Disability type matters: structural discrimination in employment access and retention in Turkey

Despite legal frameworks, quota obligations, employment incentives and active labour market programmes, the par­ticipation of people with disabilities in Turkey’s labour market remains limited. Turkey is a salient case because a developing-country labour market coexists with an extensive formal policy framework whose inclusive effects are constrained by weak enforcement, fragmented institutional coordination and persistent social prejudice. Based on semi-structured interviews with employees with disabilities, employers, İŞKUR officials, NGO representatives and parents of disabled individuals, this study examines structural barriers to employment access and retention. The findings show that discrimination varies by disability type. People with visible, severe, intellectual or psychosocial disabilities face stronger exclusion during recruitment, while those with invisible or milder disabilities are often preferred. Concerns about safety, productivity and workplace adaptation confine many disabled workers to low-skilled and low-visibility jobs. Policy gaps further undermine inclusion. The study argues for a contextual and interactional understanding of disability employment.