For the People with disabilitieshave a job It doesn’t just mean financial freedom; it also contributes to developing their autonomy, self-esteem and professional growth, as well as integration and social inclusion.
With the aim of giving visibility and raising awareness about the challenges faced by the People with disabilities to insert into the working marketand as this December 3rd is celebrated the International Day of Persons with Disabilitiesthe Dominican Rehabilitation Association (ADR) held the conversation “Let’s talk about equity and labor inclusion.”
Among the outstanding points that were addressed during the meeting was the call to businessmen and the Dominican State to comply with Law 5-13 (Organic Law on Disability), which establishes labor participation in accessible inclusive environments and in conditions of equality, never less than 2% in the private sector and 5% in the public sector.
During 2021, 61 ADR candidates were placed in the job market. Of these, 31 were inserted into equal opportunity jobs, while the remaining 30 received support to start their own businesses.
Guadalupe Mollmanager of Labor Insertion of the entity, explained that companies must stop considering the fact of employing People with disabilities how to offer them opportunities, since it is a right that assists them. “When you talk about opportunity, it is seen as a favor and it is not. Working is a right for everyone.” stressed.
Compared to previous years, the change in perspective is notorious, since more and more is seen the job placement from an approach of human rights and not from charity or assistance. This is equivalent to considering the People with disabilities as subjects and not objects, according to the educational psychologist.
“The essential thing is to place the problems outside of the person and address the way in which the various economic and social processes are taken into account or not according to the case,” he said.
The objective of the insertion is to favor employability and access to the labor market, guaranteeing equality. He stressed that the employer must be assured that the person they are hiring, regardless of their disability, has the necessary skills for the position.
Implementation of public policies
The labor inclusion of People with disabilities It is a social problem that responds to multiple dimensions. A study carried out in 2021 by the National Council on Disability (Conadis) lists these barriers: attitudes, universal accessibility, absence of policies and procedures, access to education and training at different levels and transportation.
In accordance with Valery Bobadillain charge of public policies of Conadis, in the country’s companies there is a commitment to recognize and understand disability, which is notorious from the implementation of the assessment system, the largest source of information on disability in the country.
“We have a country with greater awareness of disability issues in different areas,” said the psychologist, while maintaining that the adoption of new forms of work, such as teleworking, have favored this population, since it has given them the opportunity to enter the market.
