While much is known about the pathways linking workplace disclosure of a stigmatised identity and negative wellbeing outcomes, little is known about the pathways to positive wellbeing outcomes. Using survey and interview data three pathways were investigated among the population of individuals with degenerative eye conditions: the alleviation of inhibition (psychological), social support (social), and the use of assistive technology (physical). The findings suggest that the psychological pathway is most prominent. The alternative pathways are only partially exhibited in the interview data. These findings can assist policymakers nuance policy aimed at enhancing labour market participation of individuals with disabilities.

This desktop review has been conducted, from the reviewers' perspective, to evaluate the merits, advantages and disadvantages of adopting the 6th edition of the American Medical Association (AMA6) Guides for the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment. The reviewers do not make any recommendation as to whether AMA6 should or should not be adopted by any particular jurisdiction, but rather provide comment from the perspective of a critical but constructive appraisal of published material. The observations reported represent the opinions of the reviewers, based on their appraisal of selected sections of AMA4, AMA5 and AMA6 and the associated literature. AMA6 has become surrounded by considerable controversy. At the time of review, at least two jurisdictions in the United States have voted against adoption of AMA6. While the paradigm shift away from the World Health Organization (WHO) International Classification of Impairment, Disability and Handicap (ICIDH) framework to the WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework has attempted to ‘move with the times’, and AMA6 has attempted to reach higher levels of internal consistency and interrater and intrarater reliability, the methods used to achieve a radical change in the Guides has come under criticism. It is quite difficult to distinguish between speculative and substantive criticism, because of paucity or obscurity in both source documents and subsequent commentary. A range of concerns have been identified.

As part of a larger study into stress, absence and reintegration (Stress Impact 2003–2005), semistructured interviews were carried out with a range of professionals including general practitioners, occupational health physicians, health and safety officers, human resource professionals, general managers, mental health professionals and return-to-work coordinators. The aim of the study was to explore professional perceptions of stress recognition/diagnosis, experiences, stress factors, interventions, referrals, the return-to-work process and disability management in six European Union jurisdictions (Austria, Finland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom). The most striking characteristic of the responses was the lack of congruence in views and beliefs within the same professional group across jurisdictional boundaries and between professionals within the same jurisdiction. There was little evidence that any clear message is getting across to professionals. Professionals need to respond more flexibly to stress-related absence, particularly in the use of psychosocial and work-based disability management supports or interventions.

The use of contemporaneous evaluation in personal injury insurance enables schemes to maintain and enhance their viability through access to quality information on cost, liabilities and outcomes. Best practice in research programs in the sector requires data on client outcomes and financial performance to be collected. This article presents a case study of the research and evaluation program for the National Serious Injury Service of New Zealand's Accident Compensation Corporation.

In the Dutch literature on occupational health and sickness absence many references can be found on organisational factors that influence the sickness absence. Many of those factors are related to the culture of an organisation. To classify and analyse those factors we used a well-known management model — the seven S model. After identifying the cultural aspects that might influence sickness absence, we developed a simple management tool consisting of 30 questions. The goal of the tool is to explain the organisational culture in relation to sickness absence. This explanation enables the organisation to choose interventions to change organisational aspects in order to prevent or to reduce the sickness absence in the organisation. We tested the tool with seven human resource (HR) managers in the governmental sector. They completed the checklist and the results were discussed with them in a face-to-face interview. To date, the checklist appears to be helpful in analysing the organisational culture in relation to sickness absence, but it still needs to be tested with a larger population.

In Western countries, an increasing number of companies has difficulties with recruiting and retaining employees, along with growing employer responsibilities in the workplace. Therefore, companies’ interest in disability management programs has increased. This article examines employee perspectives of disability management and how it is related to job satisfaction, physical and mental health, workplace morale and sickness absence. Employees from seven Swiss companies (N=482), from the private and public sector, participated in either an online and paper-and-pencil survey for this present study. The survey asked employees to report their views of how disability management is related to job satisfaction, mental health, physical health, workplace morale and absenteeism. The Swiss employees participating in the study knew about disability management and related programs, which are implemented in their company. They valued them as moderately helpful for a variety of factors related to workplace wellbeing, and regarded the programs generally as high quality and wanted them to continue, because they contribute to job satisfaction, mental health, physical health, workplace morale and reduced sickness absence. However, employees also saw more value in disability prevention (DP) and stay at work (SAW) programs than in return to work (RTW) programs. Male employees and those working for public organisations saw more benefit in disability management programs than female employees and those working in the private sector.

