Access to meaningful and equitably paid work is an ongoing issue facing people with disabilities across the world. This article is concerned with the nature and extent of workplace accommodation currently made available in Australia to people with disabilities. The article is based on analysis of the Australian Survey of Disability Ageing and Carers (2003). The article first ratifies existing findings in the literature that people with disability are less likely to be employed and where employed, are likely to be underemployed and underpaid. Restrictions in the ability to participate in paid work without accommodations were common with the need for accommodation varying from 43% through to 91%, depending on the nature of disability experienced. We identify the possibility that people with disability self-select themselves into workplaces where they can self-accommodate their own access needs. Generally, the extent of workplace accommodations provided were low (12%–27%). Known stratifying factors (gender, ethnicity, and education) exacerbated existing barriers to accessing employment. Workers with higher training needs were less likely to secure employment while people accessing the workplace with the benefit of an advocate were more likely to be in the workforce. Strategies for enhancing employment outcomes are discussed.

A systematic literature review was conducted to assess the individual, organisation, societal, and legal influences of labour participation among individuals with a disability. Methods: Nine databases were searched, for peer-reviewed studies of individual, organisation, societal, and legal influences among disabled populations published between 1990 and 2010.

Results: Of a total of 809 papers initially selected, only 46 studies were deemed to be of sufficient quality to be included in the review. Conclusions: Numerous studies have examined labour participation among persons with physical disabilities, some among persons with chronic disabilities, and few among persons with mental disabilities. Strong evidence was found for individual and organisation influences of labour participation among persons with physical disabilities in particular pain, catastrophising, job strain, and support. Only individual influences provided strong evidence among persons with chronic disabilities and no influences provided strong evidence among those with mental disabilities. The results are presented along with methodological weaknesses and future recommendations.

This article reviews published research on the effects of disability, age and gender on the job search process. Electronic databases (Medline [via Ovid], OT Seeker, CINAHL, AMED, and Proquest 5000) were used to identify studies focusing on job search and employment, disability, age, gender and other barriers to workforce participation. There has been extensive research on the effects of age and gender on the job search process, and the available evidence indicates that disability, age and gender play significant roles in shaping the job search processes of older workers. However, there has been little rigorous investigation of the role of disability and research specifically examining the relationships between disability, job search behaviours and employment outcomes was not identified. This is a significant gap in the literature on disability and participation in the labour market. Overall, this narrative review indicates that older workers with a disability face multiple disadvantages when seeking work, which impairs their ability to fully engage in the labour market.

The use of contemporaneous evaluation in personal injury insurance enables schemes to maintain and enhance their viability through access to quality information on cost, liabilities and outcomes. Best practice in research programs in the sector requires data on client outcomes and financial performance to be collected. This article presents a case study of the research and evaluation program for the National Serious Injury Service of New Zealand's Accident Compensation Corporation.