Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Research Defense
Research Defense
Research Defense
RESEARCHERS:
Hernan, Mia Jeselle F.
Lauda, Anna Glaiza
Lorenzo, Nesly Van G.
Paclibar, Princess Dei Ann
Introduction
Employed persons with disability experienced the practice of unfair treatment in the
society that hinders them to participate in the society and builds a barrier for them to be
employed without discrimination. One the major barrier experienced by the handicapped workers
is the negative mentalities and misinterpretations of co employees and employers. And although
persons with disability have many challenges towards their job, employed persons with disability
According to Philips et al.(2014), having an employee with a disability can lead to low
employment rates and low earnings and in the study of Lengnick et al.(2008), the results showed
that most managers are not exceptionally proactive in procuring people with disability and that
most businesses hold clich convictions not bolstered by research prove. Although, some
researches have begun to gather discoveries on components that influence the acknowledgment
of employees with inabilities, many gaps stay in the comprehension of the idea of
acknowledgment and its connection to the work of individuals with incapacities. (Vornholt et al.,
2013).
People with disability experienced a lot of difficulty like poverty. Aside
from poverty, separation and bias are the real difficulties that people with
incapacities confront in their regular lives (Tabug & Mina, 2011). In the
global context, the study of Pagan (2009) showed that individuals with
by the Taiwanese government, results identified four main reasons that led to
In the ASEAN context, in the study of Lamichhane, (2012) in Nepal, most of the people
with disability were employed in non-governmental sectors like private restaurants and private
schools. And people with disability were able to discovery new abilities and some positive life
changes were experienced by people with disability in their workplace. In China one new child is
born with a disability in every 40 seconds and this can also be seen in some developing third
world countries. This study showed that most of the people with disability are facing difficulties
In the Philippines, Schelzig (2005) noted that out of more than 100,000 employable
PWDs that are registered with the DOLE, only less than 10 percent are wage employed. In
addition, The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 10M or Ten (10%) percent of the
total population of the Philippines is comprised of persons with physical, sensory, or mental
impairment. In the study of Reyes et al., (2011) in Rosario, Batangas, Philippines, most of the
study participants did not even finish elementary education. The most common reason for not
going to school ever or completing schooling is poverty. Employment rate among the
respondents, however, is slightly lower (at 47%) than that in Metro Manila (50%). If the
visually-impaired has the highest proportion with incomegenerating jobs (72%) in Metro Manila
(who are usually masseurs), the hearing-impaired has the highest employment rate (58%) in
Wehbi & ElLahib, (2007) stated that, people with disability experience many obstacles
to finding and keeping a job. As various studies, data and accounts discuss about the challenges
experience by the people with disability towards their employment, in the ASEAN region, in the
Philippines and in global context there is a need to go deeper and explore their motivations for
them to be employed. However as studies on the challenges and motivations of employed people
with disability are still lacking in the Philippines. The researchers of this study are challenge to
investigate and know the motivations and difficulties faced by employed persons with disability
This study can be seen through these theories: social model of disability of Union of the
Physically Impaired Against Segregation (UPIAS, 1976), Marxist analysis of disability of Marx
& Engels, 1994 and the push pull theory. These theories attempted to discuss about the different
factors of discrimination and challenges of a people with disability in their society or workplace.
On one hand, The social model of disability was first put forth in the United Kingdom in
a 1976 statement by the Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation (UPIAS, 1976). It
was later discussed in detail by Corker (2000), Finkelstein (1980), and Oliver (1983, 1990,
1996). Instead of a narrow focus on functional limitations, the problem, according to the social
model, is societys failure to provide appropriate services and adequately ensure the needs of
disabled people are fully taken into account in its social organization (Oliver, 1996, p. 32).
