How Is the Inclusion of People with Disabilities at Work Conceptualized in Norway’s Inclusive Working Life (IA) Agreement?

Marte Oppedal Vale; Halvor Melbye Hanisch

doi:10.16993/sjdr.1268

How Is the Inclusion of People with Disabilities at Work Conceptualized in Norway’s Inclusive Working Life (IA) Agreement?

Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research

Volume 27 (2025): Issue 1

By: Marte Oppedal Vale and Halvor Melbye Hanisch

Open Access

|Nov 2025

Abstract

This article examines how work inclusion for persons with disabilities is conceptualized in Norwegian employment policy, focusing on the Inclusive Working Life (IA) Agreement and its alignment with Article 27 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Through a document analysis of six IA Agreement versions, we trace its evolution from an inclusion-oriented approach to a narrower focus on internal labor market issues, particularly sick leave. We interpret this as a shift from civic values, such as rights and societal participation, toward industrial values emphasizing productivity and efficiency. This reflects a broader paradox in Norwegian inclusion policy: ambitious rhetoric paired with limited practical outcomes. We argue that this paradox is not incidental but rooted in normative compromises embedded in Norway’s social policies and in the Nordic welfare model more generally.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.16993/sjdr.1268 | Journal eISSN: 1745-3011

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Language: English

Page range: 648 - 663

Submitted on: Feb 19, 2025

Accepted on: Nov 10, 2025

Published on: Nov 26, 2025

Published by: Stockholm University Press

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Keywords:

Work inclusion,

Employment policy,

Disability rights,

Inclusive Working Life Agreement,

UNCRPD Article 27,

Nordic welfare model

© 2025 Marte Oppedal Vale, Halvor Melbye Hanisch, published by Stockholm University Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 27 (2025): Issue 1