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The role of social enterprises in facilitating labour market integration for people with disabilities: A convenient deflection from policy mainstreaming?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2021

CHERYL HIU-KWAN CHUI Open the ORCID record for CHERYL HIU-KWAN CHUI [Opens in a new window] ,
CHEE HON CHAN Open the ORCID record for CHEE HON CHAN [Opens in a new window]  and
YANTO CHANDRA Open the ORCID record for YANTO CHANDRA [Opens in a new window]
CHERYL HIU-KWAN CHUI
Affiliation:
Department of Social Work and Social Administration, University of Hong Kong, 5/F, Jockey Club Tower, Centennial Campus, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong e-mail: chkchui@hku.hk
CHEE HON CHAN
Affiliation:
Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, University of Hong Kong, 2/F, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Building for Interdisciplinary Research, 5 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong e-mail: gchc@hku.hk
YANTO CHANDRA
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University e-mail: yanto.chandra@polyu.edu.hk
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Abstract

Policymakers have increasingly embraced social enterprises as a vehicle to create job opportunities for the disadvantaged. However, there is limited research on social enterprises in the context of disability in relation to labour market integration. Drawing on the perspectives of representatives of work integration social enterprises and people with disabilities employed in these enterprises (n=21), this study examines whether and how work integration social enterprises promote inclusion for people with disabilities, and also explores the role of WISEs in enabling people with disabilities to transition into open employment. Thematic analysis revealed three key emergent themes: Cocooned inclusion but not transition; Reinforced normative demarcation; and WISEs as a deflection from institutionalizing proactive disability policy measures. This article argues that, although WISEs were able to provide job opportunities for people with disabilities, their purported function in enabling disabled people to transition into open employment remains constrained by factors beyond their control including prevailing norms and the absence of proactive disability employment measures. This article cautions against the over-romanticisation of WISEs as the primary means to ensure the rights of people with disabilities to participate in the labour market. Implications on disability employment policies in relation to social enterprises are discussed.

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Article
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Journal of Social Policy , Volume 52 , Issue 1 , January 2023 , pp. 176 - 196
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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