Barriers and Drivers of Involving Young Professionals with Disabilities in Independent Employment and Entrepreneurial Activities through Participation in Professional Skills Competitions (the Case of the Moscow Abilympics Championship)

The project “Barriers and Drivers of Involving Young Professionals with Disabilities in Independent Employment and Micro-Entrepreneurial Activities through Participation in Professional Skills Competitions (the Case of the Moscow Abilympics Championship)” has been supported under the 2025 competition for grants from the Russian Science Foundation, within the framework of the initiative “Conducting Fundamental Scientific Research and Exploratory Scientific Research by Small Independent Research Groups” (Regional Competition).

Contemporary social science faces a significant knowledge gap regarding the barriers and drivers that influence the engagement of young people with disabilities in independent employment and micro-entrepreneurial activities (IEMEA). Despite active career guidance initiatives in Moscow—including the Abilympics professional skills championship, educational programs, and support from the Departments of Labor and Business—a systematic approach to integrating this group into the economy remains absent. Participants of Abilympics, despite their high motivation and professional preparation, encounter substantial obstacles on their path toward realizing IEMEA, indicating a disconnect between engagement practices and tangible employment outcomes.

This project aims to bridge this gap by developing a novel conceptual framework for involving young people with disabilities in IEMEA, grounded in an in-depth analysis of barriers, drivers, and the role of enabling environments—including digital platforms. The expected outputs include a conceptual model, a typology of motivations and obstacles, and practical recommendations for public authorities, NGOs, educational institutions, and corporations. The study’s theoretical significance lies in establishing a foundation for inclusive employment in the context of the digital economy, while its practical relevance stems from providing actionable tools to effectively support young people with disabilities in achieving economic self-reliance.

The research team—comprising Daria Prisyazhnyuk, Igor Novikov, and Elena Varshavskaya—will be led by Elena Iarskaya-Smirnova, Head of the Laboratory, Professor at the Department of Sociology, and Doctor of Sociological Sciences.