Investigating work-related experiences and perspectives on work of individuals with disabilities who were employed

This study was planned to investigate the work-related experiences and perspectives on work of individuals with disabilities in Turkey with a special focus on discrimination and non-discrimination-based inequality theories. A total of 300 individual were included. The participants were subjected to Work Qualities Questionnaire, Preferences on Work Qualities Questionnaire, Management Behaviors Index and Employee Behaviors Index all of which collects data about the inequalities in workplace. The difference between assessment scores were calculated and used to determine if the inequalities were discrimination based or non-discrimination based. It was found that; individuals with disabilities were experiencing discrimination-based inequalities (p<0.05) about; overall management behaviors, flexible hours, participation in decision-making, being informed about developments, person-job fit, self-development and on-the-job training opportunities, however, non-discrimination-based factors found to have a dominant role on inequalities (p>0.05) about; work security, promotion opportunities, on-work-cooperation and salary. Non-discrimination based factors were effective in individuals with Visual and Multiple disabilities, discrimination-based factors were effective in individuals with Cognitive and Emotional disabilities. For individuals with Orthopedic/Physical disabilities and chronic diseases, a mix of both factors was effective. It was concluded that the inequalities at work cannot be explained only with discrimination. Therefore, it was proposed to integrate Occupational Therapists who are well-equipped both theoretically and practically about person-environment-activity relationship into the rehabilitation and law-making processes in order to take personal factors, namely non-discrimination elements into consideration as well as the discrimination elements such as environmental factors within said processes. Keywords: Employment, Disabled Persons, Social Stigma, Self-Concept, Vocational Rehabilitation