Research Project
Disability Inclusion and Employment – Making Flexible Work
The "Making Flexibility Work" project investigates evolving workplace policies, processes, and practices aimed at fostering disability inclusion in the workplace.
- Principal Investigator
- Gould, Robert
- Co-Principal Investigator
- Parker Harris, Sarah
- Start Date
- 2021-10-01
- End Date
- 2024-09-30
- Research Area(s)
- Archived Projects
- DHD Research
- Disability Policy
- Entrepreneurship and Employment
- Participation Among People with Disabilities
- Qualitative Research
- Rights and Advocacy
- Funding Source
- Great Lakes ADA Center funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR)
Abstract
The Great Lakes ADA Center conducts research on emerging Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) issues as they relate to disability inclusion in large businesses. Our projects explore pressing and critical areas to meet the information needs of different stakeholders. As workplaces are rapidly transforming to become more flexible, questions about disability inclusion, employment policies, and accommodations are becoming more frequent. Flexibility can mean a lot of different things when it comes to disability inclusion, and there are information gaps about how and what it takes to make flexible arrangements successful. Some of the most common flexible arrangements include telecommuting or telework and remote work, varied scheduling, and compressed workweeks. Arrangements are sometimes made available to all employees and they can also be the result a disability related accommodation.
The goal of this project is to better understand how employers and employees make these arrangements successful and align with the broader goals of the ADA. The Making Flexibility Work project includes a series of data collection efforts including interviews and focus groups with people with disabilities and chronic health conditions. In our analysis, we identify promising practices about disability-inclusive flexible work policies and environments.
https://www.adagreatlakes.org/Research/Employment.asp