Supported employment : persons with learning difficulties in Malaysia

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Abstract

Many studies in the minority world have emphasized the potentially positive
influences of supported as opposed to sheltered employment on the
inclusion of persons with disabilities, including learning difficulties, into the
mainstream economy and community. In 2007, Malaysia, as one of the
developing countries which possesses a growing population of persons with
learning difficulties, started to promote this form of employment hoping for
similar outcomes. However, in the majority world where a country is
designing policy for the first time and is at the relatively early stages of
implementation, there has been little research to explore supported
employment practices for persons with learning difficulties and offer empirical
findings from real employment experiences. Thus, this thesis aims to fill this
gap through providing some substantial evidence and new insights.
The social theory of disability and the debates around it have been
particularly influential in the past three decades. These have helped to shape
the approach of this research into understanding the experiences of persons
with learning difficulties in the labour market in Malaysia. The study also
covers the general understanding of disability from an Islamic perspective.
Theoretical approaches to career and career development are also
discussed before specifically focusing on the barriers faced in accessing a
working life and developing a career in paid jobs as well as achieving greater
social integration.
The empirical contribution of the thesis is through a study of supported
employment initiated in Malaysia to enable persons with learning difficulties
to work in the mainstream retail sector, and sets that experience in the
context of relevant policy and practice. It aims to produce key insights into
the ‘lived realities’ of employees with learning difficulties taking part in the
scheme. It foregrounds their perceptions but also explores the viewpoints of
government officials, managers and non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
coordinators involved in the development of policy and practice relating to
the scheme. The research participants were drawn from the 82 employees
with learning difficulties engaged in the supported employment scheme in a
retail company, together with seven managers involved with the scheme,
eight government officials and three NGOs coordinators.
One finding of the study is that, in general, supported employment is likely to
help to reduce the stigma associated with having a disability. However, while
most persons with learning difficulties believe themselves to have the ability
to work in supported employment, others, including those who are providing
support for their entry to the workforce, still have doubts. Notwithstanding enjoying many aspects of their working lives in supported employment, some
employees face difficulties in developing interpersonal relationships in the
workplace and achieving much better control of their own lives than is often
assumed to result from having a job.
The findings also suggest that stability in the political, economic and social
environment facilitate the development of better policy in this complex area.
Commitment from the company is vitally important to guarantee the success
of the scheme. The existence of international policy frameworks are also
helpful and cross-country collaboration has been tremendously beneficial, in
particular that between Malaysian institutions and the Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Further development of policy and practice is required, especially in
enriching the understanding of disability issues among most government
officials, managers and NGOs coordinators, taking greater account of the
research evidence that points to the limited awareness of and specific
knowledge about disability issues, particularly for persons with learning
difficulties and their employability. The voices and views of persons with
learning difficulties should also be better acknowledged in setting priorities
for disability-related reform. Finally, in order to sustain and develop
supported employment more effectively, there is a fundamental need to
upgrade the education and training system for this group as well as to
intensify collaboration between government departments.

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