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Barriers to inclusive employment for self-advocates and families

BIALIK, Kimber
MHIRI, Manel
June 2022

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This article is about the barriers to inclusive employment that people with intellectual disabilities and families face in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and Bangladesh.

Through the Inclusion Works Project, we worked with our members in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and Bangladesh to talk with self-advocates and family members about employment.

We had 3 consultation meetings with self-advocates and 3 consultation meetings with families – we talked to 54 self-advocates and 45 family members about access to inclusive employment in their countries.

Some of the barriers that they told us about were discrimination from employers, lack of access to education, unfair pay, issues with safety and security at work, and being pressured to choose self-employment.

This article explains some of the issues accessing inclusive employment that people with intellectual disabilities and their families told us they face in low- and middle-income countries.

The article also gives recommendations for how organisations doing work on inclusive employment can work towards addressing some of these barriers and being more inclusive.

 

 Journal of International Development, Volume 34, Issue 5

Disability inclusive employment in urban Malawi: A multi-perspective interview study

REMNANT, Jennifer
WANGGREN, Lena
HUQUE, Sarah
SANG, Katherine
KACHALI, Limbani
RICHARDS, James
June 2022

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The paper presents interview data from Malawian government representatives, trade unionists, employers and people with disabilities from the country's largest cities Lilongwe and Blantyre. Findings relate to the gap between the discourse of employers and government officials and that of workers with disabilities. Firstly, we find a policy-based assumption of a formalised workforce that is not representative of the predominantly informal disabled workforce. Secondly, the disruptive, intermittent and oftenreactive nature of non-governmental organisation (NGO ) interventions can limit long-term inclusivity agendas and undermine the work of disabled activists in Malawi. Lastly, we present findings on the stigmatised nature of disability in these urban centres. We find that stigma is economic: Urban workers with disabilities are discriminated against locally by employers, landlords and banks on assumptions they will not produce or earn enough to meet productivity demands, rent or repayment costs.

 

Journal of International Development, Volume 34, Issue 5

https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.3678

How do legal and policy frameworks support employment of people with disabilities in Uganda? Findings from a qualitative policy analysis study

GRIFFITHS, Andrew
BECHANGE, Stevens
LORYMAN, Hannah
IGA, Chris
SCHMIDT, Eleanor
August 2020

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This policy analysis reviewed the current legislation and policies on the economic empowerment of people with disabilities in Uganda and explored the views of national stakeholders on the implementation of these policies in practice. The analysis was conducted through a document review and in‐depth stakeholder interviews. The study found that anti‐discrimination policies can only do so much for disability inclusive recruitment. Questions about policy implementation, stakeholder ownership, trust and efficiencies within the system and sufficient accountability mechanisms need addressing, if the existing framework is to be effective and positively impact the lives of people with disabilities in Uganda.
 

https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.3508


Journal of International Development J. Int. Dev. 32, 1360–1378 (2020J

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