Employability of the disabled people: a Brazilian case in the light of the theory of social learning for sustainability

Abstract

This study aimed to identify how several social actors – government, universities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and firms – are socially learning to engage in promoting the recruitment, retention and advancement of people with disabilities, in Brazil. This is a case study in a NGO and the unit of analysis was the social project entitled 'Employment of people with disabilities – overcoming and autonomy'. The results show that, in Brazil, the recruitment, retention and advancement of people with disabilities is a complex situation. The various social actors are still socially learning to deal with it, since it involves daily living with restrictive, cooperative and leverage factors. Therefore, discuss the ontological, epistemological and practical implications for all involved social actors. In addition, a detailed process of social learning for sustainability, anchored in circularity, is shown in various stages, which is suggested to apply to several dimensions: environmental, social, economic, political, cultural, spiritual, geographical etc.