NIE Case Study Report December 12, 2023
Following the earlier phases of this project; literature review, environmental scan, interviews, and focus groups; phase three (“where do we want to go?”) involved in-depth case studies conducted by the UBC Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship research team in partnership with Regenerem Consulting.
This phase sought to explore three main areas of inquiry: 1) What are the enabling conditions that exist within the workplace (i.e. accessible building, living wage, task modification), 2) How does the workplace respond to structural barriers that exist beyond its walls/culture (i.e. located on a bus route, flexible schedule, training managers about inclusion and nonviolent communication, actively fostering natural supports, business model, guiding values, internal workplace policies), and 3) What enabling structures are embedded in the workplace (i.e. stable baseline funding, political priorities at a government level, organizational partnerships, community support, economic context, cultural norms)?
The prior stages of this project supported the identification of several case examples of models of inclusive employment practices across BC. Case study was used to examine these models in more depth and identify structural conditions and employment practices that promote meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Case study has a long and rich tradition within qualitative methods, focused on allowing researchers to take an in-depth look at a particular circumstance, drawing out detailed and holistic understandings from small sample size (Tight, 2017). Ethical approval for this phase of the project was obtained from the UBC Research Ethics Board. An external review was completed by the British Columbia Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills.