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In 2009, the International Labor Organization estimated that around 10% of the world’s population have some type of disability and most of those people are of working age and could generate income. In the case of Brazil, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística [IBGE]) (2012), 24% of the Brazilian population live with a disability, that is, around 45 million people. According to data from the Annual Social Information Report (Brasil, 2019), only 400,000 people with disabilities (PWD) have a formal job, which means that less than 1% of this population has the opportunity to get a job. Thus, it is possible to see the difficulty of the labor market in including these individuals, denying their full social and economic participation, as well as creating barriers to the exercise of political and civil rights.

Work is an important part of life, whether for emotional stability, having the opportunity to achieve goals, or even for “survival” (Carvalho-Freitas et al., 2018; Paiva & Bendassolli, 2017). The value of work, as well as its meaning, is different to each individual. We can observe that work has a greater value and meaning for PWD - whether they are physical, sensorial, or mental - compared to those who do not present any type of limitation (Salvador-Ferrer, 2020; Santos & Carvalho-Freitas, 2019).

To investigate the connection between disability and work, this research carried out an integrative literature review using bibliometric and scientometric analyses. It was based on three theoretical approaches: 1. the social construction of disability; 2. the meaning of work; 3. the connection between the person with a disability and work. The concept of disability was connected to that of inclusion, which allowed it to be understood from the perspective of representation, recognition, and guarantee of rights, such as, for example, the right to equality, according to which opportunities must be democratically distributed, without distinction of color, religion, economic status, or physical status, as established by the Declaration of Human Rights from the United Nations (UN) (Organização das Nações Unidas - ONU) of 1948 and the 1988 Brazilian Constitution.

The concept of disability adopted in this investigation is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (ONU, 2006), which aims to guarantee the rights and protect the dignity of individuals who have a disability when interacting with one or more environmental barriers that might compromise their effective participation in society on equal terms. According to this definition, disability only exists through the conjunction of individual and environmental factors that may lead to limitations in the performance of activities and social participation (Paiva & Bendassolli, 2017).

Throughout history, however, the consideration of such factors has not occurred uniformly. In many cases, PWD have been excluded from society and stigmatized. Later, they were segregated into nursing homes and prevented from circulating freely in social spaces. Afterward, with integration, they were admitted to society with the condition of adapting to the demands that social and institutional life imposed on them. Finally, nowadays, the inclusive perspective has been gaining strength, and, in this perspective, PWD actively participate in social life and have their social, economic, political, and civil rights guaranteed (França, 2013; Santos et al., 2018; Rosa & Menezes, 2019).

In the middle of 1970s, as a reaction to the medical model of disability, a group of PWD created a political and theoretical current named Social Model of Disability (SMD), based on the criticism of individualistic approaches focused exclusively on the biological aspects of the body, which advocate normalizing actions that end up restricting the social participation and performance of PWD, associating them with stigmatizing representations of invalidity and social uselessness (Diniz et al., 2009). According to the SMD, disability should not be understood as an individual issue, but rather considered a serious social disadvantage caused by physical, social, economic, and political barriers. Thus, the body experiences disability from the interaction between a biological lesion and a discriminatory social environment that is incapable of dealing with human diversity and its various forms of interaction with the world. Therefore, it implies that there is no causal connection between physical limitation and disability (Diniz, 2007; Silva et al., 2018). In short, disability is an interactional phenomenon, related to social issues; therefore, it should be discussed from the political axis and not restricted to therapeutic perspectives (França, 2013).

Concerning the connection between disability and work, the SMD develops a broader understanding of the connection of the individual with the environment and how it directly affects their rights. According to the model, how PWD interact with the world is altered depending on adaptive elements or the lack of them, which directly influence their autonomy and dignity (Maftei et al., 2020). However, in some cases, even with all the architectural changes and technological aids, individuals with disabilities can remain at a disadvantage. This demonstrates the importance of the social care and puts the socially structured idea of autonomy to the test, leading to the principle of interdependence as a way to guarantee human dignity (Diniz, 2007; Becker, 2019; Paiva & Bendassolli, 2017).

