Disability and employability in the audio-visual sector: the (dis)connection between corporate social sustainability goals and the employment experiences of people with disabilities

Abstract

People with disabilities (PwD) have made significant progress in having their rights acknowledged, yet the ongoing presence of stigmas continues to hinder their full inclusion. The approach of the 2030 Agenda, as well as legislative developments focussed on improving the employment status of this group, have encouraged companies to express growing concern for this issue in their sustainability reports. However, such efforts have not resulted in a substantial increase in employment of PwD. The aim of this research is to gain knowledge regarding the dis(connection) between the corporate discourse of large Spanish audio-visual companies and the reality experienced by PwD employed in this sector. Using Atlas.ti software, a thematic relational analysis of two discourses has been carried out: firstly, the corporate narrative, which has been published in the sustainability reports of the three most prominent audio-visual groups in Spain; and secondly, the discourse regarding the experiences of three focus groups consisting of PwD employed in the audio-visual job market. The findings reveal that while these companies disseminate a positive view of diversity and inclusion, workers with disabilities continue to have a pessimistic outlook towards the situation. Moreover, companies are acutely interested in issues such as the commitment to inclusion and social equality, which they promote as part of their image. Furthermore, these companies include a variety of socially diverse factors, such as race, gender, age and/or general ability. On the contrary, the experiences related by the focus groups convey special concern for the role of different agents involved in the employment of PwD, such as companies, governments and associations, as well as apprehension regarding the policies and resources needed to achieve labour inclusion. Such discrepancies highlight the lack of cohesion between corporate policies of the audio-visual sector and the professional reality experienced by PwD.