Disability, according to the social model, encompasses all factors that impose restrictions on
people with disabilities, ranging from negative social attitudes to institutional discrimination,
from inaccessible public buildings to unusable transport systems, from segregated education to
While it is acknowledged that the relationships of people with disabilities to their bodies
involve elements of pain and struggle that perhaps cannot be eliminated or mitigated, yet many
of the barriers that people with disabilities face are the consequences of having those physical
impairments under existing social and economic arrangements, especially the means of industrial
production. These social and economic systems could but do not accommodate disabled peoples
physical conditions or integrate their struggles into the cultural concept of everyday life (Asch &
Fine, 1988). The UK social model approach to understanding disability is a sociological one with
a Marxist emphasis, wherein people with disabilities are viewed as oppressed, a standpoint
On the other hand, Karl Marx believed any understanding of human societies must begin
with the material conditions of human existence, or the economics of producing the necessities
of life. The economic mode of production, due to its importance, influences other aspects of life,
such as political organization, ideology, religion and culture: the ideas of the ruling class are in
every epoch the ruling ideas: that is, the class which is the ruling material force of society, is at
the same time its ruling intellectual force (Marx & Engels, 1994, p. 15).
Marxist writers analyze disability as a social problem that is directly linked to the
changing mode of production: definitions of disability and other social problems are influenced
by both the economic and social structures and the core values of particular modes of production
existing in a historical time period (Oliver, 1990; Priestley, 1999). For Oliver (1990), the
individualized and pathologized approach to disability emerged due to the functional necessity of
a workforce that is physically and intellectually able to meet the demands of industrialization.
Lastly, Push-pull theory was first applied to entrepreneurial motivation in the 1980s
(Amit & Muller, 1995; Kirkwood, 2009). Whereas pull factors are typically considered to be
positively motivated, push factors imply that entrepreneurship is chosen under duress, despite
ones preference and due to a lack of other options (Amit & Muller, 1995; Bates, 1997; Dawson
& Henley, 2012; Gilad & Levine, 1986). Pull factors are widely believed to be more prevalent
among entrepreneurs than push factors (Dawson & Henley, 2012; Gilad & Levine, 1986;
Kirkwood, 2009). However, push factors played a stronger role during economic recession due
to rates of unemployment and work-related insecurity (Dawson & Henley, 2012; Giacomin,
Janssen, Guyot, & Lohest, 2011; Hughes, 2003). In 2001, the push-pull dichotomy was re-
Henley, 2012; Giacomin et al., 2011; Hessels, Gelderen, & Thurik, 2008; Reynolds, Camp,
challenges and motivations of employed persons with disability in their journey towards their
Research questions
In this study, we were being guided with the following research questions:
1. What are the challenges of persons with disability in their journey towards their
employment?
2. What are their motivations to become employed despite of their disabilities?
Person with Disabilities: this study can help the Persons With Disability (PWD) motivated as
Employed Persons with disability: this study can help the employed persons with disability to
Students with disability: this study can help those students with disability to be motivated to
pursue their studies , boost their self-esteem and they can feel the sense of belongingness.
Student: This study can help the students to have deeper understanding about the life of a person
with disabilities and can be a motivation tool for them to pursue their study.
Parents: this study can help the parents especially those parents having children with disabilities
to look on the bright side of their childrens disability and for them to support their children
Community: this study can help the community to understand the worth of a person with
disability.
Employers: this study can help the employers to understand their employed PWD and to give
Future researchers: This study could encourage their interests to conduct more research
associated to this study and this could help support their future researches.
This study focuses on the standpoints of an employed person with disability. The
researchers will conduct an interview with different questions. The interview focuses only on the
challenges and motivations of an employed person with disability in his/her working life. The
duration of this study took a long period of time due to the accessibility of the locality and some
instances that needed clarification of the respondents. Our selected participants will be from
Davao del Sur who is employed in different working areas. That included giving letters of
consent to the participants asking permission to the participants interviews, casual discussion on
To facilitate better understanding on the content of our action research, the following
Person with disability: Any person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially
limits one or more major life activities; has a record of such impairment; or is regarded as having
such an impairment.
Challenges: something that by its nature or character serves as a call to battle, contest, special
effort, etc.
