Employment for the largest minority group in the world : Persons With Disability (PWD)
A ‘disability’ is a societal imposition on people who have impairments, making it more difficult for people to do certain activities or interact with the world around them. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities defines disability as:
“long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder [a person's] full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.”
Specifically in India, disability is largely seen as a consequence of cultural and structural impediments. PWDs face marginalisation whether it be in the domain of employment or accessibility. This basic struggle for survival and cultural understanding, derives PWDs of reach to equal resources and basic human rights.
In the specific view of the arena of employment, people with disabilities are far less likely to be employed. In 2017, 35.5% of people with disabilities, ages 18 to 64 years, were employed, while 76.5% of people without disabilities were employed, about double that of people with disabilities. Suggesting a steep decline of employment opportunities for those with disabilities. Further, differences translate into global wage gaps as well, PWDs are more likely to have income of > $15,000 compared to people without disabilities (22.3% compared to 7.3%).
The community is also faced with a unique challenge ‘discrimination, abuse and marginalisation by non disabled colleagues and managers who believe that the employee with a disability is automatically less capable and less productive than non disabled workers’ (Mostert, 2016). Due to these social processes at play, disability has been closely tied to poverty.
According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report on disability, lower labour market participation is one of the main pathways through which disability leads to poverty.
Across sectors PWDs are facing barriers with regards to certification, clearing skill based assessments and competing with able bodied individuals whilst also fighting biases. In government institutions, reservations remain partially fulfilled, as public sector job creation does not translate to a reality because the disabled cannot pass the online recruitment tests and the method of job identification is faulty. With regards to larger MNCs, the intersectionality of many PWDs remains unrepresentative and unaddressed behind facades of CSR initiatives.
The overall picture remains that PWDs face stereotypes at the employment level, with preconceived notions about their ‘limited’ abilities, this has led to furthering of the social distance between the able bodied and the differently abled. With policies and reservations largely serving as time stamps of poorly implemented legal processes, the world's largest minority community requires attention, advocacy and action.
