A disability disclosure simulation as an educational tool
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
ISSN: 2040-7149
Article publication date: 12 May 2020
Issue publication date: 12 November 2020
Abstract
Purpose
Many employers struggle with how to have a disability disclosure discussion with their employees and job candidates. The primary purpose of this study was to identify issues relevant to disability disclosure discussions. In addition, we explored how simulations, as an educational tool, may help employers and managers.
Design/methodology/approach
Seven participants (four employers and three human resource professionals) took part in this study. We used a qualitative design that involved two focus group discussions to understand participants' experiences of building a simulation training scenario that focused on how to have a disability disclosure discussion. The simulation sessions were audio-recorded and analyzed using an open-coding thematic approach.
Findings
Four main themes emerged from our analysis. Three themes focused on issues that participants identified as relevant to the disability disclosure process, including: (1) creating a comfortable and safe space for employees to disclose, (2) how to ask employees or job candidates about disability and (3) how to respond to employees disability disclosure. A fourth theme focused on how simulations could be relevant as an educational tool.
Originality/value
Developing a simulation on disability disclosure discussions is a novel approach to educating employers and managers that has the potential to help enhance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Further, the process that we followed can be used as a model for other researchers seeking to develop educational training scenarios on sensitive diversity and inclusion topics.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding for this study was provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research-Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (CIHR-SSHRC) Partnership Grant (01561-000 and 895-2018-4002) and the Kimel Family Fund through the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. The authors would like to thank the participants and the staff who contributed to this study.
Citation
Lindsay, S., Rezai, M., Shen, W. and Lyons, B. (2020), "A disability disclosure simulation as an educational tool", Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Vol. 39 No. 8, pp. 865-879. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-12-2019-0292
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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