise the chance to raise employment openings for individuals with disabilities.
The study reflects that education can work as a useful tool to raise the chance of getting
employed for such individuals. Policy-and practice-related issues need to be updated to give rise
to more opportunities for individuals with disabilities (Bomana, Kjellbergb, & Bomana 2015, p.
128). Working life rehabilitation based on the type of disability is recommended.
It has become progressively vital for organizations and employers to cultivate active
policies to engage individuals with disabilities within the workforce. They can actively recruit
and hire individuals with disabilities and create an inclusive disability workplace for them (von
Schrader, Malzer, & Bruyère 2014, p. 253). As no two individuals with a disability are same, it is
essential to examine as to what types of disability can impact their employment opportunities and
how their age, ethnicity, gender, education dies, and workability come into play (Bomana,
Kjellbergb, & Bomana 2015, p. 118). There is limited knowledge on how these factors influence
the chance of individuals with a disability to get employed. A well trained staff at all levels

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motivates the PD to feel more competent and confident. It shows that the people with disabilities
need a nurturing environment to enjoy a better quality of life (Frankish 2016, p. 43).
Conclusion
The above discussions reflect how despite having strong laws in favor of PD, individuals
with disabilities still do not enjoy equal opportunities. As they do not complete their education,
they face trouble getting employment and greater economic problems. Education and
employment rate remains low for the marginalized population. Thus, there are still several
barriers that remain in the lives of PD. Employers and managers can play a proactive role here
and create supportive working conditions for people with disabilities and based on the kind of
disability. Although recently published articles explore the employment conditions for the people
with disabilities and what can be done to support them at workplace carry similar findings and
concerns, there remains a lack of information on how to raise awareness on the issues and
hurdles faced by the people with disabilities. Only specially designed programs can help raise
awareness on the issue and create better employment opportunities and conditions for PD.
However, the discussion, research and results of these academic sources do offer important
insight on the problem and acknowledge the need to work proactively to support the people with
disabilities and remove any hurdles they face when getting education and employment.
Appendix 1.
SEARCH STRATEGY WORKSHEET
Student Name:Student Number:
Keyword Alternative / related words
EXAMPLE: EXAMPLE
KEYWORD 1:
physical disabilities OR
ALTERNATIVES FOR KEYWORD 1:
physical disability, PD, Quality of Life,

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AND
KEYWORD 2:
Employment for physically
disabled people
OR
ALTERNATIVES FOR KEYWORD 2:
PD employment, jobs for physically disabled
people
AND
KEYWORD 3:
Workplace for PD OR
ALTERNATIVES FOR KEYWORD 3:
Workplace managers for PD
Keyword combinations and Potential combinations:
Keyword combinations
physically disabled OR ‘PD OR disabled OR ‘physical wellbeing’ OR ‘mental wellbeing’ OR
OR ‘quality of life’ OR physically disabled employment OR jobs for physically disabled OR
jobs for physically disabled OR managers for PD workplace
Classify suitable databases to search
Databases
Scopus, Pubmed, Australian bureau of statistics, Medical Journal of Australia, Medline,
psycinfo, Australian Medical Association.
Criteria for Inclusion and exclusion
Inclusion Exclusion
Peer reviewed, English language, academic
literature that discusses concepts to key
words, related to secondary keywords, no
journals before 1998 all articles report
innovative and unique data-driven studies,
Any literature without a focus on PD,
literature that does not address or relates to
PD variables, reviews of other studies
Appendix 2:

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Author Date Focus
Angelaa, B. M 2014 Economic activities are an essential part
of a society and for the prosperity of a
family. People with disabilities face
greater economic problems as they are
not able to find a job. The article focuses
on how a positive attitudes towards tem
at workplace and support by the
employers can help PD achieve a good
education and career.
Bomana, T., Kjellbergb, A. & Bomana, E. 2015 The article focuses on the employment
position of people with various
disabilities. Sweden’s Labour Market
Statistics are investigated to study the
chances of being employed. The role of
education and kind of disability was
studied to get data on employment
opportunities
Crocker, A.G., Prokić, A., Morin, D. & Reyes 2014 The focus of the article is to show the
link between individuals with mental and
physical problems and their aggressive
behaviour. Results imply that mental and
physical problems increase the risk of
displaying aggressive behaviour.
de Guimarães, B.M., Martins, L.B. & Junior,
B.B.
2015 The research aims to identify the
workplace variations and modifications
of workers with disabilities in the
construction areas. Workers with
disabilities were interviewed to learn
about their educational statue, their
gender and if the company made any
adjustment to accommodate their
disabilities.
Frankish, P. 2016 The articles discusses the emotional
developmental requirements of
individuals with intellectual disability
and their special needs like
communication difficulties, aggression,
self-harming behaviour and others.
Trained staff can ensure support and
therapy for these individuals with
complex and distressed behaviour and
provide them support in an emotionally

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nurturing environment.
Graham, F., Sinnott, K.A., Snell, D.L., Martin,
R. & Freeman, C.
2013 Research shows how Background Active
support (AS) is helpful for individuals
with intellectual disability in their daily
life and motivates them to engage in
meaningful activities. It is found that it is
challenging but an enriching experience
when implementing AS.
King, G., Law, M., Hurley, P., Petrenchik, T. &
Schwellnus, H
2010 When participation of children with
physical disabilities was compared to
participation by children without
disabilities, it was found that factors like
gender, disability status, and
companionship control the level of social
and leisurely participation. Children with
physical disabilities experienced poorer
social participation and recreational
opportunities.
Mohamed Yusof, A., Mohd Ali, M., Mohd
Sallehb, M.
2015 The article focuses on negative
perceptions towards people with
disabilities that acts as a barrier in getting
employment. The findings show that the
employers do not look at PD as workers
even if they carry strengths like
hardworking, honest, responsible and
compliant. However, PD are sensitive
and carry low self-esteem.
McConkey, R. 2015 The studies discusses the level of
comfort the general public feels for
people with physical and sensorial
impairments. The lower social networks
lead to greater levels of discomfort. The
level of public discomfort within
societies can serve as a sensitive
indicator for the stigma faced by persons
with disabilities.
Nevala, N., Pehkonen, I., Koskela, I.,
Ruusuvuori, J. & Anttila, H.
2015 The study makes a systematic review of
the effectiveness of workplace
accommodation (WA) of disabled
people. It describes the barriers and
facilitators for WA for people with
physical disability, hearing impairment
and visual impairment and their work
ability and functioning.

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Sotiriadou, P. & Wicker, P. 2014 The study investigates the physical
activity participation by people with
disabilities and the goal is to study the
patterns of participation impacted by
their interpersonal, intrapersonal and
structural restraints. The results indicate
that the disability type, gender, age, and
education carry a major impact on the
rate of participation.
Von Schrader, S., Malzer, V. & Bruyère, S. 2014 The article focuses on the issue of
disclosing a disability which has
significances for both manager and his
workers. Disability disclosure can ensure
appropriate workplace accommodations
for PD and a rise in their chances of
getting employed. It is essential for the
employers to create the right
environment for PD that is encouraging
and accepting. The result of the study
highlight the barriers that influence the
disclosure decision.

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Bomana, T., Kjellbergb, A. & Bomana, E. 2015. Employment opportunities for persons with
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Crocker, A.G., Prokić, A., Morin, D. & Reyes, A. 2014, "Intellectual disability and co-occurring
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aggressive behaviour", Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, vol. 58, no. 11, pp. 1032-
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de Guimarães, B.M., Martins, L.B. & Junior, B.B. 2015, "Workplace adaptation to people with
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