Nurses with Disabilities’ Experience of Accommodation in the Workplace: A Qualitative Study

Nurses with disabilities employed in the healthcare industry reported leaving due to lack of accommodation. Accommodation is a complex phenomenon that is not well understood by the nursing profession. There is scarce published research on the experience and process of accommodation as perceived by nurses with disabilities in the workplace. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the experience, process, and how to facilitate an ideal process of accommodation in the workplace. Nurses were recruited for this study from flyer announcements posted on various bulletin boards and websites. The principal investigator used a semi-structured interview protocol to telephone interview a purposive sample of 21 U.S. Registered Nurses with disabilities who experienced accommodation in the workplace. Data were analyzed using the method of constant comparison. The analysis indicated that nurses with disabilities often “self-accommodate,” there was no formal process of accommodation in the workplace, and employers were resistant to provide accommodation requests. Nurses with disabilities recommended employers be active, flexible, and accountable to provide nurses with accommodation. Based on these findings, employers should develop a streamlined process of accommodation to help nurses with disabilities navigate through the process, and nurses with disabilities need to feel “safe” requesting accommodation in the workplace. This study is relevant for nurses with disabilities and employers who experience accommodation in the workplace, and many suggestions are offered by nurses on how nurses with disabilities and employers can facilitate an ideal “proactive” process of accommodation in the workplace. Development of a process of accommodation, education on accommodation, and retention of nurses with disabilities in the profession are imperative to ensure an adequate and diverse nursing workforce in the future.