Workplace Disability Inclusion in Higher Education: A Comparative Analysis of Ashanti Technical University (Ghana) and Northern Lakes University (Canada)
Year: 2026
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This study examines how workplace disability inclusion policies are interpreted and implemented in two public higher education institutions: Northern Lakes University in Ontario, Canada, and Ashanti Technical University in Ghana. It investigates the factors shaping workplace disability inclusion policies and the institutional processes through which accommodation and accessibility support are coordinated. A qualitative comparative case study design is employed, drawing on institutional policy documents and semi-structured interviews with seven purposively selected institutional actors working in Human Resources, disability support, staff welfare, unions, health and safety, and institutional accessibility advocacy. Employees with disabilities were not recruited as a separate participant group. The data are analyzed through inductive and deductive coding using NVivo and interpreted through Michel Foucault’s concepts of discourse and power/knowledge, Teun van Dijk’s Critical Discourse Analysis, and Frank Parkin’s concepts of social closure and usurpation. The findings reveal that both universities formally recognize disability inclusion, accommodation, and accessibility, but policy commitments are unevenly translated into workplace practice. Northern Lakes University has a well-structured medical accommodation pathway, although access is shaped by documentation requirements, limited awareness, unequal collective bargaining representation, and an advisory task force that lacks enforcement authority. At Ashanti Technical University, responsibility is distributed across offices, with implementation affected by hierarchical decision-making, weak coordination, resource constraints, and administrative discretion. Across both institutions, consultation does not necessarily provide decision-making influence, and those identifying barriers do not always control the resources or authority required to address them. The study concludes that meaningful workplace disability inclusion requires clearer institutional responsibility, adequate resources, enforceable accountability, coordinated accommodation processes, and stronger institutional mechanisms for consultation, participation, and follow-through. Keywords: disability inclusion, higher education, workplace accommodation, Ghana, Canada.
Author: Adu-Donkoh, Benjamin
Institution: Brock University
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7215231617