The professional activity and economic situation of people with disabilities in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

One of the most important activities of every human being is professional activity, but for people with disabilities the possibility to work has an additional dimension of social rehabilitation. Despite the existence of many forms of assistance and activities aimed at reducing the phenomenon of their exclusion from society, they still struggle with the problem of undertaking appropriate professional activity, with the COVID-19 pandemic adding to the already difficult situation. So what is the current professional activity and economic situation of people with disabilities? In the context of the research gap, attempts have been made to answer the research question: Has the COVID-19 pandemic led to a deterioration in the level of professional activity of people with disabilities and their situation? The main objective of the study was to assess the economic situation of people with disabilities and their professional activity at two different times - before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A research hypothesis was formulated, assuming that the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the professional activity of people with disabilities and their economic situation. The article includes an analysis of the national literature on the subject, with an empirical part based on a secondary analysis of existing data. Descriptive statistics of the indicators of the tested variables were made together with an analysis of the normality of distributions using the Shapiro-Wilk test. An analysis with Student's t-tests and a two-factor analysis of variance in the 2x2 model were also performed. As a result of the statistical study, the research hypothesis was not confirmed.