Originally published here.

The right to work has been set down in sev-eral international human rights documents andas early as in 1948 in Article 23 of the Univer-sal Declaration of Human Rights. Its importanceis both economic and social. On the one handthe income gained by pursuing a job is an essential feature of one’s economic well-beingand contributes to one’s independence by nothaving to rely on welfare benefits - if provided -their families or charity (Mantouvalou 2015).The social side includes the creation of profes-sional and social networks, the chance to gain a sense of belonging and both self-respect andthe respect of others. By contributing to the wealth of a society, one gets valued, and it istherefore easier to participate and be included(Schultz 2000).

Barriers Faced by Persons with Disabilities

Persons with disabilities are however often de-nied their right to work compared to their non-disabled peers. They have globally higher ratesof unemployment and often receive lower  wages, therefore being at a higher risk of livingin poverty and exclusion. A study carried out by UWEZO Youth shows not only that many do not work at all but also restrictions in the types of jobs open to them (typically persons with dis-abilities are self employed (32%) or work for DPOs (12,6%)) and are also disadvantaged inaccessing income (50% of the women working who were interviewed did not receive any pay-ment at all the previous week) (UWEZO YouthEmpowerment, 2015).

There is however still aconsiderable lack of comprehensive data on theemployment situation of persons with disabili-ties (see for example United Disabled PersonsKenya 2015:35). Especially persons with intel-lectual disabilities are likely to work in segre-gated settings or not at all instead of at theopen labour market. The World Report on Dis-ability outlined the following four categories of barriers preventing persons with disabilitiesfrom obtaining employment which have to beredressed.-Lack of access, which captures access to ed-ucation and training as well as physical ac-cess.-Misconceptions about disability, and the abil-ity of a disabled person to carry out work,leading to both denial of employment andjob promotion.

Discrimination by employers, based on their preferences of whom to employ and prevail-ing stereotypes.-Overprotection in labour laws, such as man-datory shorter working days for persons withdisabilities, may lead to them being seen asmore costly and less efficient and result infewer job chances (World Health Organisa-tion/World Bank 2011:235).These barriers vary between countries andregions and do not apply to every context. De- veloping countries show specific characteristics, which have to be taken into account in order tounderstand how to approach inclusive employ-ment. Survey evaluations have shown that per-sons with disabilities face less barriers in ac-cessing informal work than formal and that in-formal works needs only little investments.

Lack of regulation means however also a lack of in-surances and other protection and support,such as anti-discrimination legislation and rea-sonable accommodation. This means that pol-icy-makers have to take questions of the finalmarket into account when tackling the exclu-sion of persons with disabilities from the labour market or introducing new support. In additionmany persons with disabilities are especially poor and do not have the - albeit lower - fi-nancial means to start a business in the infor-mal sector. Micro-financing is therefore an im-portant approach to empower persons with dis-abilities and has to be discussed in some moredetail (World Report 2011:240).They also face less financial disincentives to work than persons with disabilities in westerncountries (financial disincentives can be foundin many developed countries in the form of  welfare benefits for those considered incapable of working and being revoked when somebody enters into employment, leading to financial losses and administrative burdens if the personloses the job at a later stage) and thereforehave to seek work more actively than persons with disabilities in developed countries, withouthaving to consider the aforementioned disad- vantages. On the other hand rehabilitation pro-grams to enhance or maintain work capabilitiesare rarer (Mizunoya/Mitra 2012:8).

You can read the complete report here.