Experiences of employees with disabilities in terms of accommodation within the workplace as delineated in the Employment Equity Act, no.55 of 1998 : a qualitative study.
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Date
2015
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Abstract
In the democratic South Africa, legislation such as the Employment Equity Act has been put in
place to promote the rights of people with disabilities and enjoins employers to provide reasonable
accommodation for employees with disabilities. According to the Employment Equity Act, people
with disabilities are entitled to equal opportunities in the labour market and both employers and
employees with disabilities have a role to play in ensuring that reasonable accommodation is made
available in the workplace. This study explored the experiences of employees with disabilities in
relation to the issue of reasonable accommodation in the workplace in the South African context.
The Social Model of Disability was applied in this study as framework upon which an
understanding of disability as it obtains in the workplace could be built. The study also sought to
establish how different forms of barriers influence the experiences of employees with disabilities.
A qualitative research methodology was used in this study and this took the form of in-depth and
semi-structured interviews. This study was conducted amongst employees with disabilities from
two different organisations and the respondents were from different ethnic and socio-economic
backgrounds. The data collected in this study was analysed using the Interpretative
Phenomenological Approach. The findings of this study indicate that factors relating to reasonable
accommodation, legislation on disability in the workplace, financial constraints, challenges,
adjustment and adaptation strategies, opportunities, inclusion, workplace culture and
organisational support all have an influence on the experiences of workers with disabilities. Thus,
based on the findings of the study, it is argued that employers need to probe further into the issue
of workplace reasonable accommodation with the view of attaining equity in the workplace.
Description
Master of Social Science in Industrial Psychology. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2015.