Employability for inclusion: the urgent need for a biopsychosocial model perspective

Figures & data

Table 1. Mirrored principles of employability and disability.

Principle	Employability	Disability
Temporality	Changes over time, i.e., can be developed, stagnated, or even reduced across time	Can be chronic and also fluctuating in severity and consequence, spanning biopsychosocial factors
Contextuality	Subject to specific macro, meso, and micro political, labour, and workplace environments	Mitigated or aggravated depending on context, including stakeholders, physical and processual barriers, and culture
Positionality	Constructed through status and class	Constructed through status and class
Locus	Students instilled with appropriate skills and capabilities	Individuals possess biopsychological deficits compared to normative conditions

Table 2. Mapping the biopsychosocial model of disability to employability.

Dimension of Disability	Impact on Employability
Biological (e.g., physical health)	Employability spans a spectrum of diverse contributions to workplace environments that are mediated by the environment’s ability to support such diverse contributions. This includes built environments, assistive technologies, flexible work conditions, etc.
Psychological (e.g., mental health, emotions)	Employability is promoted through a culture of psychological safety and respect, where all stakeholders resist stigmatising practices seeking to build trust, dialogue and effective inclusion.
Social (e.g., social support, environments)	Employability is a shared responsibility across society, the university, industry partners or supervisors, university staff and the student.