Motivation: the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way; the general
In this section, various literature and studies related to the proposed study are reviewed to
establish the necessary background needed by the researchers and readers in further
Specifically, this section aims to provide some information about the life of people with
disability experiences real difficulties in life and most of these difficulties are poverty, separation
and bias in their regular day to day experience (Tabuga & Mina, 2011). In the study of
Reyes et.al, (2011) on persons with disability on rural Philippines, the results showed that most
of their respondents did not accomplish their elementary education and the main reason is due to
poverty. Moreover, only 3 out of 10 respondents are aware of the important policies that were
intended to improve their well-being. Among the 31 respondents who have knowledge about any
of the policies on discounts, only 10 of them have ever enjoyed at least one of these discounts
It is already known that that disabled people vary in the nature and severity of their
impairments, but the shape of the relationship between disability and employment cannot be
predicted unambiguously from theory, and has been subject to little analysis (Berthoud, 2008). In
Taiwan, in the study of Gilbride et. Al, (2003) with 12 Taiwanese employer with a 2 years
experience of hiring people with dis ability, the results identified that there are four main reasons
why they are hiring people with disability and those are personal experience relating to people
Public policies give greater importance to the inclusion of disabled people in the labor
market and suggest ways to implement accommodative measures to these ends (Shier, et. Al,
2009). And Although, some research has started to gather data on factors that affect the
acceptance of employees with disabilities, many gaps remain in the understanding of the
concept of acceptance and its relation to the employment of people with disabilities (Vornholt,
Having an employee with disability can lead to low employment rates and low earnings
(Robinson, et. Al, 2013) and Peck, B., & Kirkbride, L. T. (2001) said that that is why most of the
employers have an unspoken fears about hiring people with disability in the workplace .
The study of Kaye et al., (2011) suggested that that businesses may use to encourage
enlisting and maintenance of work areas with incapacities, and additionally new open projects or
strategy changes that could expand work drive interest among working-age grown-ups who have
handicap.
Difficulties in motivation are often based on disturbances in body image, which in turn
are related handicap (Prosen, 2000) .For people with disabilities, taking part in the working life
political attention to the labor market participation of people with disabilities has increased
(Marin, Prinz, & Queisser, 2004). According to Andreassen, (2004) Personal experience with
health problems and disability are motivations to engage in helping others in similar situations
and to improve the living conditions of social groups with which one experiences a common
identity.
METHODOLOGY
This chapter provides a vivid description on how the research process will be carried out.
Discussion specifically will be confined to research design and procedure, the participants and
the manner they were selected, data collection techniques, data source and analysis,
trustworthiness and ethical consideration. Moreover, explanation on the role of the researchers is
also included as this is an important distinguishing factor for quality in data analysis.
Research Design
aims to describe the lived experiences of people on a particular phenomenon. It tries to see the
experience.
This study utilized phenomenology as a research method. The goal of qualitative
qualitative analysis of narrative data, methods to analyze its data must be quite different from
a research methodology that seeks to describe the basic lived experience through how they are
particularly effective at bringing to the fore the experiences and perceptions of individuals from
their own perspectives, and therefore challenging to structural and normative assumptions.
in order to uncover the meaning in everyday existence. This particular research method makes it
imperative to gather deep information regarding the perceptions of humans through inductive
and qualitative methods such as interviews, discussions, and participant observation, and
presenting it from the perspective of the individual. Pure phenomenological research seeks
essentially to describe rather than explain and to start from perspective that is free from
hypotheses or preconceptions.
Moreover, Moustakas (1994) explained the four aspects of human experience that are of
interest to the phenomenological researcher: lived space, lived body, lived relationships, and
lived time. In other words, human see different realities in different situations, in the company of
different people and at different times. The researcher must then be careful not to bring any
preconceived framework or hypotheses due to the unique perceptions and lived experiences of
The participants of our study will be selected persons having disability employed in any
institution as well as a resident from different municipality with in the province of Davao Del
Sur. The study will only cover those people having disability; we researchers will only select at
Data Collection
We will use the Key Informant Interview that involves interviewing a select group
of individuals who are likely to provide needed information, ideas, and insights on a particular
informants that allows the researcher to seek insights, ask follow-up questions, explore different
points made during the course of conversation and identify distinctions in perspectives.