This article examines the impact of disability and related variables (age, gender, and education level) on job search behaviours and employment outcomes. Data are from a two-wave study of 681 Australians between the ages of 45 and 65 who were not in paid employment. Regression modelling indicates that disability impedes job search at several stages of the employment process. Although is it unrelated to job search intensity, disability is negatively associated with the probability of engaging in job search, preferred weekly hours of work, and the likelihood of finding work. Gender and age are related to the probability of engaging in job search and gender is also associated with preferred hours to work. These findings indicate that older workers with a disability face multiple disadvantages when seeking employment.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have become an element of strategic importance to all countries. Researchers argue that ICTs may open up new avenues for economic growth, competitiveness and human development. It is widely recognised that ICTs have the potential of overcoming many of the barriers faced by people with visual impairment (VI). Based on an interpretive study using the narrative interview method, this article contributes to this literature by presenting perceptions and understandings of how the use of ICTs can be used to promote the ‘development’ of people with VI in Bangladesh. We approached this study through the economist and Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen’s work on ‘development as freedom’ that focuses on, among other themes, five dimensions of freedom — social, economic, protective, political and transparency. We collected stories from 18 people with VI who had received ICTs training and support from resource centres, and from some disability rights activists and leaders who use ICTs. Our findings suggest that ICTs can be used as tools for improving the wellbeing of people with VI by enhancing different aspects of freedom suggested by Sen. ICTs tools assist people with VI by providing them with educational and work opportunities, and thus increase the potential for social inclusion and economic development. We conclude that governments, nongovernment organisations and development partners in countries such as Bangladesh may use ICTs to expand different types of ‘freedom’ for marginalised groups such as people with VI and persons with disabilities in general.

Sen (2004) has distinguished between two types of handicap that are commonly associated with disabilities, viz. an ‘earning handicap’ and a ‘conversion handicap’. In this article, these concepts are considered, extended, and developed conceptually within the framework of a Grossman-type model. This model is then used to consider how the welfare implications of disability and the attendant handicaps may be conceived. A utilitarian framework of the kind associated with conventional welfare economics is invoked, but extra-welfarist-type policies are also discussed. The article shows how the concepts of disability and handicap may be given a tractable conceptual economic basis, and how the welfare effects of social policies towards people with disabilities can usefully be analysed within the resulting framework.

The Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) of Malaysia introduced the Return to Work (RTW) Program in 2007 which is a comprehensive multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation program for its Insured Persons who are experiencing disability due to accidents in the workplace or those claiming for invalidity. This rehabilitation program is unique as it involves the concept of “disability management” in which each Insured Person who is referred to the program, is assigned to a Disability Case Manager who is actively involved throughout the return to work process. Up to date (December 2013), 11,090 workers were motivated to participate in the SOCSO RTW Programme, and this requires many work processes, countless paper-work and massive physical files and document management. Due to this massive information flow, the demand for a more efficient information system is needed. From the beginning, the whole idea was to create an accessible, quick and user-friendly application. The application is now used by the SOCSO RTW Department in managing their information. This application was built on an open source platform which can be access through the internet. It is also a “learning application” where it uses its historical data to assist the case managers to generate standard rehabilitation plans and forecast possible return to work outcomes. The beauty of such application is that it is easily replicated, configurable (email notifications, reminders, etc) to meet the needs of the case managers in various jurisdiction. The scope of the application can also be easily defined to meet the size of an enterprise using the application. With better management of information, this application has contributed in reducing processing time, repetitive paperwork, minimal storage areas and almost real-time flow of information in the SOCSO's RTW Case Management system. Apart from that, the application now stores a wealth of information such as rehabilitation strategies for various disability or illnesses or demographic backgrounds.

Research suggests that psychosocial factors predict recovery better than biomedical factors alone in the normal population. However, no studies have been carried out in the disability income insurance setting, where the availability of financial cover is usually perceived as the main detractor of recovery and return to work.

Swiss Re's clinical claims team in collaboration with the Research & Development team, conducted a 3 year prospective study to evaluate the role of psychosocial factors in recovery within a group income protection sample. Predictors of return to work were: beliefs about recovery and work, work ethic, coping, and self-efficacy. Interestingly, medical diagnosis alone and treatment did not predict recovery and return to work in this sample.

Our objective was to conduct research to gain an understanding of psychosocial predictors in the insurance setting, and additionally to develop specific claims management strategies for our claims assessors to manage their claims more effectively through exploring the psychosocial barriers influencing on a claimant's absence, and providing adequate support at the right time, in a cost-effective manner.

In this article the need for employer-based disability management (DM) in a modern welfare state is discussed. The article is not a traditional research article, but rather a conceptual article with a purpose to discuss and reflect over existing perspectives, and argue for a stronger focus on welfare state issues in DM research. Focus is set on Sweden and it is concluded that much of the thought behind DM is indeed built into the comprehensive welfare system. In addition to the employer's responsibilities regarding ill-health prevention, the Acts and regulations of the governmental social insurance agency's responsibilities regarding return to work are comprehensive. As can be seen, however, this is no guarantee that the established process will work in practice. In too many cases, the system in Sweden is suffering from organisational and case-level related problems. Against this background, it is suggested that current responsibilities put on the social insurance agency can be removed and instead be put on the employer. The answer to the main question stated in this article (i.e., ‘Is employer-based DM necessary in a social-democratic welfare state like Sweden?’) is obviously yes.

Background: Tackling the rising trend of workers suffering from disability due to injuries and diseases, the Malaysian Social Security Organization (SOCSO) introduced the Return to Work (RTW) Program in January 2007. The Return to Work Program provides systematic disability management for Insured Persons with employment injuries and illnesses using a bio psychosocial and multidisciplinary approach to enable them to return to work in a safe and fast manner. In this process, it is the ultimate goal of the Case Manager to place the Insured Person with injuries or illnesses back to the same employer within the same, similar or a different job. Nevertheless there are a large number of Insured Persons who fail to return to their same employer and would therefore require job placement assistance to be placed within the “different employer hierarchy”. Note: “Different employer hierarchy” refers to participants who failed to return to work with their previous employers requiring job placement assistance to be placed within new employers.

Objective: This study explores factors predicting the likelihood of return to work among Insured Persons requiring job placement assistance. In the process of placing RTW participants among different employers, SOCSO has seen a drastic shift in the reception of employers wanting to employ persons with disabilities since the program was first implemented. While promotional measures and various interventions are carried out to increase number of participating employers, it is also essential that the readiness of the RTW participant themselves to return to work is evaluated at the beginning of the program to ensure that they will be mentally ready to return to work after being successfully rehabilitated.

Methods: The logistic regression model was used to find significant variables from a sample size of 798 participants which may be used as indicators on the likelihood of RTW participants under job placement assistance in returning to work. Findings From the results, it was found that there were eight (8) significant variables which includes the clients self-perceived self-esteem, skills, health condition, pain tolerance, independence, self-confidence and career goals. It was also found that gender was a subsequent variable which could also be used as a predicting factor in predicting the likelihood of the participant returning to work.

Discussion: In enhancing the quality and efficiency of providing job placement assistance for participants of SOCSO's Return to Work Program, significant indicators as found in this study can be used as a valuable tool in future where Case Managers may use this indicators to design interventions at the beginning of the programme . For instance, if the client had issues with self-esteem from the beginning of the program with low scores, this may suggest that additional counselling interventions and motivational programs may be required to improve the participant's self-esteem with the objective that he is able to return to work as soon as possible.

The NDIS introduces changes to the level of control, choice and flexibility that persons with a disability can exercise over the services they require to support their individual needs. One of the main stays of NDIS is the ability for persons with a disability to utilise allocated funding how and with whom they choose to create a package of supports. Coinciding with the move towards the NDIS has been the introduction of the NSW WHS Act 2011. This Act introduces and broader new definitions relating to persons with responsibilities for ensuring health and safety at work. In some circumstances the individual person with a disability will be a direct employer, or an “other” in the workplace, and will take on responsibilities for health and safety for persons working in their home. For government organisations making funding decisions and allocating funds for the purchase of support services, there continues to be an obligation to ensure that services are conducted safely with risks to health adequately managed. NSW FACS can not “contract” out of their obligations. Instead we must work in partnership with all stakeholders to manage WHS risks as far as is reasonably practicable. Our role in government means we have the resources, experience, and must respond to the community expectation that we will support persons with a disability to understand and discharge their WHS obligations as far as is reasonably practicable. This is a way of operating presents the following questions: Do persons with disability understand the WHS obligations and risks associated with their care and supports? How to individuals with disability obtain sound advice and information on WHS risks that may be associated with their care arrangements? Can WHS information and resources that organisations like NSW Department of Family and Community Services (Ageing Disability and Home Care) have established be leverages to share with our “clients”? As Government partners in NDIS are we obligated to share our knowledge and information? What is the best way to bridge the gap in understanding and what types of information, tools and training can be made available on WHS for persons with a disability.

A Joint WHS project currently underway within NSW FACS seeks to address the information and resources gap for all clients who participate in self directed funding arrangements (including NDIS). Our project will demonstrate how products and advice developed for internal staff use can be “reframed” and made accessible to persons with disability, their carers and individual service providers. The approach being applied within NSW FACS will potentially reduce costs in persons with disability being required to engage additional services to seek and develop WHS direct guidance and tools. The project being undertaken will deliver face to face training models, e-learning components and online information and tools to assist stakeholders in the NDIS and other Direct Funding Arrangements within NSW, to make informed decisions regarding WHS risk in the provision of care and support services. Guidance and information is provided on key risk areas utilising tested tools & WHS resources within the disability sector. E-learning solutions are made available to inform and train stakeholders of WHS obligations and potential risk management approaches. NSW FACS works with NGO stakeholders to ensure consistent advice and assistance is provided in the area of WHS obligations and performance expectations.

This study documents the findings of a qualitative investigation of the structure, process, and outcomes of an Intensive Case Management (ICM) program that was implemented in several government departments to improve the management of psychological injury and to reduce costs. The study demonstrated that the ICM model was effective in meeting its intended outcomes. Specifically, the model facilitated the delivery of timely and coordinated services to the workplace, and consequently, reduced the incidence of claim lodgment, assisted with accommodated return to work and minimised time away from work. Issues for future consideration included how the model could be integrated more firmly into the organisational culture and how to incorporate systematic follow-up and the capacity to address longer-term issues for injured workers.