Disability and employment: considering the importance of social capital

Journal of Rehabilitation, July-Sept, 2005 by Blyden Potts

Potts, Carey, Bryen, and Cohen (under review) found that job contact networks did impact employment among persons with serious speech disability who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technology. In describing their experiences finding employment, 34 of the 38 AAC risers in that study indicated that network contacts played a major role in their success in finding a job (Carey, Potts, Bryen and Shankar, 2004). A focus group of employed AAC users with Cerebral Palsy "identified social networks ... as critical resources when seeking employment" (McNaughton, Light, and Arnold, 2002).

Roy, Dimigen, and Taylor (1998) studied the social networks and employment of visually impaired college graduates. They found those who were employed were more likely to spend time socially outside of home in bars, in social clubs, or informally with friends, did so more frequently and with a greater number of persons than the unemployed, and had a larger number of persons "who regularly helped [them] look for employment" (M 3.18 vs. 1.79) (Roy, Dimigen & Taylor, 1998). Curiously and contrary to a model based on human capital, the authors found no association between degree of visual impairment and employment status.

These studies are suggestive that social capital does impact the employment of persons with a disability as with the general population, but lack replication and represent only two types of disability. Still, the findings are consistent with the extensive body of research on the general population. Lacking evidence to suggest that persons with a disability differ in this regard, we are probably safe assuming that networks impact the employment of persons with a disability in much the same way that they do for everyone else.

Could the networks of persons with a disability be less effective (e.g. smaller, more redundant) that those of persons without disabilities? It seems plausible that they might be, although there is little research to confirm this. Building and maintaining social relationships requires interaction with people. Some disabilities may adversely impact on social interaction. In particular persons with severe cognitive disability, severe communication disability, very limited mobility, or major facial or physical disfigurement might be at highest risk for having limited social networks, because these disabilities seem most likely to impact personal interactions. Potts, Carey, Bryen, and Cohen (tinder review) found that persons with serious speech disability who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technology tended to have smaller job contact networks than otherwise similar persons who did not have an apparent disability. However, a study of European women with fibromyalgia (Bolwijn et al., 1996) found that women with fibromyalgia had equal or possibly better social networks than did a matched control group. Until more research is conducted, we can only speculate about the exact relationship between various types of disability and social networks.