Employment of People with Learning Disabilities: Research with Employers
The Fraser of Allander Institute, in the Department of Economics at the University of Strathclyde, are conducting research to understand the experiences of employers who have previously hired a person with a learning disability.
Their aim is to inform policy on employment support for people with learning disabilities and also provide guidance for employers who have not yet hired someone with a disability.
If you work for a company/organisation which has hired people with learning disabilities, you have experience of the recruitment and/or HR processes which affect people with learning disabilities in your organisation, and would like to get involved please read on for further information and contacts.
What is the purpose of this research?
This research is being conducted to understand the experiences of employers who have previously hired a person with a learning disability. Our aim is to inform policy on employment support for people with learning disabilities and also provide guidance for employers who have not yet hired someone with a disability.
Do you have to take part?
It is up to you whether you decide to take part or not. If you decide to take part and then would like to withdraw from the research at any point, you can do so without giving a reason.
What will you do in the project?
You will take part in an interview lasting approximately one hour. In this interview, you will be asked to share information about your company/organisation’s experiences in hiring people with learning disabilities. A set of questions will be shared with you in advance to help you prepare for the interview.
Why have you been invited to take part?
You have been asked to take part because you work for a company/organisation which has hired people with learning disabilities. You should also have experience of the recruitment and/or HR processes which affect people with learning disabilities in your organisation. Please refer to the question sheet provided and speak to the researchers if you are unsure whether you can answer the questions based on your experience.
What information is being collected in the project?
You will be asked about your company and role, and the roles of those who have worked at your company with a learning disability. The interview will cover the first role filled in your company by someone with a learning disability, the recruitment process for all people with learning disabilities, and the support provided during employment to those with learning disabilities. A document with potential questions will be shared with you in advance of the interview to ensure you feel prepared for the interview.
Some of this information may make you or your company identifiable – we will generalise information wherever possible in research outputs but cannot fully guarantee anonymity if, for example, someone who works with your company reads the report. We are aware that some companies may wish to be explicitly identified in this research – you will be asked whether you and your company would like to be identified in the research by name (please ensure you have permission from a senior member of the company if you are not able to give this permission yourself).
We may also collect from you written descriptions of job roles and recruitment materials where available – please ensure these do not contain any individual’s personal information before sharing with us. We will not share any of your provided documents as research outputs.
Who will have access to the information?
Your responses will be confidential. You can choose whether you would like to be identified in the research outputs as an individual and as part of your company/organisation. If you choose not to be identified, we cannot guarantee complete anonymity since there is a chance of your company/organisation being identifiable based on the information shared, though we will take steps to reduce this risk by generalising information where possible.
Interviews will be conducted either in person at the University of Strathclyde or your business premises, or virtually using Microsoft Teams. If recorded in person, the audio will be recorded on a password protected smartphone belonging to the researchers then transferred to our secure OneDrive account. If recorded virtually, we will use the Microsoft Teams recording function which stores the audio recording directly in our secure OneDrive. The audio recording of your interview will be shared with the transcription company Global Connections Ltd for the purposes of creating an interview transcript. Otherwise, the audio and transcript of your interview will only be viewable by the researchers.
Where will the information be stored and how long will it be kept for?
The audio and transcript of your interview will be stored in a secure folder only accessible to the researchers on the university’s OneDrive/Microsoft Teams system. These files will be deleted once the research has been completed and any outputs published. Since this may include academic publication, the data may be stored securely for several years.
Thank you for reading this information – please ask any questions if you are unsure about what is written here.
All personal data will be processed in accordance with data protection legislation. Please read our Privacy Notice for Research Participants for more information about your rights under the legislation.
What happens next?
If you are happy to take part in the research, please send your signed consent form to Chirsty McFadyen at Chirsty.mcfadyen@strath.ac.uk. Chirsty will get in touch to discuss your availability for an interview.
If you do not want to be involved in the project, you do not need to do anything further – thank you for your attention.
Once the research is complete, the researchers will send any outputs to you. We will also provide a shorter summary of the results of the research.
Researcher contact details:
Chirsty McFadyen Chirsty.mcfadyen@strath.ac.uk (Chief Investigator)
Emma Congreve emma.j.congreve@strath.ac.uk
David Jack David.jack@strath.ac.uk
Fraser of Allander Institute
Duncan Wing, Strathclyde Business School
University of Strathclyde
Glasgow
G1 1XQ
This research was granted ethical approval by the Strathclyde Department of Economics Ethics Committee.
If you have any questions/concerns, during or after the research, or wish to contact an independent person to whom any questions may be directed or further information may be sought from, please contact:
Secretary to the University Ethics Committee
Research & Knowledge Exchange Services
University of Strathclyde
Graham Hills Building
50 George Street
Glasgow
G1 1QE
Telephone: 0141 548 3707
Email: ethics@strath.ac.uk
