Harassment and Disability Justice: Rethinking the Place of Workers with Disabilities in the Anthropocene

Whose knowledge counts in the Anthropocene? How can we include the voices of people with disabilities? In this paper, we explore the meaning of disability justice through a reflection of the lived experiences of workers with disabilities in Ontario, Canada. Based on an analysis of 39 qualitative open-ended interviews with adults living with a variety of disabilities engaged in some sort of paid work, we interpret their experiences and identify barriers. We suggest that three variables worked to demoralize disabled participants: stigma, unattainable expectations, and barriers. Together, we argue that these variables constitute a poisoned environment for some workers with disabilities: the working conditions are hostile, negative and intolerable. We suggest how avoiding burnout and facilitating retention of employees with disabilities requires a serious commitment to fostering an inclusive environment. We are cognizant how time structures the workplace in a way that is exclusionary of many people whose mind-bodies function in disparate ways. Using the groundbreaking work of the philosopher Cornelius Castoriadis, we suggest that his notion of social imaginary significations may assist in creating a workplace that is sensitive to the needs of people with disabilities and respects the knowledge of disabled people to create authentic disability inclusion n the workplace.