International Day of People with Disability – Empowering Tomorrow: Inclusive Futures researchers unite to rescue and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Part 1)

Join us as we celebrate International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD)!

This week, on 3 December, we acknowledge IDPwD, a significant day recognised by the United Nations. The IDPwD program aligns with Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-31 and aims to increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability. The United Nations Theme for IDPwD 2023 is ‘United in action to rescue and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for, with and by persons with disabilities.’

Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability – the Griffith University disability research beacon, addresses the core United Nations principle of Leave No-one Behind that underpins all 17 Sustainable Development Goals. We reduce inequalities through partnerships with community and industry to provide inclusive infrastructure and innovation that can improve quality of life for people with disability.

Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability draws on dozens of research experts who specialise in disability across all stages of life and societal levels. They bring expertise in all types of disabilities, chronic conditions and a wide array of methods and practices.

To mark this occasion, we shine a spotlight on researchers and projects dedicated to uniting in action, striving to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for, with and by persons with disability.

Dr Paula Mowbray, Senior Lecturer and Researcher

Researcher Spotlight: Dr Paula Mowbray

Dr Paula Mowbray is a Senior Lecturer within the Department of Employment Relations and Human Resources at Griffith University. Paula’s research focuses on human resource management and the HR practices and leader behaviours that contribute to high performance cultures, employee engagement and inclusive environments that foster employee participation and involvement.

Paula has been involved in research and consultancy projects concerning employee voice and participation within high performance organisations; employee engagement; organisational culture; leadership development; executive performance management; and company values and behaviours' frameworks. Previously, Paula was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing.

Paula holds a PhD in Human Resource Management and a Bachelor of International Business (Hons) from Griffith University. Prior to her academic career, Paula worked across a diverse range of organisations including the public sector, multinationals, management consulting, and small businesses. Paula has experience across a broad range of industries including energy, transport, agribusiness, food and beverage, manufacturing, education, aged care and online business.

“IDPwD is an important day to highlight the unique issues that PwD face on a daily basis within the workplace. For many PwD, finding and sustaining meaningful employment is a challenge due to the many barriers they face. Yet, meaningful employment and work without discrimination and stigma should be the experience of everyone, regardless of disability. My research on meaningful employment for people with disability in Queensland identifies ways we can promote decent work and economic growth, while ensuring we reduce inequalities for PwD. In doing so, it addresses several SDGs and ensures we can create more meaningful and inclusive work experiences for PwD.”

Meaningful Employment for Queenslanders with Disability

In 2023, we conducted a research project for the Queensland Department of Seniors, Disability Services and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships. This research aimed to understand the experience of employment, the barriers and success factors that can support Queenslanders with disability to work, and the way in which we can generate meaningful pathways to success and leadership.

Meaningful employment is a fundamental aspect of life for most people, but particularly for people with disability, as it can be a source of confidence, sense of purpose, and self-worth. Employment enables people to feel productive, fulfilled, and valued members of society, and provides a foundation for self-development and financial independence.

As a result of our research, we were able to identify strategies that could reduce the barriers to meaningful employment and practices that could enhance the employment experience of people with disability in Queensland.

This research contributes to SDG 8 (Decent work and Economic Growth) by promoting inclusive and accessible work environments that ensure decent work opportunities for individuals with disabilities, with ways to improve workplace policies and foster equal opportunities, ultimately fostering economic growth and sustainable development.

We also contributed to SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) by highlighting the unique challenges faced by people with disabilities and providing strategies to reduce inequalities in the workplace.

The report can be accessed here: https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/5090

For more information, contact Dr Paula Mowbray: p.mowbray@griffith.edu.au

Griffith University PhD Candidate and Researcher Emily Lu

Researcher Spotlight: Emily Lu, PhD Candidate and Researcher

"International Day of People with Disability is a time to celebrate what people with disability have accomplished with respect to employment and career development; It is also a time to listen to people with disability about what we as researchers can do to empower their ability to thrive at work.

“My research explores the conditions which empower the ability of people with disability to thrive in the tourism and hospitality workforce. Through participatory action research in which workers with disability conduct research with me in an inclusive manner, an exhibition will be designed and hosted with workers with disability to create awareness of the unique capabilities and strengths of them to a wider audience and inform policymakers and relevant stakeholders to consider what people with disability can do in tourism and hospitality workforce and provide a more inclusive and supportive organisational environment for workers with disability.”

The Inclusive Voyage: Empowering People with Disabilities to Thrive in the Tourism and Hospitality Workforce

People with disability account for 1.3 billion individuals, representing 1 in 6 of the global population. With such a significant number worldwide, people with disability tend to experience higher levels of unemployment compared to people without disability. As such, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal SDG 8.5 promotes full labour participation of people with disability on an equal basis with others, highlighting their rights for the opportunities to achieve decent work.

Following this recognition, the tourism and hospitality sectors are embracing the untapped human resource group of people with disability to promote sustainable tourism, and to address the long-term labour shortage challenges which have been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, existing studies in tourism and hospitality have predominantly focused on stigma and discrimination of people with disability’s employment from employers’ perspectives, however the research which explicitly articulates the unique strengths and capabilities of people with disability is notably absent from existing discourses.

In response to the identified research gaps, this PhD research underpinned by the social model of disability, focuses on unearthing the invaluable traits and conditions which enable people with disability to thrive in the workforce, if social barriers are minimised. Specifically, this research will explore the meaning of thriving, from the perspective of workers with disability in the tourism and hospitality sectors by participatory action research.

Please email Emily Lu at emily.lu2@griffithuni.edu.au if you would like to participate in, or know more about the research project.