Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living (RAIL) Research Centre Early-Mid Career Researcher Grant

Development of an evidence-informed explainer video: Empowering employers to hire people with spinal cord injuries.
Significance: Estimated rates of employment for people with SCI range between 31-49% compared to the non-disabled population (84%) [1]. This rate has not changed for the past three decades. Employers’ negative attitudes is one of the main contributors to non-employment of people with disabilities [2]. One of the four priority areas of Employ My Ability – the Disability Employment Strategy is lifting employer engagement, capability and demand, by providing employers with the tools and abilities to confidently hire, and support more people with disability [3]. An explainer video will equip employers with increased knowledge and confidence to employ people with SCI.

Research question: Can a video explainer be used to increase employers’ confidence to employ people with SCI?

Methodology: Qualitative methods will be used to explore the perceptions and understanding of employers/employer groups regarding employing someone with a SCI. A co-production process will be undertaken with the lived experience experts on the team, to incorporate this new evidence to inform the development of a video explainer. The video explainer will be disseminated to potential future employers of people with SCI.