Measuring the impact of employment on persons with a disability as a means of improving the quality of employment outcomes

Peter Smith

Centre for Disability Employment Research and Practice
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9888-8113

Trevor R. Parmenter
Centre for Disability Studies, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8297-8488


https://doi.org/10.33700/jhrs.2.1.61

ABSTRACT

Aim: Current measures for disability employment focus on system outputs, not individual outcomes. This paper proposes an employment outcome measurement approach based on social quality theory as a means of improving the quality of employment outcomes for individuals.

Introduction: There is a paucity of government policies that promote practices which address the measurement of employment outcomes that reflect the goals of the individual. While there has been a recent trend towards a focus on quality of life as an outcome, process measurement and compliance to procedural regulations are still dominant.

Method: A scoping review of disability employment research from the year 2000 revealed only eleven papers which specifically addressed approaches to measuring disability employment outcomes at an individual impact level. Overall, the search failed to highlight any measure that focused on the impact of employment on the individual with existing measures focused on process measurement.

Conclusion: An outcomes-based approach, based on the four pillars of social quality theory, namely, social inclusion, social cohesion, self-determination, and social-economic security provide an opportunity to shift disability employment service provision towards individual outcomes rather than its existing focus on system outputs as a measure of success.

Keywords: meaningful employment, disability, Social Quality, NDIS, choice, control, individualized funding, outcomes, inclusion, cohesion, self-determination, practice

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