When benefits become barriers

Abstract

Historically, many individuals with disabilities in Norway faced exclusion from participation in mainstream society. A shift in disability policy from an emphasis on segregation to integration started taking place in the late 1960s, and “full participation and equality” became the overall objective from the early 1980s. In parallel, the government has developed and implemented several welfare services and programs to enhance this integration, particularly in the labor market. Based on in-depth interviews with persons with mobility disabilities, the article addresses their experiences of transitioning into mainstream employment, supported by, and navigating through a vast array of welfare services. Born in the 1970s and early 1980s, these study participants represent so-to-speak the first generation of integrated people with disabilities. Their stories are important when exploring how and to what extent the policy of integration enhanced labor market participation. Applying a structural perspective, the article discusses why welfare service delivery processes may become barriers along the road into mainstream employment. Informed by Fraser’s (2003) “perspectival dualism,” it outlines how insufficient dimensions of redistribution and recognition impede a smooth transition into working life for persons with mobility disabilities, turning welfare services and programs into barriers.

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