Abstract
The hospitality industry is brand-conscious in that it has a particular criterion for the type of personality and appearance of employees they hire. Persons with disabilities do not conform to the standard set by the industry. It is in that persons with disabilities are not always considered for employment in the industry. This dissertation focuses on including persons with disabilities in four- and five-star hotels. The government of South Africa has enacted a legislature geared towards the inclusion of people with disabilities. The Employment Equity Act No. 55 of 1998 has set a 2% benchmark target for all sectors for the inclusion of persons with disabilities. The study employed a qualitative approach. Twenty-seven participants were chosen using purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. The procedure of analysing data was done by assigning codes. The study's main finding is that participants find it hard to define disability, which in turn creates negative perceptions towards persons with disability. The negative lens from the perspective that participants believe there are specific disabilities that are more acceptable and easier to accommodate and those that are challenging.
Furthermore, the study found that four- and five-star hotels do not have specifically formulated inclusive policies but they have general policies that adapt to the Employment Equity Act and they do have inclusive practices. Lastly, the study found that out of the 10 hotels that were part of the study sample, only three complied with the target set by the Employment Equity Act. Overall, the study suggested the South African government should consider drafting legislation curated for persons with disabilities that explicitly defines how it will be enforced and the consequences of non-compliance. Furthermore, the study suggested that the government should offer tax incentives for hotels and other businesses to encourage the inclusion of persons with disabilities and, lastly, for the hotels to have a more inclusive culture where they invest in training and workshops to educate staff on disabilities.