Traversing disability in South Africa: considering social capital in disability inclusive employment practices

Background: In South Africa and internationally, there is policy written and work done around empowering persons with disabilities to earn an income to become economically independent. Similarly, much has been written about the importance of social inclusion for persons with disabilities. However, very little is known about how persons with disabilities use education and training opportunities to advance their social capital in the South African context through being economically empowered. The ultimate goal of education is to obtain and maintain gainful employment but historically, work and disability were mutually exclusive (Howard, 2005). Ville (2005) suggests that while there are studies around the unemployment of persons with disabilities, few examine the experiences of these persons as players in their own lives. The focus of this qualitative study is to explore how persons with disabilities advance their social capital through participation in auxiliary (non-formal) education and training programmes that prepare them for employment, or as a pathway to economic inclusion or employment. This knowledge will inform training providers providing training to persons with disabilities at various levels, potential employers as well as persons with disabilities, on how skills development can include processes that would encourage both social and economic inclusion. Aim: The study aimed to critically examine the experiences of persons with disabilities who participated in the auxiliary programme to determine whether and to what extent it has strengthened and expanded their social capital to advance their opportunities for economic inclusion and/or employment. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to: • Explore how skills development programmes facilitate economic inclusion and/ or employment for persons with disabilities and why persons with disabilities engage in skills development opportunities; • Describe the profiles of persons with disabilities who undertake skills development opportunities, exploring how database information is and can be used to inform the transition to employment or economic inclusion for persons with disabilities; • Identify features of social capital evident in employers' perspectives on the employment of persons with disabilities. Methodology: An intrinsic exploratory case study design was used. Case study design provided contextual boundedness and situatedness to the research. Data was collected from databases developed and utilised by the QuadPara Association of South Africa that contained demographic and training information of participants. In-depth interviews with eight participants who had completed skills development training contributed to the understanding of the experiences of persons with disabilities in seeking employment or economic inclusion following skills development. Critical conversations with employers of persons with disabilities contributed to the understanding of the perspectives and attitudes held in the employment sector, when considering the employment of persons with disabilities. Other methods of data collection included document analysis, naturalistic researcher observations and reflections. The findings are presented as three separate papers. The first paper presents the voices of persons who have undertaken skills development training. This paper asserts that if training providers are able to recognize the determinants of social capital within their trainees, these determinants can be nurtured and developed alongside skills development in order to make their trainees more ‘employable', as well as to facilitate the transition into the labour force more smoothly. The second article argues that while it is necessary that alternative, suitable and sustainable training pathways are developed and recognized, these programmes need to build and present the prospective employee's social capital. This paper presents how information, which is used to facilitate the transition into employment can be better utilised. A database containing only demographic information is seemingly insufficient in the face of the number of barriers to employment that persons with disabilities have to overcome. The last article in this thesis speaks to the role of employers in the development of social capital. In order to further understand and promote the employment of persons with disabilities, efforts have to be made to increase social capital in all of the factors that influence the role of being a worker. To this end, individuals need to acknowledge and expand their own social capital, training providers need to support the expansion of networks and social capital through their engagements with trainees, and employers are required to look beyond the disability so that employment goals are shared and re-enforced. Conclusion: This study has uncovered that current practices related to the employment of persons with disabilities works in a very colonial, top-down fashion and seem to have been uncritically exported/imported from the Global North. This study has highlighted the absence of the African concept of “Ubuntu” - like interaction, which emphasises the self as part of others. In order to use social capital for mutual benefit, the employment of persons with disabilities must look different and have different considerations. A decolonial framework, which places less emphasis on practices used in the global North, will improve employment practices for persons with disabilities, as employers will be forced to look beyond the disability and relevant legislation only