Background A study by Olsen (2022) noted that one of the largest barriers in the employment of individuals with disabilities was the lack of reasonable adjustments that could be made. This includes changes such as alternative equipment, reductions in the workload of a task, or changes in the way an employer communicates with an employee. Requests for such accommodation can be stigmatized or perceived as too difficult and impact one’s chance of sustaining employment.

Objective This capstone project was conducted to advocate for increased employment opportunities for employees with disabilities (EWD) due to a general lack of knowledge among employers on practical workplace accommodations and to fill gaps identified in literature on information from the perspective of EWD. The goals of this capstone project include: 1) to inform employers within the food industry on practical workplace accommodation for EWD; 2) gather insights from EWD on their own workplace support; 3) advocate for increased work opportunities for EWD with educational resources on workplace accommodation.

ACOTE Area This project falls under the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) categories of Research, Advocacy, and Education. It evaluated processes in place at several food service businesses to accommodate individuals with disabilities, referenced literature to develop an educational resource for other employers, and advocated for increased employment among this population.

Methods The multimethod approach of this project involved semi-structured interviews with three employers and twelve employees, observation hours at each business site, and a thorough literature review of work accommodations that can be easily applied within the food industry. Convenience and purposive sampling were utilized to recruit employees and employers to ensure that the businesses had experience employing individuals with disabilities and were accessible for in-person observation visits around Atlanta, Georgia. Two expert opinions were also recruited for this study to provide feedback on the educational resources. A qualitative analysis was conducted to evaluate the interview responses among employers and employees, and the expert opinion feedback was utilized to analyze the effectiveness, accuracy, and appearance of the educational resource.

Results Similar support techniques among the employers included flexible scheduling, task adaptations, group training, and adapted hiring techniques. Employees highlighted the value of supportive employers and coworkers, a positive work environment, clear task instructions and structures, and individualized accommodations. Clear communication between the employer and employee and utilization of a strengths-based approach were stressed as important factors. Reported challenges were transportation and social barriers, which are often problem-solved by the employers to the best of their ability.

Conclusion and Relevance This study highlights which strategies have been beneficial for food service employers working with individuals with disabilities and how employers with disabilities perceive their support system in the workplace. The findings revealed that understanding among employers of the employee’s ability level led to greater job satisfaction and comfortability for the employee. The development of educational resources throughout this project aims to guide other food service employers to continue similar practices while understanding the reason accommodation might be provided.