Shadows and lights: disabled workers’ use of digital technologies in the workplace

Abstract

Purpose In this research, we apply a sociological lens to reconstruct the perspectives of disabled workers in their use of digital technologies within the organizational setting. Our study has two objectives. First, we aim to investigate how disabled workers use digital technologies to enact socially valued roles, thereby helping to counteract internalized societal norms through enhancing workplace inclusion. Second, we seek to explain under which conditions disabled workers can better approach the digital imperatives in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach This research has a qualitative research design, employing the thematic-content analysis method. We conducted one-to-one interviews with 33 disabled workers in various positions who used a variety of digital technologies in their work. Findings Our findings outline how the digital environment in the workplace creates a distinct set of rules and expectations that disabled workers must navigate. These rules reflect the structures and practices inherent in digital technologies (logic of practice), which either empower or constrain disabled workers based on their habitus and the ability to leverage various forms of capital. This study discusses how some disabled workers who have greater access to cultural capital (such as digital skills) are better positioned to navigate the digital environment, whereas those with limited access to such capital face additional challenges. It explained how symbolic violence arises in the experiences of some disabled workers by revealing how the implicit rules of the digital workplace reinforce power dynamics that marginalize them, thereby perpetuating social domination. Originality/value In examining the ambivalent role of digital technologies for disabled workers, this research navigates the complex interplay between empowerment and barriers within the digital workplace. Drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of practice, this study explains how the enactment of digital technologies can enhance the sociability and inclusion of disabled workers. Thanks to his concepts of habitus, forms of capital, field, illusion and symbolic violence, we highlight the disruptions that can emerge in reconciling disability with digital requirements. Moreover, the study makes pivotal contributions to the discourse on diversity, inclusion and equality. It underscores the empowerment aspect, wherein digital technologies serve as critical enablers for communication, productivity and independence for disabled workers and critically evaluates the persistent barriers to digital inclusivity.

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