{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T09:20:26Z","timestamp":1787908826273,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"AOSIS","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,29]],"date-time":"2026-08-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787961600000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background:\u00a0Persons with disabilities experience significant economic exclusion in South Africa. While vocational training has often been viewed through a narrow economic lens, its broader social contributions remained under-researched.\nObjectives:\u00a0This study examined the social contributions of skills training for persons with disabilities, with specific attention to empowerment, inclusion and well-being.\nMethod:\u00a0A qualitative multiple-case study design was employed. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews, photovoice, document analysis and field notes with eight participants across three South African provinces.\nResults:\u00a0Training contributed to psychological empowerment, increased independence and improved quality of life. Participants reported enhanced self-worth and a stronger sense of purpose. However, persistent structural and attitudinal barriers continued to constrain full social and economic participation.\nConclusion:\u00a0Skills training functioned as a catalyst for personal transformation and social belonging. Nevertheless, translating acquired skills into sustained participation required addressing broader environmental constraints and gaps in policy implementation.\nContribution:\u00a0This study extended disability scholarship by foregrounding the holistic, non-economic value of training interventions in fostering dignity, agency and social inclusion among persons with disabilities.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4102\/ajod.v15i0.2072","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T08:53:51Z","timestamp":1787907231000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Beyond economic outcomes: Exploring the social contributions of skills training for persons with disabilities in South Africa"],"prefix":"10.4102","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-0707-9243","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Johannes A.","family":"Olivier-Booysen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04z6c2n17","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of Johannesburg"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0704-1983","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maximus M.","family":"Sefotho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04z6c2n17","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of Johannesburg"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"2580","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref0","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ahmed, S.K., 2025, \u2018Sample size for saturation in qualitative research: Debates, definitions, and strategies\u2019, Journal of Medicine, Surgery, and Public Health 5, 100171. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.glmedi.2024.100171","DOI":"10.1016\/j.glmedi.2024.100171"},{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bailey, S., Carnemolla, P., Loosemore, M., Darcy, S. & Sankaran, S., 2022, \u2018A critical scoping review of disability employment research in the construction industry: Driving social innovation through more inclusive pathways to employment opportunity\u2019, Buildings 12(12), 2196. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/buildings12122196","DOI":"10.3390\/buildings12122196"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Barnes, C., 2019, \u2018Understanding the social model of disability: Past, present and future\u2019, in N. 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