Africa-Press – Uganda. Disability and poverty are closely linked. An estimated one billion people (15 per cent of the world’s population) live with disabilities and 80 per cent of them live in developing countries. Ironically, people with disabilities are often left out of development programmes while they belong to the poorest of the poor. But can the vicious cycle of poverty and disability be broken?
It is no secret that employees with disabilities struggle to get the support they need. Despite employment law guidelines, the Equality Act and Human Rights charters, many employers still struggle to see that the problem is not the person’s disability, but a mismatch between their abilities and the work environment.
This concept of a Social Model of Disability remains a point of interest but not of action and for the wider working world. And in a predominantly non-disabled workplace culture, disabled people’s needs continue to fly under the radar of many employers.
Culture at the workplace has a huge role to play in how supported disabled employees feel. Co-workers often do not understand what it means to have a disability, how to cooperate with PWDs at the work place and the need for reasonable accommodation.
This may explain why many PWDs choose to ‘get on with it,’ risking health complications further down the line rather than exercise their right to access reasonable adjustments to fit in their working environment. By encouraging a more compassionate and open-minded approach at all levels in the workplace, we can help change how disability is seen and understood. But is that possible?
In order to become more disability inclusive, organisations will need to cycle through systemic changes to break down the intentional and unintentional barriers that have historically kept PWDs from participating. Organisations should always begin by identifying the change they would like to see.
An organisation’s leadership must commit to this change. Without this commitment, an organisation will remain rudderless as they will have significant difficulties implementing the policy changes needed to make their organisation friendlier to disabled people.
Leadership and staff should review organisational policies. An organisation may choose to do a full review of all its policies or it may target just a few to get started. Seek input from disabled experts.
It is to include PWDs throughout the process. However, it is especially important to include them as you begin to think about creating new policies. Disabled experts can be staff members, disability inclusion contractors, policy experts, board members, and volunteers who have disabilities.
Often stereotypes about the needs and abilities of PWDs cause employers to feel apprehensive about hiring disabled employees.
Written by Godfrey Nanz
