Included yet socially anxious: How disability severity and nonacceptance weaken the effect of perceived climate for inclusion on social anxiety

Understanding the workplace experiences of people with disabilities (PWD) is crucial for creating truly inclusive environments. We explore how perceived climate for inclusion affects social anxiety among employees with varying levels of disability severity. Adopting an interactionist perspective, we propose a mediated moderation model in which disability severity weakens the negative effect of perceived climate for inclusion on social anxiety, with this effect mediated by acceptance of disability. To test our hypotheses, we conducted two studies: one with a sample of Chinese employees and another with a culturally diverse sample. We found that the protective effect of perceived climate for inclusion on reducing social anxiety diminishes as disability severity increases, because individuals with more severe disabilities have lower levels of acceptance of disability. These findings underscore the complexities of fostering workplace inclusion and highlight the critical role of self-acceptance in shaping the effectiveness of inclusive initiatives. Our research contributes to the literature on disability, inclusion, and workplace diversity by revealing the nuanced dynamics that influence social anxiety among PWD in inclusive settings.