Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Championing disability inclusion in the workplace

Haider-al-Lawati
Haider-al-Lawati
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CHALLENGES faced by people with special needs are a pertinent problem in the Arab world where their numbers are on the rise due to a number of congenital factors.


A combination of wars, conflicts and domestic violence are contributory factors as well. Today, there are more than 40 million people living with some form of disability in the Arab world, and half of them are children and adolescents. Globally, around one billion people suffer from disabilities out of a total population of 7.7 billion people.


Worsening economic conditions in many countries of the Arab world are compounding the woes of those with disabilities. Many face discrimination and marginalisation in their societies and are often denied employment opportunities in government or private businesses. International organisations, such as the United Nations, have long called for the inclusion of people with special needs in public and private sector workforces.


Indeed the UN has dedicated December 3 as the International Day of People with Disability (IDPWD) – espousing disability inclusion as a basic human right.


Some governments earmark a percentage of jobs for people with special needs as part of efforts to integrate them into the national workforce. But many have become dependent on their families for support, while enduring economic and social challenges.


The unemployment rate among the disabled is more than 60 per cent, according to some Arab data.


Some Arab governments impose laws requiring the inclusion of 5 per cent of people with disabilities in the labour market, but on the ground, many of them wait years without obtaining work, forcing their families to care for them financially and emotionally. Furthermore, the disabled lack access to facilities of the kind that are often available in Western countries, such as free transportation, dedicated parking, and free access to some places.


Notwithstanding these difficulties, some people with special needs in the Arab world have become successful in their own right, after obtaining their degrees despite their disabilities. Based on their academic and professional merit, they have secured for themselves distinctive positions in various fields.


Today, there are many conferences and seminars run by people with special needs around the world offering valuable advice on coping with the challenges associated with their disabilities. Some Arab institutions have entered the field as well with initiatives and programmes to help the disabled enhance their well-being and integrate them into the labour market.


Raising awareness and combating social stigma are part of these efforts.


Today, governments, international organisations and civil society have taken on the responsibility of securing jobs for people with special needs in various professional streams, while also making sure they are not deprived of their wage-related entitlements.


But more needs to be done to ensure that disability inclusion is the norm and not the exception – whether in education, recruitment, career development, and so on. Workplaces should also be made disability-friendly to ensure those with special needs are not inconvenienced for want of basic facilities. After all, there is abundant talent among the disabled, while needs to be developed and nurtured in their own interest, and that of the wider community and the national economy.


 


HAIDER AL LAWATI


haiderdawood@hotmail.com


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