Employment is Difficult for People with Disabilities

Canadians with disabilities encounter many barriers and oppressions to finding employment in the workforce. Some include environmental barriers, financial difficulties and discrimination. Barriers to entering in the work force and low public assistance payments leave some Canadians with disabilities financially marginalized. For some Canadians there is a link between living in poverty and living with a disability (CBC News, 2010). Someone with a disability has a long term physical, mental or health problem and has difficulty in conducting activities of daily living. Some meet the criteria by being told by health professionals they have learning or mental health disabilities (Statistics of Canada, 1995, cited in Dunn, 2003). Government policies appear to be in transition between two paradigms of people with disabilities. The medical paradigm focuses on the expertise of medical and rehabilitation practitioners. People with disabilities are seen as sick and there is a focus on their limitations, inability to perform activities and lack of performance. People are considered patients and there is a focus on categorizing, their functional limitations and giving medical care. There is a focus on institutional care, special programs and a stigma is present towards them (Dunn, 1999, cited in Dunn, 2003). A second paradigm is one based on consumer control and empowerment (Hanes, 2001; Nagler, 1990, cited in Dunn, 2003). It suggests the environment of the disabled contributes to the problem. The focus is on how people with disabilities experience oppression and on how their lives need to be community centered, self directed and functional. Physical and emotional barriers need to be removed (Walters & Ternette, 1994, cited in Dunn, 2003).

For Canadians with disabilities employment can be an obstacle. Many working age Canadians with disabilities are not in the labour force. The greatest groups of people with disabilities to be unemployed are women, Aboriginal peoples and other minorities. People with disabilities are marginalized from the labour force because of discrimination, insufficient public policies and other obstacles such as accessibility (Crawford, 1992, cited in Dunn, 2003). Public policies have segregated this population into sheltered workshops and they have not been able to have equal earning ability and job satisfaction. Some have difficulty obtaining employment and the equipment needed to function adequately in the workplace. Many do not have equal access to training and education for their jobs like people without disabilities. Having a disability brings additional costs and people can have difficulty earning the extra income to meet these needs. The Canadian Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in employment because of disability. It helps employers make the workplace more accessible for people with physical disabilities. Initiatives to encourage employers to hire people with disabilities include employment equity by some provinces to keep employers accountable by reporting the number of disabled employees in their workplace and encourage the removal of barriers. Employability Assistance for People with Disabilities emphasises employing people with disabilities by providing services for the disabled worker to train them to gain the required skills. They also provide counselling, education and any equipment needed by the client. Wage subsidies are also provided (Dunn, 2003). Unfortunately the sad reality is the unemployment and underemployment rate of people with disabilities is very high. There are policies needed to support people to have and keep meaningful employment. Many people want inclusion for people with disabilities in well paying jobs as part of the mainstream workforce instead of unemployment or segregation employment sites (Council of Canadians with Disabilities, 1998, cited in Dunn, 2003). People with disabilities can encounter discrimination and many physical barriers in the workplace. Some workplaces are not physically accessible for people with disabilities which create for them a disadvantage to employment.

            There is a connection between poverty and having a disability. In an article People with Disabilities more prone to Poverty Laurie Helgason, a Canadian in a wheel chair expresses her belief that some employers are reluctant to hire people with physical needs. Some employers show discrimination to people with disabilities as they think about the cost to them by involving and employing them. As a result of thinking of the cost instead of the individual the people with disabilities loose out and are unemployed (CBC News, 2010). It is a sad reality to think that if a person did not have a disability they would have a better chance of having and maintaining a job. They are productive people who have something to contribute to society. People who do not have disabilities earn approximately $10, 000 more a year than those with disabilities (CBC News, 2010). Common activities that are a part of others lives are a problem for them.

            People with disabilities can encounter many sources of inequality in terms of employment such as discrimination, lack of physical accessibility, transportation difficulties and problems in having the proper tools and devices to do their job. From a social work perspective this inequality should be challenged because people with disabilities should have equal opportunity for employment. All people should be treated with respect and dignity. As employers and businesses it is important to accept and embrace differences as all people are valuable and can contribute to the workforce. It is important to advocate and promote social justice as people with disabilities are not being treated with the respect that they deserve in terms of employment. The government needs to intervene to encourage initiatives so people with disabilities have equal access to the workforce. People with disabilities need to have a voice and inform others directly how they are affected and what changes need to be made to make employment more accessible. The people most affected need to direct the changes. Employers need to make sure that their businesses are accessible and not discriminatory towards people with disabilities. They should be seen as valuable people who can contribute to the labour market not a cost to a business. Employers need to ensure that people with disabilities have access to proper training, tools, devices and support to do their job well. They should have equal pay for doing jobs that people without disabilities do. It is important to raise awareness to businesses to hire people with disabilities and to eliminate the stigma. It is not right that some are underemployed or unemployed because of their disability. They should have equal opportunity as they are equal citizens with the opportunity to make valuable contributions to the workforce.  

Lori

References

CBC News. (2010, March 25). People with disabilities more prone to poverty. CBC News. Retrieved November 14, 2011, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2010/03/25/mb-poverty-helgason.html

Dunn, P. A. (2003). Canadians with disabilities. In A. Westhues (Ed.), Canadian social policy: Issues and perspectives (pp. 200- 221). Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.