The right to a job is a fundamental Human Right and Italian law (68/99) requires employers to hire a percentage of disabled workers, legislation in itself is unable to ensure their effective inclusion in companies especially for people with intellectual disabilities (Hwang & Roulstone, 2015; Lalive et al., 2013; Bickenbach, 2015).
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities introduces the concept of reasonable accommodation as the necessary and appropriate changes and adjustments put in place to ensure that people with disabilities can enjoy human rights on an equal basis with others.
Disability management analysis has focused on the issue of matching companies’ productivity goals with the needs of disabled workers, and reasonable accommodation is conceived as an interactive process involving employees and employers but also colleagues and service providers (Ulich& Wülser, 2015). The literature emphasizes some important issues:
the benefits associated with the provision of reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities and also for organizations ( Peterson, 2015; Schwegler et al., 2015);
the accommodation process in relation to specific disabilities (physical disability, neurological diseases and mental illness) and the importance of organizational changes and the procedures needed to carry out the tasks required (McGuire et al., 2015; Harris et al., 2015)
the decision making in relation to the request for and the granting of special arrangements. There emerged some risks for the workers in declaring their disabilities, especially when these were not visible, related to the stigma or negative reactions from employers and colleagues and discrimination. Conversely, the biggest stumbling block for employers was the cost involved and the risk that the cost was too high compared to the benefits (Larson, & Ellexson, 2015).
the coach’s role who, depending on the type of organization, may be the owner, human resources manager or a colleague who works closely with the disabled person when he/she first joins the company. The tutor becomes the point of reference and his main tasks is to supervise the work and evaluate the performance of the disabled person (Gold et al., 2012; Pachoud & Allemand, 2013; Belval et al., 2015).
Despite these numerous studies, there are some limitations in the existing research. First, most of the empirical studies have focused on certain variables and specific outcomes without considering a more comprehensive approach, together with a comparison of the experiences of the three stakeholder groups most involved: employees, employers, and service providers. Secondly, the data available do not allow for an in-depth understanding of the variables involved in the decision making process. Finally, rehabilitation professionals and consumers lack an empirically-backed list of factors related to the requests and provision of reasonable accommodations in the workplace (Dong et al., 2012).
Our research aims to identify which accommodations can be negotiated within organizations and the elements that influence the decision to grant (or refuse) this accommodation. Focusing on a sample of small and medium Italian enterprises, we interviewed employers and disabled employees and examined which types of accommodations can be introduced. Moreover, through the analysis of five case studies we classified the key elements facilitating the negotiation of these accommodations between employers and workers within organizations. Finally, we offer practical suggestions for improving the management of this experience.

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