In this presentation, we will look at some facts and figures concerning people with disabilities in the workplace. What are we talking about when we talk about disabilities? There are country variations in the definition. Generally, a disability is a physical or mental impairment that negatively impacts an individual's ability to carry out normal life activities. To begin with, do you know what percentage of the current French population is disabled? What is a hidden or invisible disability? Which of the following countries have disabilities quotas for firms? The correct response to the first question is 8%. Indeed, in 2013, 5.5 million people were recognized as having a disability in France. According to the World Health Organization, about 15% of the world's population live with some form of disability and rates of disability are increasing due to the aging of the population and the global increase in chronic health conditions. Unlike some of the other diversity categories, most of us will develop a disability or another at some point in our lives. In fact, more than 80% of disabilities occur in adulthood. The large majority of disabilities are hidden, or invisible, so that the disability is not immediately apparent, even when the condition is highly disabling. Only 15% of disabilities are visible, of which only 2% concern people in wheelchairs. Hence, people with these disabilities have lower educational achievements, less economic participation, and higher rates of poverty than people without disabilities. Governments have an interest in trying to level the playing field. In France, the disabilities quota is 6% for firms with over 20 employees. If firms do not meet this quota, they're obliged to make an annual contribution to a fund for the vocational integration of people with disabilities. Apart from France, countries such as Kuwait and China also have implemented disabilities quotas for firms. These quotas vary between 1% and 8% of the workforce, depending on the country. But countries such as the US and UK that do not have a quota system rely on anti-discrimination laws to encourage equality in recruitment practices. >> As you may have already understood, disability is a term that covers different types of impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions. To most of us, we may think about people in wheelchairs or with guide dogs when we think about disabilities. However, impairments also include invalidating and chronic illnesses such as diabetes or cancer, psychological conditions such as depression, physical disabilities, sensory disabilities and cognitive disabilities such as attention deficit disorder. Activity limitations may refer to someone in a wheelchair who experiences limitations to travel due to the lack of wheelchair accessible public transport. An individual with a guide dog may not be aware of an important community meeting that she would be interested in attending, since the information was only conveyed to message boards in her community. Disability is therefore not just a health problem, but refers to complex interactions between an individual and her physical and mental condition and features of her social environment and of the society of which she is a part. It is important to understand the prevalence of invisible disabilities in regards to others' expectations and reactions. While it is easier to at least recognize the special needs of someone in a wheelchair or with a guide dog, those with invisible disabilities are often overlooked and even treated with disdain and accused of faking a disability to take advantage of disability benefits. For example, if someone has back pain or suffers from epilepsy, they cannot sit for long hours at work. This is difficult for them to explain and for others to understand because their disability is not visible. As one individual puts it, people assume what you can and can't do by how you appear to them. If you're doing a good job and are articulate, they assume that there are no obstacles to deal with due to disability. People with disabilities are among the most marginalized groups in the world. They have poorer health outcomes, lower education achievements, less economic participation, and higher rates of poverty overall than people without disabilities. At the same time, due to the aging population and the increase in chronic health conditions, many of us will eventually experience some form of disability, leading to one or more of the consequences mentioned above. In order to encourage the inclusion of people with disabilities into the workplace, it is important to identify and alleviate environmental and social barriers by increasing awareness and understanding on disability. Promoting access to education, healthcare and other mainstream services, investing in specific programs for people with disabilities and involving people with disabilities in the creation and implementation of these programs.
