Persons with disability blocked
from working by misperceptions

ESCWA report recommends

ratification of international convention

Attitudinal and environmental barriers are preventing persons with disabilities from participating equally in the labor market, according to a survey conducted by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).

Employers’ perceptions of hiring persons with disabilities include believing it is costly to do so, that they are more likely to have accidents and injuries, and that they are not as productive as others.

Out of 77 private and public sector enterprises included in the survey, 75 percent of respondents said that persons with disabilities are not less productive, 60 percent said employing them had a positive effect, and 60 percent said none of them needed accommodations in the workplace.

Three quarters of employees with disabilities are male. Two thirds of the disabled have a physical impairment, 13 percent have a mental or psychological health condition, 11 percent are hard of hearing, and nine percent have low vision.

ESCWA recommends legislative reforms including the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, promoting inclusive employment among public and private employers, improving persons with disabilities’ knowledge of their rights and their capacity to demand them, and strengthening coordination mechanisms between organizations of persons with disabilities at the local and national levels.

Full report