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Abstract
In the three manuscripts that comprise this dissertation, I explore the possibility of an alternative organizational space for disability inclusion. The first manuscript (Chapter 2) aims to conceptualize a new paradigm of diversity and inclusion in organizations. In this study, I apply organizational learning theories, such as single-, double-, and triple-loop learning theories, to explain how the diversity and inclusion paradigm has evolved to date and further envision what organizations might look like as each individual brings a heightened, in-the-moment awareness to dealing with diversity in organizations. The proposed paradigm challenges the performance-oriented approach to diversity and inclusion that has dominated the business sector for at least the last two decades, and provides insights into how we can continuously learn, grow, and develop from diversity both individually and collectively. Drawing upon interviews from seven employees with disabilities in Deliberately Developmental Organizations (DDOs), where, instead of productivity, employees continuous learning, growth, and development is the main organizing principle, the second and third manuscripts attempt to see if the new conceptualization of diversity and inclusion offered in the first manuscript is indeed practiced in organizations and thus experienced by their minority employees. Specifically, I utilize two analytic lenses to investigate the experiences of employees with disabilities in DDOs. The second manuscript (Chapter 3) uses a thematic analysis technique to identify themes related to how employees with disabilities make sense of their organizational culture. The third manuscript (Chapter 4) uses a discourse analysis technique to identify the patterns of language used by employees with disabilities to construct their own identity under the influence of ableism. The analyses of data showed that the participants engaged in powerful discursive practices that challenged the discourse on ableism, as well as reported the overall positive experiences of working in DDOs, demonstrating the potential of a DDO as an alternative organizational space for disability inclusion and beyond.