From this point of view, it is essential to align the inclusive vision with the perspective of well-being, especially in the face of capitalism and the labor market (Santos & Carvalho-Freitas, 2019). The issue, therefore, is not limited to environmental barriers, as PWD deeply experience exclusion, prejudice, and marginalization in various spheres of daily life, including in the constitution of subjectivity itself, as the human being establishes a sense of self through connecting with others (Dutra et al., 2020; Ineland & Starke, 2020).

In addition to being a mean of ensuring food and survival for humans, with the development of society, work takes place as an “aspect of life”, which is a fundamental part of the individual to be and to have a place in the collective. Thus, it has a new purpose besides seeking survival, it has a social and psychological function (Paiva et al., 2015). Work is not an activity among others, as it performs a specific psychological function in personal life, since it is an activity that requires competence to do useful things, as well as to establish and preserve actions in the world; it requires a personal commitment, and an involvement of oneself with the activity.

Work can be defined as a daily exercise of vital activity, capable of shaping the form of production of subjectivity since it is the main act for the creation of material (Paiva & Bendassolli, 2017). Although working conditions can still be precarious nowadays, the work-related suffering does not arise only from work, but also from any kind of its lack, such as unemployment, underemployment, underutilization, or work discouragement (Becker, 2019; Peijen & Wilthagen, 2020).

In this way, work represents an important position in people’s lives, as it is a social symbol of emancipation and a powerful tool for social structuring in modern society. The worker establishes their role in society, while work is the concrete representation of that role (Romeo et al., 2020; Dutra et al., 2020).

In this study, we defend that the conception of work is based on the action of human beings on their environment, with their rationality and existence being dependent on it. It is from and through work that human beings are constituted, they are built in society. It is through their work that they transform society and make history, it is an essential category to explain the world and society, the past and the future, in a practice that transforms humans, taking on the task of building a new society (Clot, 2017). Work is part of people’s lives, whether for its emotional value, accomplishment of life goals, or just for “survival”, having a subjective meaning for each one (Cohen et al., 2019; Salvador-Ferrer, 2020). This meaning is influenced by the way the inclusion of the individual takes place. When it comes to PWD, we believe, according to the researched scientific literature, that work represents a means of survival, being useful to society, and the guarantee of financial and personal independence (Lima et al., 2013; Santos & Carvalho-Freitas, 2019).

Inclusion in the labor market offers autonomy and personal satisfaction to an individual; however, the market follows a logic of productivity based on a normalizing perspective, that is, not being aligned with the production standard is the same as being at a disadvantage, consequently forming a barrier between activity and inability in the case of PWD. Thus, capitalism is a non-inclusive production model, which sees the individuals and workforce as a competitive advantage. However, although people without disabilities are overestimated, sometimes, capitalism itself causes them injuries through the required activities (Diniz et al., 2009; Romeo et al., 2020). Despite the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of 2006 affirming the right to work of free choice and in an accessible, inclusive, and egalitarian environment, PWD still are discriminated against and are attributed low employability due to employers associating disability with incapacity (Violante & Leite, 2011; Santos & Carvalho-Freitas, 2019).

Thus, the discrepancy between people with and without disabilities is remarkable when comparing the participation of both in the labor market, particularly when considering educational opportunities. Statistics show that PWD are at a disadvantage in terms of literacy and professional education (IBGE, 2012). According to the 2010 census carried out by IBGE, 61.13% of PWD in Brazil had no education or did not complete elementary education. This shows the current exclusionary reality in the country, creating barriers to the training of these individuals and building a socially disadvantageous system for them (Paiva & Bendassolli, 2017; Santos, 2008).

According to the Brazilian Law on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, Law No. 13.146, of July 2015, the professional with a disability has the right to work, as well as to have education. However, the imbalance of opportunities for school advancement has an impact on employment opportunities. Therefore, educational inclusion is a political, social, cultural, and pedagogical action in defense of the rights of the citizens and directly impacts the employability of PWD, developing and establishing possibilities for individuals (Becker, 2019; Rosa & Menezes, 2019). Hence, the lack of access to inclusive education creates gaps in the educational process of PWD, such as the presence of integrative teaching methods that are negligent in meeting specific educational needs in the classroom, segregating them. Therefore, the presence of educational barriers affects the rights of these people and hinders their educational participation, directly reflecting on labor issues (Santos & Carvalho-Freitas, 2019).

