Technological advancement in general is providing better and cheaper solutions toassist the visually impaired (VI) community. Although information communicationtechnology (ICT) has great potential to support the inclusion of VI people ineducational, social and workforce settings, there are far fewer ICT projects forVI people compared to other projects. This systematic literature review providesour findings on the existing state of ICT projects and describes outstandingissues in ICT support of VI people. Based on our findings, we suggest increasedcollaboration among healthcare professionals, caregivers, programmers,engineers, as well as policy makers; and adoption of policies in future ICTprojects for VI people. A wide search of seven journal databases found arelevant cross-section of articles that were published between 2010 and 2015.Software Zotero Standalone and EndNote were used to screen and maintainmetadata. After the initial screening of 6993 titles, 683 abstracts werescrutinised, from which 55 full text articles were selected for final review. Weanalysed and synthesised 37 articles. Our findings show the progress, awareness,interest, and issues in ICT integration to improve the quality of life for VIpeople. Three emergent topics for VI people are (a) assistive technology, (b)e-accessibility, and (c) virtual interfaces. Our findings suggest that ICT-aidedapplications can bring positive changes for VI people. We advance several issuesthat should be addressed and further developed, collaboratively, to spreadawareness and invoke new policies aimed to improve the quality of life of VIpeople.

Access to meaningful and equitably paid work is an ongoing issue facing people with disabilities across the world. This article is concerned with the nature and extent of workplace accommodation currently made available in Australia to people with disabilities. The article is based on analysis of the Australian Survey of Disability Ageing and Carers (2003). The article first ratifies existing findings in the literature that people with disability are less likely to be employed and where employed, are likely to be underemployed and underpaid. Restrictions in the ability to participate in paid work without accommodations were common with the need for accommodation varying from 43% through to 91%, depending on the nature of disability experienced. We identify the possibility that people with disability self-select themselves into workplaces where they can self-accommodate their own access needs. Generally, the extent of workplace accommodations provided were low (12%–27%). Known stratifying factors (gender, ethnicity, and education) exacerbated existing barriers to accessing employment. Workers with higher training needs were less likely to secure employment while people accessing the workplace with the benefit of an advocate were more likely to be in the workforce. Strategies for enhancing employment outcomes are discussed.

Functional capacity evaluations (FCEs) and other work-related assessments continue to be used in occupational rehabilitation to determine the capacity of injured and disabled workers to either return to their preinjury jobs, or to determine what they are capable of doing in a work context. New instruments have been developed and others refined. There is a continuing call however for these systems to demonstrate acceptable reliability and validity. Comprehensive reviews of reliability and validity of work-related assessments were published and included information up to the end of 1997. This study updates that information by examining research conducted on five FCEs over the subsequent 8-year period (January 1998–March 2006). The Isernhagen Work Systems (IWS) FCE had the most comprehensive coverage of all aspects of reliability and validity, while the Progressive Isoinertial Lifting Evaluation (PILE) was also extensively researched. Newer FCEs show promise and should continue to be investigated. Clinicians and others are encouraged to be informed consumers of the evidence that exists for the reliability and validity of FCEs and other work-related assessments.

Various factors have meant that employment in welfare states is much more insecure than just a few decades ago. Entrepreneurship has become an important alternative for many people, as a way to increase both security and flexibility. At the end of the 1990s and the start of the 2000s, an average of just over 10,000 people per year received grants in Sweden to start their own business. Of these, just under 10% had some type of ‘work handicap’. This study surveyed a group of new entrepreneurs with disabilities about their entrepreneurial activities. Of those who answered the questionnaire 51% were women. The average age of respondents was 43 years. Only 31.2% reported at follow-up that they were 100% involved in their business. The vast majority of disabled entrepreneurs worked part-time in their firm, which is quite different to the work contribution of entrepreneurs without disabilities. However, the main finding is clear: entrepreneurs with disabilities succeed to roughly the same extent as other entrepreneurs. In terms of disability management programs, entrepreneurship should also be considered as an option for people with disabilities.

The consequences of acquired brain injury are profound and debilitating. People who sustain these injuries experience alterations to the physical, cognitive, behavioural, and psychosocial aspects of their life. These changes are often difficult to understand and consequently, many of these people are unable to successfully reintegrate into their community. This article reviews the literature and provides the reader with an understanding of the repercussions of acquired brain injury with a view to promote community acceptance and successful community reintegration. While the review identified many factors that could impede successful reintegration the empirical support for a number of these areas is lacking. Therefore, opportunities for further research abound.

