Allies and detractors: Insights on disability inclusion in organizations

Abstract

Over the past few decades, research on the inclusion of employees with a disability has allowed for theoretical as well as practical contributions. A key focus of this research has been on how best to include (e.g., through accommodations, legislation) those with a disability in the workplace (Beatty, Baldridge, Boehm, Kulkarni, & Colella, 2019). While this research has alluded to the importance of allies and detractors in influencing workplace inclusion, this topic has not received as much research attention. Specifically, allies can support others through affording tangible help, support, defense from threats, and policy advocacy (Asta & Vacha-Haase, 2013; DiStefano, Croteau, Anderson, Kampa-Kokesch, & Bullard, 2000; Sabat et al., 2013; 2014). To address this important albeit under-researched area, this presenter symposium features five research papers by well-known disability scholars. Together, these studies summarized below, extend the boundaries of disability research by highlighting who can be an ally (e.g., internal stakeholders such as managers, external stakeholders such as vocational rehabilitation employees), when, and forms of help extended by such allies. Informal accommodations for employees with disabilities: i-deal or no i-deal? Presenter: Catherine Connelly; McMaster U. Presenter: Silvia Bonaccio; Telfer School of Management, U. of Ottawa Presenter: Ian R. Gellatly; U. of Alberta More than a pillar: When co-workers and supervisors become allies for persons with disabilities Presenter: Amit Jain; S P Jain Institute of Management and Research Presenter: Christoph Breier; U. of St. Gallen Presenter: Miriam Karin Baumgaertner; U. of St. Gallen Presenter: Stephan Alexander Boehm; U. of St. Gallen Allies as intermediaries: Strategies that promote hiring people with intellectual disabilities Presenter: Christine Nittrouer; U. of Houston, Downtown Presenter: Michelle Hebl; Rice U. Presenter: Eden King; Rice U. Enacting and slipping: Workplace behaviors of disability allies Presenter: John Lynch; U. of Illinois at Chicago Presenter: Arjun Mitra; California State U., Los Angeles Presenter: Haoying Xu; U. of Illinois at Chicago Workplace materiality as an ally or detractor Presenter: Koen Van Laer; Hasselt U. Presenter: Frederike Scholz; Hasselt U.