Employers and employees with disabilities in the UK: An economically beneficial relationship?

This paper examines the importance of the “business case” in relation to disability practice. In order to investigate this issue, it draws on an analysis of over 400 top company annual reports. Findings cast doubt on the notion that organisations are influenced by an explicitly economic rationale, and also indicate the apparent limited influence of notions of social justice. Instead, they point toward the prominence of corporate social responsibility, suggesting that employers might be using the employment of people with disabilities as a subtle way to promote their corporate image.