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ILR Institute Directors publish volume on disability and work

"Our view of work and the jobs we do has evolved…[to] effectively defining one's identity or core being. Today, to a very large extent, we are what we 'do.' This evolving emphasis on work has not bypassed people with disabilities."

This is the start of Employment and Work, written by EDI director, Susanne Bruyère, and ICS managing director, Linda Barrington. Published in September, their book explores issues facing people with disabilities in employment and the work environment. It draws from the varied disciplines that make up the field of disability studies, creating an interdisciplinary approach to the topics central to the employment of individuals with disabilities.

The topic of employment and disability is both timely and important, notes Barrington, "given the employment challenges faced by a new generation of wounded-warrior veterans, the aging population (both in and out of the labor force), and our expanding knowledge base on disabilities overall." Research shows, adds Bruyère, "that employment is not only important for monetary and personal fulfillment, but also for the maintenance of health and even happiness."

Employment and Work is one of eight volumes in the new SAGE Reference Series on Disability: Key Issues and Future Directions. The SAGE series, in its entirety, provides "both a survey of major disability issues and a guide to new directions and trends and contemporary resources in the field as a whole." According to the publisher, it is written in a "concise and engaging" style and offers a comprehensive one-stop introduction and overview for persons with disabilities as well as "for others whose current or future work involves the care and/or study of those with disabilities." 

Click here to read more of this ILR collaboration