"Evaluating accommodation practices for people with disabilities in the North West Provincial Government"

Abstract

This study investigated whether managers, HR practitioners and employees with disabilities, are aware of the policies and prescripts pertaining to reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities in the workplace. Reasonable accommodation is an effective affirmative action measure that aims to reduce the impact of impairment in obtaining and maintaining employment in line with one's abilities. In this research, reasonable accommodation refers to employment, education, training, facilities, equipment, and job retention for people with disabilities. Twenty-two employees, both managers and employees with disabilities, from eleven government departments in the North West Province, participated in the study by responding to a questionnaire. In addition policy and other documents were analysed to complement the questionnaires and confirm the validity of the findings. In order to determine what factors were perceived as important with regard to reasonable accommodation in the workplace, the researcher used a combination of qualitative and quantitative research approaches. Stratified purposive sampling was utilised to identify the research participants. Research instruments consisted of questionnaires and document such as relevant parts of the Constitution, policies, frameworks and reports relating to reasonable accommodation. The questionnaires were analysed using frequency analysis in order to interpret the research results for descriptive purposes, using distribution tables. The sample was not representative of the total population, therefore the conclusion could not be generalised, but only indicated certain trends. The documents were analysed by the researcher. The results indicated that managers and employees with disabilities do have a need for more awareness and information on reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities. The conclusion could be used to improve the understanding of disability and reasonable accommodation among employers and employees. Recommendations were made on how to improve the situation for people with disabilities.