Managing disability, creating value: The role of the disability manager in organizations

Journal title STUDI ORGANIZZATIVI
Author/s Sara Lombardi, Niccolò Ciatta, Deborah Gervasi
Publishing Year 2026 Issue 2026/1
Language Italian Pages 26 P. 121-146 File size 247 KB
DOI 10.3280/SO2026-001005
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This article investigates the emerging and still under-institutionalized role of the disability manager within the Italian organizational landscape. Despite growing attention to diversity and inclusion agendas, the effective integration of people with disabilities in the workplace continues to face persistent cultural, structural, and organizational barriers. Adopting a qualitative and exploratory approach, the study draws on semi-structured interviews with disability managers operating in diverse organizational contexts (including banking, consulting, and social cooperatives), complemented by an analysis of national press articles. Thematic analysis reveals the ambivalence characterizing this role: while the disability manager is perceived as a potentially strategic agent of inclusive innovation, in practice the role often lacks clear mandates, adequate resources, and formal recognition. Frequently assigned to internal staff without specialized training, the position remains fragile and insufficiently professionalized. The findings suggest that the disability manager currently functions more as an aspirational or symbolic figure than as an established organizational actor, reflecting deeper tensions between inclusive rhetoric and fragmented practices in contemporary workplaces. The study contributes to the literature on disability management by offering empirical insights into the challenges and potentials of institutionalizing inclusive roles within organizations.

Keywords: Work, disability, inclusion, disability manager, UN convention.

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Sara Lombardi, Niccolò Ciatta, Deborah Gervasi, Gestire la disabilità, generare valore: il ruolo del disability manager nei contesti organizzativi in "STUDI ORGANIZZATIVI " 1/2026, pp 121-146, DOI: 10.3280/SO2026-001005