In this sense, Law No. 13,146, also known as the Statute of People with Disabilities, arises from the struggle for the rights of PWD and the need for a legal instrument that equals the distribution of opportunities, providing affirmative actions for the hiring of these individuals, for example. However, despite the existence of the law, it does not provide real conditions for the inclusion of these individuals in society. That is, the adaptations that must be implemented in work environments, aiming for autonomy and adequate professional performance, are not established by the law. Furthermore, insecurity at work associated with misinformation of the employers has a significant impact on the resistance to hiring this population (Silva et al., 2019; Violante & Leite, 2011). Thus, labor issues return to the integration paradigm, in which PWD must adapt to the work environment instead of the opposite (Maftei et al., 2020).

Nevertheless, according to the literature, PWD are excluded from work before getting a job. Companies look for individuals who require a minimum of adaptation to the work environment, so that the hiring does not imply a significant loss of productivity. With this approach, the process of filling job vacancies is based on an exclusionary logic, thus maintaining an inaccessible labor market. In other words, job selection processes do not provide PWD equality, autonomy, and social participation (Pereira-Guizzo et al., 2019; Carvalho-Freitas et al., 2018).

According to research carried out by Carvalho-Freitas (2009), there is still a belief among managers in the need to separate PWD, whether in specific sectors or specialized companies (Cohen et al., 2019). The individual must adapt to the environment, while companies sometimes do not understand the importance of the adaptation of the workplace. This reinforces the difficulties faced in the market, bringing to the surface a fundamental problem in the field of disability studies: prejudice (Carvalho-Freitas et al., 2018).

Given the relevance of the these considerations, this research aimed to carry out an integrative literature review of the Brazilian scientific literature in the period between 2008 and 2018, due to events that directly impacted the rights of PWD, such as Law No. 6,949, of 2009, enacted according to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Law on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (No. 13,146, of 2015. Besides, this period precedes the beginning of the current government of Brazil, which identifies itself in politics and economics, respectively, as far-right and neoliberal, in contrast to previous governments identified as center-left and focused on social welfare. Therefore, the paper addresses the issue of PWD in the work context. It highlights the importance of mapping studies on PWD and the reality of their inclusion in the labor market, carrying out a socio-historical journey on disability. To this end, this study explores the various models related to disability and explains the impacts related to the inefficiency of a non-inclusive education, ineffective labor laws for PWD, and prejudice.

Method

Inclusion criteria

Understanding that there was a change in the political perspective adopted concerning the inclusion of PWD, the research analysis timeframe corresponds to ten years before the current government of Brazil (the period between 2008 and 2018), using the following descriptors: disability and work. The filters used in the research were: scientific journals with themes on psychology, health, education, and society; papers available in full; articles in Portuguese; and articles from national journals. Two judges analyzed the selected papers to evaluate the thematic alignment of the texts, considering the connection between PWD and work. After this evaluation, seven texts were removed due to thematic deviation or because they were repeated or republished in the following year. Finally, 31 papers remained and were selected for bibliometric and scientometric analyses.

Data collection procedures

This research is characterized as a mixed-methods study using secondary data (Creswell, 2010). It is a critical review of the literature from two databases representing the scientific production and dissemination of psychology in Brazil: Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) and Electronic Journals in Psychology (Periódicos Eletrônicos em Psicologia [Pepsic]). For that, an integrative review was carried out based on bibliometric and scientometric analyses (Santos & Kobashi, 2009; American Psychological Association, 2012).

Analysis procedures

The bibliometric analysis treats information by quantitative methods for measuring results in a sample of publications, whether papers, books, or journals. The scientometric analysis is characterized by the collection and study of the scientific sample found, seeking correlations in the results of the literature, as well as observing the scientific progress obtained over a certain period through analytical-numerical techniques (Santos & Kobashi, 2009).

After the data collection, the papers were submitted to an analysis focused on the abstracts. With the integrative review, we sought, through a previous analysis of the texts, to highlight possible contradictions and a larger representation of the elements (Bicudo, 2014). By carefully reading the papers, it was possible to gather some information, such as objective, method, research instrument, and results. For the scientometric analysis, we sought to evidence: 1. year of publication, 2. authors, 3. names of the journals, 4. educational institution, and 5. keywords.

