“Going the Extra Mile”: Disclosure, Accommodation, and Stigma Management among Working Women with Disabilities

ABSTRACT

Although research has quantitatively evaluated the impacts of stigma upon working women with disabilities (WWD), nuanced, qualitative accounts voiced by these women are rare. To address this literature gap, we conducted seven focus groups with 42 WWD. We asked: “What are women’s experiences of disability disclosure and accommodation in the workplace?” Findings reveal that WWD face intentional and unintentional structural discrimination and must weigh the pros and cons of disclosure and navigate devaluation threats in pursuing workplace accommodations. “Going the extra mile” emerged as a stigma management technique which was prevalent among women of higher social capital.

Additional information

Funding

The research was supported by NIDA K12DA035150. The research was also supported by NIDRR H133A990019.

Notes on contributors

Mairead Eastin Moloney

MAIREAD EASTIN MOLONEY is a BIRCWH Scholar and Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Kentucky. A medical sociologist, she uses mixed methods to explore the impacts of gender upon health disparities, health behaviors, healthcare delivery, disability, and employment. She serves as the Principal Investigator on a study of Appalachian women’s health disparities related to insomnia, sedative hypnotic use, and gendered social stressors.

Robyn Lewis Brown

ROBYN LEWIS BROWN is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Co-Director of the Health, Society, and Populations Program at the University of Kentucky. Her research examines social determinants of health inequities using advanced statistical analysis, community-based participatory research strategies, and mixed methods designs. A major emphasis of her recent work concerns the impact of stigma and social devaluation upon physical, psychological, and behavioral health outcomes.

Gabriele Ciciurkaite

GABRIELE CICIURKAITE is an Assistant Professor at Utah State University. As a medical sociologist, her research expertise is in the social determinants of health, social stratification, and quantitative methods. Her current research focuses in two primary areas: (1) the intersection of gender, race, and socioeconomic status and the ways these social factors create and sustain health disparities and (2) chronic illness prevention and management among vulnerable populations. Her work has been published in interdisciplinary and applied academic journals.

Susan M. Foley

SUSAN FOLEY is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Community Inclusion in the School for Global Inclusion and Social Development at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She leads multiple, multiyear national research projects on vocational rehabilitation, public policy, and the employment of people with disabilities including a multistate study of Vermont Progressive Employment, use of a labor market information dashboard in Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services, and multiple initiatives with Nebraska Vocational Rehabilitation. She is currently testing a rapid engagement coordinated team approach in the Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and in Minnesota Vocational Rehabilitation Services to see if a randomized controlled vocational rehabilitation practice improves wage outcomes for persons receiving Social Security Disability Insurance.