Information About People with Disabilities

yths are barriers that interfere with the ability of persons with disabilities to have equality in employment. The barriers usually result from a lack of experience and interaction with people with disabilities. This lack of familiarity and information has nourished negative attitudes concerning employment of people with disabilities. Here are some other facts:

The Facts

• Around 10 per cent of the world’s population, or 650 million people, live with a disability. They are the world’s largest minority.
• An estimated 386 million of the world’s working-age people are disabled, says the International Labor Organization (ILO). Unemployment among the disabled is as high as 80% in some countries. Often employers assume that persons with disabilities are unable to work.
• A 2004 United States survey found that only 35 percent of working-age people with disabilities are in fact working compared to 78 per cent of those without disabilities. Two-thirds of the unemployed, disabled respondents said they would like to work but could not find jobs.
• A 2003 study by Rutgers University found that people with physical and mental disabilities continue to be vastly underrepresented in the U.S. workplace. One-third of the employers surveyed said that people with disabilities cannot effectively perform the required job tasks. The second most common reason given for not hiring the disabled was the fear of costly special facilities.
• A U.S. survey of employers conducted in 2003 found that the cost of accommodations was only $500 or less; 73 per cent of employers reported that their employees did not require special facilities at all.
• Companies report that employees with disabilities have better retention rates, reducing the high cost of turnover, says a 2002 U.S. study. Other American surveys reveal that after one year of employment, the retention rate of persons with disabilities is 85 per cent.
• Thousands of people with disabilities have been successful as small business owners, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The 1990 national census revealed that people with disabilities have a higher rate of self-employment and small business experience (12.2 per cent) than people without disabilities (7.8 per cent).