Regarding quantitative data, the aim was to relate the results of the papers, collecting descriptive numerical elements that align with the object of study. The collection of qualitative data consisted of exposing and interpreting the literature in an attempt to establish a theoretical framework on the subject.

The information for each text was organized in two stages: in the first stage, general information for each article was considered (title, year of publication, authors, journal names, affiliations, and keywords); and, in the second, broader elements (objective, method, instrument used, and results). An analysis of the papers was also carried to discuss the findings in general.

Results

The data collected through bibliometric and scientometric techniques provided a descriptive quantitative and qualitative analysis. Based on the knowledge exposed in the papers, the systematic mapping of national publications became feasible and, consequently, it was possible to identify the material produced with the aim of reflecting on new fields of studies (Santos & Kobashi, 2009), considering the delimitation of the period of publications, that is, between 2008 and 2018. To facilitate the visualization of the results, the analysis was subdivided into categories, which are presented below.

Publishing flow

There were two years in which the flow of publications on the subject had a higher incidence, 2014 and 2015, with six publications per year (Figure 1). In addition, we can highlight the year 2017 with four publications, and 2009 and 2012, with three. We observed an inconsistent production pattern in the period between 2008 and 2018 due to the fluctuation in the frequency of publications: the years 2014 and 2015 represent the optimal point in the figure; in 2016, there was no material on the subject; and there was a sharp production oscillation from 2013 (one publication) to 2014 (six publications).

Places of origin of the publications

As for the places of publication, there was a predominance of the state of Minas Gerais, with 16 publications out of the 31 papers of the sample. This centralization of works is due to the author Carvalho-Freitas, from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais [UFMG]), after all, she has authorship or participation in most of the papers published on the subject, being present in more than half of the productions of the state in this period, nine papers precisely.

Although most publications are from public universities, seven works are from private institutions, and it is possible to highlight the institutions of the state of São Paulo with four publications, addressing topics such as vulnerability to stress and job satisfaction; employability analysis; market inclusion and public policies; and a panorama of market inclusion - all from the perspective of PWD. Cities in the South and Southeast Brazil had a larger number of publications. The four authors with more productions in this period were Carvalho-Freitas, Tette, Marques, and Oliveira, who work at the Federal University of São João del-Rei (Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei [UFSJ]) or UFMG, both in the state of Minas Gerais. In turn, in the Northeast Brazil, only one city appeared in the samples, João Pessoa, the capital of Paraíba. In the North and Midwest, there were no publications.

Authorship

Regarding the frequency of authors in the productions in the period of analysis, the author Carvalho-Freitas stands out, making clear her influence on the theme related to disability, as well as her preference for works of a quantitative nature, collecting data that indicate the perception of people toward PWD.

In the sample with 61 authors and co-authors from the bibliographic research, Carvalho-Freitas stood out for the authorship or co-authorship in nine papers, from 2008 to 2018, with an emphasis on 2009, with the publication of two papers. In addition, among the works published by Carvalho-Freitas, three researchers participated more frequently, either as authors or co-authors: Tette, Oliveira, and Marques.

The papers published by Carvalho-Freitas emphasize the investigation of the working conditions of PWD, in an attempt to collect information to develop organizational improvements. In this sense, the periodicals show that, even over a decade later, organizations still face difficulties in allocating these workers. Carvalho-Freitas explains this issue through the great interest in mapping and finding strategies to resolve the issue, and the collected samples confirm the difficulty of PWD to guarantee a position in the labor market (Carvalho-Freitas et al., 2018).

Scientific journals

There was a predominance of journals in the areas of industrial and organizational psychology and social psychology, aimed at the professionalization dynamics of the individual. There was little expression in educational psychology, even though it is an area of greater epistemological focus on the themes of disability and inclusion.

Publications on this topic showed good variability of journals, however, the journal Psychology: Science and Profession (Psicologia: Ciência e Profissão) stood out by the number of publications among the analyzed material, with four publications from 2009 to 2017. In addition, other journals can be highlighted by the number of publications: the Psychology & Society and the Journal of Social Psychology of Work, with three publications in the period between 2014 and 2018 and 2010 and 2015, respectively.

