Development and Implementation of Reasonable Accommodation in Employment for Persons with Chronic Health Issues: An Exploratory Study in Slovenia

Employment implies economic independence, social inclusion, non-discrimination and impacts people’s life in areas beyond work. Therefore, for persons with disabilities (PwD), that include persons with chronic diseases (PwCD), equal employment opportunities must be provided and reasonable accommodation (RA) in employment carefully designed. The objectives of this study done in Slovenia were: (i) to translate and adapt RA Factor Survey (RAFS; Dong et al., 2010); (ii) to examine psychometric properties of its expanded Slovenian modification Aspects of RA survey (ARAS); (iii) to find out the views of professionals in the field by ARAS; (iv) to present Slovenian model of employment rehabilitation concerning PwD and PwCD. ARAS was developed with the collaboration of professionals performing focus groups, it consists of three parts Influencing factors, Contents areas and Barriers with 78 items. Data were collected from 140 professionals and underwent descriptive statistics and factor analysis. The results showed that the key factors for RA implementation are attitude and support of employer/organization. Other important factors are employee and his/her employment, the conditions to implement RA, and the awareness of employee and work environment. ARAS might be used as a framework to assist in the development, improvement, and implementation of RA in practice. This is discussed in the broader context of equal opportunities for employment of PwD including PwCD and the welfare model in Slovenia.