Over 5 thousand family members and close friends of Australian workers become survivors of sudden workplace death each year. Formal responses following the death are central to surviving families' ability to adapt, yet families' experiences of these responses are unknown. This study used in-depth interviews to explore 7 surviving family members' experiences of formal workplace death mechanisms: postdeath protocols; interactions with employers, unions, media and statutory authorities; stages of legal process including coronial inquests, prosecutions by the occupational health and safety (OHS) regulator, and civil action; and outcomes of judicial proceedings. Participants identified difficulties arising from insensitive treatment by authorities, and significant bureaucratic problems, including a lack of information, communication and support. Systematic research that fully examines families' needs and identifies organisational postdeath protocols is required to advance the management of institutional responses following workplace death and thereby improve outcomes for families.

Aim: The aim of this study was to provide new insight into the factors that affect work participation by those with cognitive deficits following an acquired brain injury. Method: The study had a qualitative exploratory design, with three focus-group interviews used to collect data. The first group comprised workers with experience of cognitive deficits after a traumatic brain injury (TBI), anoxic brain damage and stroke, the second group professionals from specialist levels of social security service and the third professionals from specialised health care services. Transcribed interviews were analysed using a conventional approach to content analysis. Major findings: A broad range of factors affected work participation. Personal factors, the psychosocial adaptation process, injury-related consequences as well as factors in the working environment were found to inhibit work participation. Acceptance of a different level of functioning and a new role in working life was an important but time-consuming process. Significant working-environment barriers were workplace demands, the attitudes of employers and colleagues, complicated information, excessive bureaucracy, too little practice before going back to work and physical barriers. Optimism and being determined were found to be particularly important facilitating personal factors. Important resources provided by the working environment were social support, time-related flexibility, relevant tasks and accommodations.

First responders are exposed to traumatic, nontraumatic and organisational stressors that conspire to create stress, potentially leading to emotional issues and/or physical or psychological illness. In addition to individual consequences, stress also takes a toll on the function of emergency departments and their communities. Fortunately, police, fire and ambulance agencies have initiated various preventive measures in an effort to mitigate the ill-effects of continued exposure to stressors by their personnel. However, combating stress effectively requires more than offering individual coping skills and access to counseling for first responders. To best preserve the wellbeing of their workers, emergency service administrators must recognise the impact of stress from a variety of sources, including organisational factors, and approach stress prevention in a multi-staged and comprehensive manner, paying special attention to primary stage interventions. When agencies embrace and act on a broad, holistic view of stress management that includes instituting cultural and organisational changes to support stress prevention, significant improvements in the stress level and health of first responders will be possible.

The aim of this study is to extend current models of employee work engagement to include chronic illness in order to better understand and predict workforce participation for the chronically ill. Using a sample of 604 participants, the current study examined the relationship between work engagement, perceptions of psychological safety at work and the performance of organisational citizenship behaviours for employees with chronic illness (N = 92) compared to a referent group of general employees (N = 512). Results indicate that for chronically ill employees, psychological safety partially mediates the relationship between engagement and the performance of organisational citizenship behaviours. These results suggest that the development of a workplace environment characterised by feelings of safety, interpersonal trust and mutual respect will foster the performance of engaged work behaviours for a group of employees vulnerable to the experience of a reduced sense of personal efficacy in the workplace and consequent premature retirement.

Research on the employment experiences of persons with disabilities on a global level indicates that this group is faced with the challenge of inclusion in the workplace. While South Africa has a well-defined legislative framework that has been determined in consultation with disabled people’s organisations, compliance with legislation appears to have failed to ensure that employment targets are met. As a response to these challenges, this study explored the early inclusion experiences of persons with disabilities in the workplace via a qualitative, explorative, case study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 people with a range of different disabilities and working for different organisations, in order to provide insight into the initial experiences of inclusion for persons with disabilities in the workplace. Findings showed challenges in induction and orientation practices, struggles with disclosure of disability to coworkers, a desire to strive for ‘normality’, and frustration and vulnerability in the workplace. Taken together, the findings point to the importance of early experiences of inclusion in the workplace – that is, inclusionary practices during the employee induction phase. This study offers insights to organisations and management practitioners for the promotion of better employment experiences. Recommendations include the appointment of a disability champion to account for disability equity within the organisation, the development of more inclusive recruitment and orientation practices, drawing on coworkers for support, and the active involvement of persons with disabilities in shaping onboarding processes. Embarking on these steps may ultimately result in a more diverse workforce within South Africa.

