Kate Caldwell

Dyadic interviewing: a technique valuing interdependence in interviews with individuals with intellectual disabilities

Dyadic interviewing is a qualitative approach that recognizes there exists an interdependent relationship between individuals, embracing this phenomenon as a source of information rather than attempting to control for it. Informed by a Critical Disability Studies ideology, this dyadic interview technique has been adapted to address some of the difficulties that present when conducting interviews with individuals with intellectual disabilities. The interview structure consists of a dyad that includes the individual with intellectual disability and the person they identify as their key support person. Currently, researchers have embraced dyadic interviewing as a method of triangulation. However, it also has potential to be used as an important method of accommodation for people with intellectual disability that promotes choice and self-determination in research participation.

Social entrepreneurship as an employment pathway for people with disabilities: exploring political–economic and socio-cultural factors

The current economic climate demands more innovative approaches to increasing labor market participation for people with disabilities. Social entrepreneurship (SE) offers one alternative employment pathway. However, little is known about the broader factors influencing SE for people with disabilities. Using empirical data from focus groups comprised of social entrepreneurs with disabilities and interviews with key stakeholders working in the fields of policy, disability, and business, this research frames its analysis in the intersection of disability studies and entrepreneurship to explore which factors influence the potential for SE to provide equal participation opportunities for people with disabilities in the labor market. Findings suggest that further consideration of political–economic and socio-cultural factors is needed if we are to better understand the potential of SE for people with disabilities.

Accessing social entrepreneurship: Perspectives of people with disabilities and key stakeholders

Social entrepreneurship has been gaining increasing attention as a possible employment strategy for people with dis- abilities. However, little is known about the experiences of social entrepreneurs with disabilities in relation to their resources needs, opportunities for participation, and barriers they encounter. Further, little is understood about how social entrepreneurship differs from self-employment or forms of commercial entrepreneurship. The findings included herein are representative of the first empirical research integrating the fields of disability studies and entrepreneurship studies to explore social entrepreneurship among people with disabilities through interviews with key stakeholders working in the field (n = 19) and focus groups with social entrepreneurs with disabilities themselves (n = 27). Three themes emerged from this qualitative research that hold particular impor- tance to policymakers and professionals working in the field of vocational rehabilitation: 1) education, training and information; 2) finance, funding and asset development; 3) networking and supports. The findings demonstrate that social entrepreneurship can be an effective model of employment but is currently underutilized. With additional investment, it can offer a meaningful way for people with disabilities to participate in the labor market and complement existing strategies in competitive and customized employment to promote choice and self-determination.

Entrepreneurial entry by people with disabilities

This article investigates the effect of disability on progress in the start-up process. One person out of 10 has a disability, yet entrepreneurship literature remains silent on the contributions of this population. This is surprising given that people with disabilities are more likely to be self-employed than the general population. Results from the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics show that start-up efforts by nascent entrepreneurs with disabilities are less likely to result in the emergence of a viable organization, indicating that nascent entrepreneurs with disabilities face particular challenges.

Entrepreneurship by Any Other Name: Self-Sufficiency Versus Innovation

Entrepreneurship has been promoted as an innovative strategy to address the employment of people with disabilities. Research has predominantly focused on the self-sufficiency aspect without fully integrating entrepreneurship literature in the areas of theory, systems change, and demonstration projects. Subsequently there are gaps in services, policies, and research in this field that, in turn, have limited our understanding of the support needs and barriers or facilitators of entrepreneurs with disabilities. A thorough analysis of the literature in these areas led to the development of two core concepts that need to be addressed in integrating entrepreneurship into disability employment research and policy: clarity in operational definitions and better disability statistics and outcome measures. This article interrogates existing research and policy efforts in this regard to argue for a necessary shift in the field from focusing on entrepreneurship as self-sufficiency to understanding entrepreneurship as innovation.

Does workfare policy in the United States promote the rights of people with disabilities

BACKGROUND: Policymakers in the United States continue to face challenges in implementing effective strategies to encourage people with disabilities receiving disability benefits to participate in the labor market. Ticket to Work is one such strategy that has undergone considerable scrutiny. However, the experience of people with disabilities within welfare reform is an area that has been under-researched. OBJECTIVE: To explore how this contentious issue affects the provision of Vocational Rehabilitation services. Following the implementation of Ticket to Work, does workfare policy allow people with disabilities to pursue full and equal participation in the labor market, and do they have equality of opportunity to achieve employment? METHODS: This research takes a qualitative approach to social policy, using empirical data from focus groups with people with disabilities and interviews with policymakers, employment service providers and employers. RESULTS: Three themes emerged from an analysis of data framed within the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in relation to disability rights and workfare policy: the rights of people with disabilities; the expectations of people with disabilities; and the practices associated with policy reform. The findings suggest that a collaboration of government actors, community organizations and the business community is necessary in order to achieve human rights.