In the sample, with 19 journals, it was possible to notice the predominance of publications classified as “Qualis A”, a quality indicator of scientific production of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior [Capes]). Most of the articles of the sample, such as the ones from Psychology: Science and Profession, had a qualitative approach.

Finally, other four journals published two papers each during the period analyzed by this study, namely: Brazilian Journal of Vocational Guidance (Revista Brasileira de Orientação Profissional), Work, Education, and Health (Trabalho Educação e Saúde), Brazilian Journal of Special Education (Revista Brasileira de Educação Especial), and Psico-USF, in the period between 2008 and 2014.

Methodological analysis

The sample was divided into 26 empirical papers, which corresponds to 84% of the total amount, and five theoretical papers (16%). In addition, there was a higher incidence of papers (13) with qualitative methods (52%). Qualitative studies were divided into semi-structured interviews (six), discussion network (one), focus group (one), biographical method (one), photographic resources (one), autobiographical report (one), case study (one), and action research (one). The quantitative studies correspond to 48% (12) of the total amount of studies, and they are composed of psychometric analyses for instrument validation, such as inventories (five), questionnaires (four), and scales (three). This highlights the interest in listening to these individuals, in addition to objective data collection, considering their statements to generate data and map the issue.

Objectives

The studies aimed to evaluate aspects that involve the experience of PWD in the labor market, with the most interesting characteristics of the papers being: difficulties to access the labor market (12); understanding the meaning and importance of work for PWD (seven); perception of managers about the potential of PWD (four); perspective of the PWD (four); quality of life for PWD at work (two); and the perspective of the person with intellectual disability in the career trajectory (two).

Main results of the selected studies

The results of the studies showed the strength of prejudice against the hiring of PWD acting as a catalyst for the impairment to be perceived as a productivity impediment by employers (Coutinho et al., 2017). Furthermore, the low quality of working life for those people highlights the need to improve the general conditions of the work environment and social inclusion and prepare employers to understand the needs of each individual. In turn, the papers brought results that also point to the development of this perception of managers in relation to PWD, establishing a positive correlation between manager and employee with a disability during the working time, as well as the good performance of those people. In 25% of the results of the papers, work exerts an influence on the lives of PWD, being a source of pleasure and reaffirmation of potential (França, 2013; Redig & Glat, 2017).

The papers that approached aspects of the quality of life of workers with disabilities (two) and the inclusion of those workers in the labor market (nine) brought results aligned with the reality of non-guarantee of rights and lack of adaptation of the workplace, which reflect the social, political, and structural gaps. Moreover, the results showed that only a third of the companies comply with the regulations, that is, they fill a certain number of vacancies with PWD.

Discussion

This study aimed to carry out an integrative literature review on the inclusion of PWD in the labor market, qualitatively analyzing their inclusion based on secondary data from scientific papers published in national journals from 2008 to 2018.

The results indicate that there was an increase in the number of publications related to disability from 2014 to 2015, and we identified as possible stimulators in this period: 1. the creation of an amendment regarding the granting of retirement for PWD, insured by the Brazilian general legislation on social security, considering age and time of contribution; 2. the update of the Statute of People with Disabilities (Law No. 13,146/2015); and 3. the significant increase in access of this population to tertiary education. According to statistics from the census conducted by the Brazilian Ministry of Education (Ministério da Educação - MEC) in 2013, 30,000 PWD enrolled in an undergraduate program that year, an increase of almost 50% compared to 2010. In addition, related to these statistics, legal changes imply improvements in the rights of these people and changes in the organization of work, as the social security guarantee establishes, for example, support according to the physical conditions (Garcia, 2014).

Another category analyzed refers to the places of publication, and it was possible to highlight the production of researchers from Southeast Brazil, especially the state of Minas Gerais, with the concentration of scientific production by the author Carvalho-Freitas. This aspect shows that scientific production on people with disabilities still predominates in the Southeast regarding other regions of the country (Carvalho-Freitas et al., 2018). This demonstrates, in our perception, the need to expand the research carried out on the subject, particularly in the Midwest, North, and Northeast, either by fostering funding and publications by national agencies or by calling for special issues of scientific journals.