The purpose of this article is to discuss the rationale for labour involvement in the management of injury and disability at the workplace. The authors discuss the importance of joint labour–management collaboration in the development and implementation of disability management and return-to-work programs. Best practices in disability management are reviewed, with a focus on important implications for joint labour–management committees. An overview of the key elements of formal return-to-work programs is discussed, including established benchmarks for return-to-work program development and implementation. This article also provides an overview of a proposed pioneering research project to analyse collective bargaining agreements, to review evidence of a joint commitment to best practices in worksite disability management, and to determine the extent to which disability management best practices are evident within unionised worksites.

Breast cancer and return to work (RTW) is a global issue affected by many factors. The World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) can be used to address disease/treatment, person and work related factors that can impact the RTW process for breast cancer survivors. The work environment, treatment and sociodemographic factors can affect the timeliness of RTW. While conventional treatment methods are critical for survival, there are other strategies that may provide comfort and relief that can improve functioning in the workplace. Although the number of studies addressing this is increasing, certain issues such as differences in RTW rates, RTW needs and accountability need further investigation. A thorough understanding of the independent and combined effects of disease/treatment, work and person related factors can assist in the appropriate implementation of RTW strategies for breast cancer survivors. For many breast cancer survivors, returning to work is used as a gauge of healing and control over breast cancer, providing encouragement for the future.

The objectives of this retrospective study were to (1) examine the predictive value of employer's disability management (DM) perceptions and DM policies in return-to-work outcomes for the injured worker, (2) examine factors that influence employer's DM perceptions, polices and return-to-work outcomes, and (3) examine the relationship between demographic factors of the individual and return-to-work outcomes. Employers from a northern British Columbia, Canada community were randomly selected to participate. The findings of the study supported the hypothesis that company perception towards DM is a significant contributing factor to the presence of DM policies in the workplace and that DM polices are predictive of return-to-work outcomes for injured workers.

It is 20 years since the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act, yet employment and economic inequities continue for people with disabilities. The purpose of this article is to inform and encourage disability management leading practices to contribute toward reducing these disparities. The approach is an examination of where in the employment process applicants and incumbent employees perceive employment disability discrimination, leading to the filing of charges against an employer. Employment disability discrimination claims filed by individuals over 15 years (1993–2007) with the United States (US) Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or state and local Fair Employment Practice Agencies are studied. The authors analyse employment discrimination charges by year, basis (i.e., protected class characteristics, such as disability, age, or race), issue (i.e., actions of the employer, such as discharge, hiring, or harassment), employer characteristics (i.e, size of business and industry sector), and joint filings under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (gender, race/ethnicity, and religious discrimination) and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). Special attention is paid to where in the employment process people with specific impairments are perceiving discrimination. Implications of these research findings for the practice and administration of disability management and employer policies are discussed.

This pilot study was intended to examine and to document whether the use of the garden environment and the activities that make up horticulture could be considered a possible method to be used in the vocational rehabilitation of persons sick-listed due to high levels of stress. The study is based on a theoretical (four-step) model using horticulture and the garden environment to provide the foundation of vocational rehabilitation for individuals with prolonged fatigue, chronic fatigue and burnout. The general interpretation is that the results are positive and promising but that further research is needed and should be pursued to examine what causal relationship(s) exist between the garden environment and the reduction of arousal levels; the effectiveness of pursuing this VR process for persons sick listed for stress-related complaints.

