Abstract
BACKGROUND: Policymakers in the United States continue to face challenges in implementing effective strategies to encourage people with disabilities receiving disability benefits to participate in the labor market. Ticket to Work is one such strategy that has undergone considerable scrutiny. However, the experience of people with disabilities within welfare reform is an area that has been under-researched. OBJECTIVE: To explore how this contentious issue affects the provision of Vocational Rehabilitation services. Following the implementation of Ticket to Work, does workfare policy allow people with disabilities to pursue full and equal participation in the labor market, and do they have equality of opportunity to achieve employment? METHODS: This research takes a qualitative approach to social policy, using empirical data from focus groups with people with disabilities and interviews with policymakers, employment service providers and employers. RESULTS: Three themes emerged from an analysis of data framed within the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in relation to disability rights and workfare policy: the rights of people with disabilities; the expectations of people with disabilities; and the practices associated with policy reform. The findings suggest that a collaboration of government actors, community organizations and the business community is necessary in order to achieve human rights.