ABSTRACT
Although disabled people make up 10% of the workforce and are likely to form part of any research sample of workers, work and employment research rarely describes the way barriers to research participation have been addressed in order to include them. In this chapter, we provide a reflexive account of an exploratory study that aimed to establish the reasons for this.
Data was collected via a survey of English-speaking work and employment researchers, exploring the extent to which they were aware of and planned for disability access when developing their research methodology and conducting research.
This study found that disability issues were considered, to some degree, by most participants. However, they identified barriers including a lack of awareness that disabled people form a sizable proportion of the workforce, the perception that making accommodations was time-consuming and difficult, and the lack of access to support and advice.
This small exploratory study identifies the need for greater awareness of the importance of accessible research practice, further research on the practical support required by researchers, and the need for data collection tools that provide no or few barriers to disabled participants. It concludes by making recommendations on how this could be achieved.
