Negotiating conditional inclusion in the workplace in Turkey: A qualitative study on the sustainable participation of workers with physical disabilities

Background: Sustainable workforce participation for people with physical disabilities is hindered by structural and social barriers that extend far beyond the hiring process. In Turkey, despite legal mandates, there is a significant gap between policy and the reality of workplace accessibility.Objective: This study explored the lived experiences of workers with physical disabilities in Turkey. It aimed to understand how workplace barriers affect adaptation, performance, and sustainable participation, using the lens of occupational justice.Methods: A constructivist grounded theory study was conducted with 12 workers with physical disabilities from various sectors. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and analyzed using constant comparative methods, with occupational justice serving as a sensitizing concept.Results: The core category, Negotiating Conditional Inclusion, comprises four main categories: 1) Encountering Structural Barriers, 2) Navigating Social Stigma, 3) Strategies of Endurance, and 4) The Cost of Inclusion.Conclusion: Sustainable employment remains a continuous challenge, often dependent on invisible individual efforts to overcome systemic deficits. Addressing these inequities requires a decisive shift from individual adaptation to structural transformation. Organizations must prioritize proactive measures that engage workers in co-designing their environments to transform work participation from a conditional struggle into a sustainable right.