A UN report states that the unemployment rate for persons with disabilities is over twice that of those without disabilities. The unemployment rate for persons with other types of disabilities is hundreds of times greater than that of those with physical and visual disabilities! In the midst of all these odds and pressure, people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, as well as those who are deafblind, are almost absent in the job market!
The job market will reveal the characteristics of feudalism, totalitarianism, and ableism to you. We, the people with disabilities, particularly the underrepresented disability groups are the enslaved lower caste in this place!
As far as I know, there has never been a case of even a deafblind person being appointed to government service. In 2009 and 2010, I encountered discrimination as a person with multiple disabilities during the oral recruitment examination conducted by the Bangladesh Judicial Service Commission. Obviously, I needed to pass preliminary and written tests each time! The outcome was a complete failure for me due to the ableism when I presented myself in person to the recruiters! I was able to advance through the last two phases because the recruiters could only evaluate my skills and qualifications based on records, without assessing my physique!
If it weren’t for my disability, I might have been appointed as a judge!
In Bangladesh, the law entitles us to reasonable accommodation in both educational institutions and workplaces. The law states that refusing this right constitutes discrimination and violence! Individuals and entities that partake in this form of discrimination can be held legally accountable and may face lawsuits for compensation. How many educational institutions and workplaces in our country provide reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities, even with such a strict legal requirement? Are there any institutions that do not apply this discrimination and violence in a forceful way? From the Union Parishad to the Secretariat and from a Primary School to University of Dhaka – who is not perpetrating this violence against people with disabilities?
Have anyone come up with anything?
The NGOs, INGOs, donors, and even UN agencies are doing a lot, but all of their efforts are merely cosmetic interventions! These organizations, which are putting millions of dollars into guaranteeing that people with disabilities have equitable access to the labor market, lack an inclusive recruitment policy! I am sure you will be frustrated if you conduct a survey on the number of persons with disabilities in their workforce! While some clever recruiters may have an inclusive policy, they have yet to put it into action!
The shocking unemployment rate among our young people with disabilities is being attributed to our people with disabilities, who will recall that millions of disabled individuals, irrespective of their skills and education, are unemployed due to discriminatory hiring practices, lack of reasonable accommodations and accessibility, and the dominance of non-disabled individuals. They have gone as far as to remove our quota!
The consequences of this historical injustice against our disabled individuals can be severe and devastating for society, the state, and the world.
No, do not think that people with disabilities will create this terrible situation through arson, vandalism, or any kind of violence. It won’t happen.
Rather, by denying our millions of eligible disabled people the chance to earn an income, the state is losing billions in GDP. Conversely, the provision of subsidies and allowances to us is adverse to the state’s finances. From where does this state income originate? This revenue is generated from the taxes levied on the population. The allowances or other small benefits provided by social security, without allowing us to earn an income, are inadequate for our needs and contribute to an increased tax burden on the population.
When persons with disabilities are not offered job opportunities, it affects the entire economy and population at large, regardless of disability status! Who gains from keeping persons unemployed who contribute thousands of crores of taka to state revenue annually?
Do speak for us for your own benefit, for peace and tranquility in the State & World! Create more job opportunities for people with disabilities representing all constituencies, ensure inclusive employment policies, guarantee reasonable workplace accommodations and accessibility, reinstate quota systems, and make special recruitments when necessary to hire people with disabilities who are out of work.
Youths with disabilities, our country, together with all its citizens, will gain from our equitable access to the labor market.
Express your solidarity!
Wishing success for the great May Day. May those who are oppressed achieve victory.
Leave a Reply