Department of Social Welfare, Ewha Womans University, 52 Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea.
Department of Social Welfare, Myongji University, 34 Geobukgol-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03674, Republic of Korea.
Disabil Health J. 2019 Oct;12(4):685-693. doi: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2019.03.011. Epub 2019 Apr 4.
Social enterprises can be an alternative option for people with disabilities to build confidence in the job market, where unemployment and difficulty securing a decent job is a social issue for this population. However, limited studies have examined these experiences from the participants' perspectives.
This study explored the life experiences of people with disabilities working in social enterprises, using the photovoice method.
Five employees with physical disabilities working in a social enterprise participated in five sessions of photovoice in South Korea. They took photos for each session on four themes and participated in group discussions.
This paper draws from narrations and photos shared during group discussions regarding four themes selected by participants: my current state, life changes after being employed in a social enterprise, feeling frustrated, and my future. The participants reported better quality of life both financially and socially, but also felt frustration facing interpersonal, health, or workload problems while working at a social enterprise. They expressed hope to continue working in their social enterprise, and thus ultimately experience better quality of life and a sense of contributing to society.
Employers can create more supportive and sustainable workplaces to secure decent job opportunities for persons with disabilities at a social enterprise and contribute social value. Social work professionals should provide professional support to employees with disabilities who are struggling with health and psychosocial problems that often occur in social enterprises.
社会企业可以为残疾人提供另一种选择，帮助他们在就业市场中建立信心，因为对于这一群体来说，失业和难以找到体面工作是一个社会问题。然而，有限的研究从参与者的角度考察了这些经验。
本研究使用摄影法探讨了在社会企业工作的残疾人的生活经历。
韩国的一家社会企业的五名肢体残疾员工参加了五次摄影活动。他们在四个主题上为每个环节拍摄照片，并参加小组讨论。
本文根据参与者选择的四个主题的小组讨论中的叙述和照片得出：我的现状、在社会企业就业后的生活变化、感到沮丧、我的未来。参与者报告说，他们的生活质量在经济和社会方面都有所改善，但在社会企业工作时，他们也会因为人际关系、健康或工作负荷问题而感到沮丧。他们表示希望继续在自己的社会企业工作，从而最终体验到更好的生活质量和为社会做出贡献的感觉。
雇主可以创造更具支持性和可持续性的工作场所，为社会企业中的残疾人提供体面的工作机会，并创造社会价值。社会工作专业人员应为在社会企业中经常出现的健康和心理社会问题而苦苦挣扎的残疾员工提供专业支持。