The journal Psychology: Science and Profession of the Federal Council of Psychology (Conselho Federal de Psicologia) stands out among the others for the largest number of publications on the subject, which indicates that access to research information is not only restricted to the scientific community but also affects psychology professionals (Paiva et al., 2015).

Regarding the methodological aspects, we observed that there is a predominance of empirical studies with a variety of quantitative and qualitative approaches, thus demonstrating a diversification of procedures and tools for accessing information in research with PWD in the work context. We evaluated as positive the predominance of empirical research and methodological plurality, considering the need to expand the corpus of research on the subject (Violante & Leite, 2011). At the same time, we believe that theoretical research, literature review, and state of the art are necessary to promote the creation of conceptual and analytical tools, as well as a systematic and specific understanding of issues related to the phenomenon of disability, as it is already the case with gender and ethnic and racial studies.

The objectives and results of the researched papers presented a predominance of themes related to inclusion at work (12 papers) and meaning of work (seven papers), which demonstrates the focus of interest of the papers in examining how the participation of these individuals in the labor market takes place and the social experience they have in this immersion. However, even after years of the emergence of the social model and the legislative perception about the existing barriers regarding the phenomenon of disability, the data show that old problems persist, such as prejudice in hiring, the lack of preparation of employers regarding the importance of an adequate work environment, and environments without accessibility (França, 2013; Garcia, 2014). The market mentality is still characterized by standard thought, which integrates the individual into the environment, but does not include it, preventing the proper connection with the environment (Glat & Fernandes, 2005), as well as promoting exclusionary traits regarding beliefs about productivity and lack of qualification of the individual (Coutinho et al., 2017).

According to the data collected, we can admit the impact of some factors, such as the Brazilian law on quotas (Law No. 12,711/2012), because, even though it guarantees a position for PWD, it does not stipulate guidelines for adaptation of the workplace (Violante & Leite, 2011); the lack of public policies that regulate the inclusion of workers with disabilities in the market (Maftei et al., 2020; Paiva & Bendassolli, 2017); social inclusion in the organizational environment; and the low representation of this population (Garcia, 2014). However, Paiva et al. (2015) emphasize the importance of work in the individual’s life as a source of pleasure, health, satisfaction, life perspective, public utility, and social identity. In other words, the exclusion of this basic right can directly impact mental health and the perspective of the PWD as individuals (Santos, 2008).

The current situation is still of low representation of PWD in the formal labor market, with a concentration of this productive group in precarious, discontinued, and informal activities (Becker, 2019). In addition, business policies prioritize the employment of people whose disabilities do not require structural changes in the company or who represent an advantage regarding the production mode (Violante & Leite, 2011). Most employers interviewed, according to Violante and Leite (2011), conceive disability as an individual phenomenon, which represents a deviation from the inclusive discourse. Therefore, the criteria that involve the inclusion of PWD in the labor market are excluding and favor the creation of barriers to hiring, whether structural or attitudinal, based on prejudice and lack of knowledge about the subject (Lima et al., 2013).

In this sense, elements such as prejudice contribute to the individual being perceived as responsible for the limitations arising from their condition, omitting factors such as structural and social barriers in the environment (Coutinho et al., 2017). In response to this, the studies by Redig and Glat (2017) point to the good performance and production PWD when there is some form of adaptation in the context of work (Pereira-Guizzo et al., 2019).

Therefore, the need to raise awareness among employers about working conditions is evident. A critical and in-depth reflection on the inclusion of PWD is necessary, as this directly affects the employer-employee connection, being important to add the idea of inclusion to business objectives (Ineland & Starke, 2020; Carvalho-Freitas et al., 2018; Lima et al., 2013). In this sense, according to Carvalho-Freitas et al. (2018), one of the most important factors in maintaining the meaning and satisfaction of work is the quality of life related to the activity, being a decisive professional factor and interfering more emphatically than the difficulty of inclusion in the labor market and the disability itself as an exclusionary agent.