The purpose of this study is to contribute to knowledge about leader-based workplace health interventions by investigating changes in psychosocial working conditions and health in Norwegian and Swedish small-scale enterprises (SSEs). The study also aims to investigate whether there are differences between position, and countries. In total, 30 leaders and 149 coworkers in 34 SSEs participated in two intervention and two reference groups. Leaders and coworkers completed the validated questionnaires (Nordic Questionnaire on Positive Organizational Psychology ([N-POP]), Work Experience Measurement Scale (WEMS), and Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale (SHIS), which cover different psychosocial working conditions and health outcomes. The interventions were carried out by advisors from occupational health services (OHSs) over a one-year period and consisted of analyses of health and psychosocial working conditions, company visits, education and networking meetings, including information and tools on issues such as leadership, work environment and health, and leadership support. The statistical methods used included principal component analyses, reliability tests, paired sample t tests and three-way ANOVA. The results indicate a significant positive development concerning external job performance in the intervention groups. Regarding internal job performance, both the Norwegian intervention group and the reference group showed positive improvements. However, there were negative or nonsignificant developments for several of the psychosocial working conditions and health outcomes in the intervention groups. With regard to associations and interactions between the studied variables, there were significantly positive developments with regard to external job performance and sickness absences in the total intervention group. The study indicates that more thorough procedures and testing of leader-based interventions in SSEs are required.

International research has generated strong evidence that healthcare providers (HCPs) play a key role in the return to work (RTW) process. However, pressure on consultation time, administrative challenges and limited knowledge about a patient's workplace can thwart meaningful engagement. Aim: Our study sought to understand how HCPs interact with workers compensation boards (WCBs), manage the treatment of workers compensation patients and navigate the RTW process. Method: The study involved in-depth interviews with 97 HCPs in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador and interviews with 34 case managers (CMs). An inductive, constant comparative analysis was employed to develop key themes. Findings: Most HCPs did not encounter significant problems with the workers compensation system or the RTW process when they treated patients who had visible, acute, physical injuries, but faced challenges when they encountered patients with multiple injuries, gradual-onset or complex illnesses, chronic pain and mental health conditions. In these circumstances, many experienced the workers compensation system as opaque and confusing. A number of systemic, process and administrative hurdles, disagreements about medical decisions and lack of role clarity impeded the meaningful engagement of HCPs in RTW. In turn, this has resulted in challenges for injured workers (IWs), as well as inefficiencies in the workers compensation system. Conclusion: This study raises questions about the appropriate role of HCPs in the RTW process. We offer suggestions about practices and policies that can clarify the role of HCPs and make workers compensation systems easier to navigate for all stakeholders.

This article describes the process and outcome of a systematic review that evaluated the effectiveness of workplace rehabilitation interventions for work-related low back pain (LBP). Between 1982 and 2005 CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE and AMED databases were searched for studies of interventions that were provided at the workplace for workers with LBP. Using methodological quality appraisal 5 reviewers scrutinised the articles. A total of 1224 articles were reviewed and 15 articles, consisting of 10 studies, were deemed of sufficient quality to be included. The best evidence was clinical interventions with occupational interventions, as well as early return to work/modified work interventions, were effective in returning workers to work earlier, reducing pain and disability, and decreasing the rate of back injuries. Ergonomic interventions were also found to be effective workplace interventions.

Demographic changes are transforming Germany's working environment. A shrinking and aging workforce is having to cope with rising market requirements for skilled labour. As the risk of occupational disability rises with age, lawmakers have introduced a number of legislative changes to sustain workers' ability to work as long as possible. Another important step in this direction was the introduction of a training program to become a Certified Disability Management Professional (CDMP), based on the Canadian model and driven by the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV). International scientific research has long recognised the importance of professional counselling and support for successful vocational rehabilitation of sick and disabled people. In Germany, however, there has been a lack of studies investigating which competencies disability managers need for their work or whether their training is adequate. The present study fills this gap. 217 disability managers and other vocational rehabilitation professionals were asked about their tasks and the competencies required for their work. Two important areas of responsibility were identified: work with the client, on the one hand, and organisational and managerial tasks on the other. This represents a lower degree of specialisation than that found in related American or Australian studies. Possible reasons for these differences are discussed.

Postinjury vocational achievement is an important index of successful vocational rehabilitation. This study involved the identification of factors reported to facilitate labour-force participation of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) who, even though lacking the personal characteristics found to correlate with labour-force participation, were actually members of the labour force. The empirically identified subjects comprised the 20 most extreme prediction errors from the application of discriminant function analysis, which was conducted with the aim of predicting vocational achievement (in the labour force vs. not in the labour force) following SCI. Subjects were interviewed to gain an understanding of their explanations for their erroneously predicted labour-force status. Principal factors nominated as most influencing the postinjury labour-force achievements were the assistance of family, friends and representatives of preinjury employers. Implications of these findings for the delivery of rehabilitation services are presented, including the need for more community-based and employer-related services.