Disability must be viewed as a strength, Not burden

News- Globally, unemployment among people with disabilities is higher than the rest of the population and pandemic has further widened the gap in societal inclusion. 

Corporates need to acknowledge this disability divide and take proactive steps. 

Disability divide is the gap in societal inclusion for people with disabilities, including in education, employment and access to technology. 

Problem people with disabilities face while looking for work 

1) People with disabilities are less likely to get an interview and are often screened out of the interview process.  

2)According to United Nations states, in most developed countries the official unemployment rate for persons with disabilities of working age is at least twice that for those who don’t have a disability. 

3) People with disabilities are paid less than minimum wage, or “subminimum wage”  

What need to be done to make workforce inclusive 

1) There should be an acknowledge of the bias that differently abled face 

2) Companies need to find the factors that make their hiring process discriminatory to people with disabilities and correct them. Example– Microsoft has tapped into a larger talent pool among people with autism by removing the interview requirement for them. 

3) Companies need to ensure that all employees get a fair wage. 

4) Getting the right skills for jobs should be made easier. Example-websites need to be accessible, videos need to be captioned, managers should be educated and aware of disability.  

Conclusion 

There should be social equity and inclusion for people with disabilities across several different facets of life, particularly education and employment.  

Source- This post is based on the article “Disability must be viewed as a strength, Not burden” published in Times of India on 14th Dec 2021.