Chapter 13: “Ableism Management”: The Additional Labor of Work and Life With a Disability

Using a critical disability studies (CDS) framework, this chapter calls for rethinking notions of work and work–life balance (WLB) by centering disabled people's experiences navigating in an ableist society. The concept of ableism management is developed throughout to articulate the additional labor required by disabled people across all life domains. In disability employment literature, references to work–life balance have focused on workplace accommodations without meaningful consideration of how working further extends ableism in society and into disabled people's daily lives. As labor trends and environmental and political realities are increasing the number of disabled workers, it is crucial to move beyond ableist, capitalist notions of work, workers, and people's value. Ideas for what work that supports WLB might look like in a non-ableist future are offered.