Pipelining: Problematizing the Social Constructionism of Disability in Supported Employment

People who are disabled encounter income inequity and employment discrimination. The intersection of disability-based inequity and employment discrimination has increasingly been called the Disability and Employment Conundrum (DEC). Within the last 20 years, the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model attempts to resolve the DEC. Through a policy-based method called Supported Employment (SE), the IPS model aims to gain employment for people who are disabled and seeking employment. Much of the research that supports the IPS model neglects to look at external factors that impact the DEC. The IPS model's scope focuses on internal factors, or the individuals who are seeking employment, and is thereby narrowed. The IPS model's narrowed scope disproportionately impacts people with cognitive disabilities who are seeking employment. From a social constructionist perspective, this thesis examines how the IPS model became focused on internal factors at the expense of people who are disabled and seeking employment.