Finding a job continues to be a via crucis for people with disabilities

Work and people with disabilities. Although the effect of the inclusion policies applied in many countries over the years has been evident, it is still There are too many people with disabilities who do not have jobs and, consequently, they are excluded from economic life and are unable to create their own independence. Like every year, World Day of Persons with Disabilities is celebrated on December 3: an event that has been repeated since 1981, when the United Nations included the date on the calendar for the first time. The language has changed since then (in the 80s they spoke generically and brutally of “the disabled”). The growing debate in the public sphere has caused the stigma to fade: the same media space reserved for the Paralympic Games has contributed to drawing attention to the issue. The data shows, however, that there is still a long way to go.

Incorporation into the world of work continues to be essential

According to the United Nations Department of Social Affairs, “In developing countries, between 80% and 90% of people with disabilities of working age are unemployedwhile in industrialized countries the figure is between 50% and 70%.”

The United States Department of Labor, in its periodic publication Trendlinesannounces that in that country, “in the second quarter of 2024, the employment rate of people of working age (16 to 64 years) with disabilities was 38%, compared to 30% in the first quarter of 2009. The long-standing employment gap between working-age people with disabilities and those without has decreased in recent years, but the gap persists,” he concludes.

In Italy: “Although in the last decade the percentage of people with disabilities seeking employment or working has increased from 43.7% to 52.2%, thanks to a combination of effective national and regional policies and a more inclusive business culture, access to employment of people with disabilities, the inclusion of these citizens in employment continues to be critical,” wrote the ANFASS (National Association of Families and People with Intellectual Disabilities and Mental Disorders) in September. Neurodevelopment).

According to Eurostat, in fact, it is the country with the lowest gap in Europe: the unemployment rate of people with non-severe disabilities is 11.8%, compared to a community average of 17.3%.

According to Global Disability Right Now, in Mexico, “47.2% of the population with disabilities is employed (4.33 million people). 60.1% of the total population is employed (73.5 million people).

The figures vary greatly between nations and some are more gratifying, but it is clear that the gap is still too relevant.

According to Roberto Speziale (national president of ANFASS), “in addition to rights that too often remain on paper, there are still too many prejudices and stereotypes around people with disabilities and that They manifest themselves blatantly in the use of words that offend and denigratewho have remained anchored in a completely erroneous vision of disability and who do not respect the person with a disability for what they are a person.

Article originally published in WIRED Italy. Adapted by Mauricio Serfatty Godoy.