Before we will having the KII, we will write a letter of permission. We will use tape
recorders, videos and written reports for their live testimonies. The participants must be aware of
A Focus Group Discussion (FGD) will also place wherein we conduct an interview
together with the participants. The focus group discussion will be plan carefully to a series of
discussions designed that obtain perceptions on a define area of interest in a permissive, non-
threatening environment (Krueger and Casey 2009). Moreover, for Thomas and Nelson (1996),
focus group was an efficient form of data collection were the researcher can amass information
gathering strategies. These includ: address research questions, the researcher will decide which
people and research sites could best provide information. We will purposefully select individuals
and sites that provide the necessary information. We will ask permission to collect data from
individuals and sites. This permission will do through sending letters to the informants. During
the actual interview, there will be a focus monitoring on their answers related to the study. It will
be in a form of written testimonies, capture images, recorded videos and other forms of
documentations. After the data gathering, the researchers will analyze it using the comparative
In data analysis all interviews will be recorded, coded, transcribed and analyze as they
will gather. This study employs the basic procedures for data analysis. First, data collecting will
organize and then reduce through summarization and categorization and then finally, data will be
In the process of coding the data, the researchers will observe open coding in which
concepts are identify and develop in terms of their properties and dimensions. This includes
asking questions about the data, making comparisons for similarities and differences between
incidents, events, or other phenomena. Similar ones are group to form categories. From the
categories of the transcribe data, the accounts will subject into data reduction wherein only the
relevant answers of the respondents will taken into account; those non-relevant narrations will
not consider. The contain relevant answers of the participants will be the basis for determining
In this qualitative inquiry as in most others, The researchers are the instruments
(Patton, 2002, p.80) through which the data will collect. In this study, we the researchers who
will facilitate the research procedure, transcribe and analyze the data under study. We will
explain the purpose of the study and the procedures of gathering and collecting data to the
informants took hold of the exact documents on file, available upon request. We have the
opportunity to interview with all the employed person with disability with in Davao del sur.
After transcribing, we will analyze the data being gather and formulate common themes
from the responses of the participants out from the questions given by the researchers and we
Trustworthiness
The aim of trustworthiness in a qualitative inquiry is to support the argument that the
inquirys findings are worth paying attention to (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). In any qualitative
research study, three issues of trustworthiness demand attention: credibility, transferability and
confirmability.
activities that can enhance the credibility of data collection. We had a prolonged engagement to
the participants. We will conduct initial survey, interviews and validate the data transcribed.
To address transferability, the complete set of data were stored on file and were made
available to other researchers who wish to conduct the same research or wish to use them in
some cases.
To establish confirmability. Miles and Huberman (1994) consider that a key criterion for
conrmability is the extent to which the researcher admits his or her own predispositions. In our
study, confirmability was addressed through validation and confirmation of the participants who
Ethical Considerations
Before we will commence our research we will look at whether ethically our study is
sound. In order to do this, it is crucial that the following series of ethical issues need attention.
Upon conducting our study, we will make sure that we inform the participants and ask
their permission to conduct an interview to them. We will submit letters to the person with
disability and asking permission to conduct our study. We will go through a formal process by
asking personally the employed person with disability who were the informants in the study for
the interview.
When approval will grant, we will personally talk and hand the communication to the
informants. We will convey to them that they will participate in a study, explain to them the
purpose of the study, the benefits gain from the study. During the interview, we will ask
To establish anonymity, researchers will protect the identity of the participants and
company names and other details that reveal identities of persons or organizations being studied
Researchers will have a careful planning and execution of the research study from
To establish inform consent, the inform consent contains the purpose of the study, time
element, procedures, risk and benefits involve, and an explanation of voluntary involvement of
participants and their right to withdraw from the study. All of these must be written in an inform
consent form to be signed by the study participants before the conduct of the study.