Employers' perceptions of supports provided to their employees with disabilities.
Saudi bosses say they already give great workplace supports, but parent reports and absent worker voices suggest you verify, not assume.
01Research in Context
What this study did
McQuaid et al. (2024) asked bosses in Saudi Arabia what help they give workers with disabilities.
They used a short survey. The bosses listed ramps, quiet rooms, flexible hours, and coaching.
The study mixed many diagnoses under one label: employees with disabilities.
What they found
Almost every boss said, 'We already give strong support.'
They believed these supports help people get jobs and keep them.
No one reported big gaps.
How this fits with other research
Agiovlasitis et al. (2025) ran a near-copy survey in the same country and also heard high support.
Yet Almasoud et al. (2023) asked Saudi parents of autistic children and heard the opposite: services still feel broken after ten years.
The parents and bosses live in the same system, but their stories clash. Parents see holes; bosses see safety nets.
Lee et al. (2025) show the happy middle: when a Korean design firm truly used strength-based supports, autistic workers thrived. The Saudi bosses claim they do this, but we lack worker voices to prove it.
Why it matters
If you write job plans in Saudi Arabia, do not trust boss self-reports alone. Visit the site, watch the supports in action, and ask the worker if they feel helped. Use the Missouri checklist from Agiovlasitis et al. (2025) to turn vague promises into concrete accommodations you can see and count.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The employment of individuals with disabilities is significantly low. Many factors are associated with this issue; however, support and accommodations that can be provided to such individuals can improve their employment rate and outcomes. This study aimed to examine the support provided to employees with disabilities in Saudi Arabia. The descriptive approach was utilized, and a survey was used to collect the data. The sample consisted of 86 employer participants to examine the support of their employees with disabilities. Findings revealed that the support provided was high, and the participants reported that such support facilitates finding and maintaining a job. In addition, the variables were all found to have no significant differences. Providing needed and necessary support is an effective strategy that leads to competitive employment for individuals with disabilities, especially for the long term. Implications and recommendations are also discussed.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2024 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104750