Finally, we can extract from the data the consequences of the processes of stigmatization (Goffman, 1998) and discrimination concerning the opportunities for PWD and how they widely affect their lives (Peijen & Wilthagen, 2020). Thus, resulting from social exclusion, PWD deal with exclusion at school, which contributes to a low educational level, consequently limiting their participation in the labor market and forcing them to work in precarious and inadequate conditions. Thus, exclusion results in a high index of this population occupying the poverty line, mainly due to the lack of equalization of educational and social opportunities. The underestimation of these people and the consequent prejudice against them make them invisible even in the academic context, with it being reflected on the low production on the subject in the last years.

Conclusion

The historical context of disability is marked by the search for rights and social self-affirmation. Therefore, PWD seek autonomy as a worthy means of experiencing life. In addition, the inclusion of PWD is connected to the struggle to guarantee rights, since equal access to education and work is essential. In this sense, work as a social activity causes a significant impact on the lives of these individuals through the meaning of the activity, personal satisfaction, identity, social recognition, perception of usefulness, and a way of affirming oneself as a citizen.

With the study we carried out on the labor inclusion of PWD, it was possible to access information about the conditions concerning the inclusion of PWD in the labor market, as well as highlight the difficulties and gaps in this process. We identified what has been produced in the last decade and investigated the texts by searching regularities among the results.

In general, two characteristics are observed in the issue disability-activity-labor market: 1. the continuity of historical and discriminatory paradigms about PWD reinforces prejudice, showing that we still need to overcome these social barriers that stigmatize the individual, limiting their full social participation; and 2. there is a need to improve legislation and public policies that integrate the PWD into society, after all, the current affirmative action laws do not guarantee the full compliance with the rights of these people. In summary, the fight against discrimination and prejudice, as well as the need for continuous improvement of the conditions of accessibility and equalization of opportunities through laws and affirmative action policies are central points in the inclusion of PWD in paid labor activities.

According to the results obtained, we identified several impediments related to prejudice, such as: 1. the low interest of companies in prioritizing the adaptations of the professional environment, which affects workers with disabilities, creating barriers to their adequacy, quality of life at work, and productivity; 2. the interest of companies in hiring individuals without extensive adaptive needs or who represent some form of productive advantage, which implies exclusive hiring characteristics; and 3. misalignment of inclusive precepts, characterizing disability as an individual issue, as well as in the medical model. The data collected showed us that failures in the legislation directly impact the compliance with the rights, as well as enable employment maneuvers by the managers. This is an aspect that needs to be monitored by the government and the organized civil society, being necessary a State policy that proposes respect and inclusion as pillars of social development and citizenship.

Despite the struggle for an inclusive society and equalizing opportunities of full social participation of PWD, the low representation of this minority in the labor market indicates that they are being deprived of their rights. This finding requires engagement in a political and social struggle, whose paths to equalize opportunities are based on breaking prejudiced and stigmatizing thoughts and attitudes and improving working conditions. Therefore, more specific legal guidelines can help to preserve the rights of PWD, as well as to create an inclusive and participatory environment.

Observing the results of this research, it is clear that, despite disability being considered a category of sociological analysis comparable to ethnic-racial and gender issues, this is still an incipient theme in scientific journals in the area of industrial and organizational psychology. The exclusion of PWD from the labor market is possibly due to issues related to the educational exclusion process and it may end up leading PWD to poverty. Therefore, this investigation suggests a research agenda for new studies that seek: 1. to analyze the impacts of changes in quota laws and inclusion of workers with disabilities on the effective inclusion of PWD at work; 2. theoretically and systematically develop disability as a category of social analysis equated with gender, color, race, ethnicity, religion, among others; and 3. consider inclusive work contexts and their potential impacts for the improvement of affirmative action laws and public policies. In the current Brazilian government, the tendency toward a growing labor inclusion of PWD seems to be questioned, reduced, or relativized in its legal and political aspects, which might require further research considering the impacts of far-right policies and the neoliberal economic agenda on the rights of this population to work and fully participate in society. Finally, we suggest that such research be accompanied by critical reviews of the literature from international databases representing the scientific production and dissemination of psychology, especially industrial and organizational psychology.

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Author notes

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Pedro Paulo Honorato Alves, Rua Dalva Filgueiras de Athayde, 1777, Manaíra, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil. CEP 58038-512. E-mail: pedrophonorato@gmail.com

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