UN: Stop Disabled Job Discrimination By EDITH M. LEDERER 12.04.07, 12:35 PM ET
The 20 Most Important Questions In Business Most Worker Friendly Nations Most Expensive Places To Buy Gas in the U.S. Greediest Cities in the U.S. UNITED NATIONS - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an end to the "deplorable" job discrimination against millions of disabled people around the world. In a message Monday on the International Day of Disabled Persons, Ban said estimates show that at least half of all disabled people in developed nations, and the vast majority of those in developing countries are unemployed. Most others are under-employed, "or will never have full access to the labor market," he said. "This situation is deplorable," the secretary-general said. "Persons with disabilities have the ability to make valuable contributions in the workforce as employees, entrepreneurs and employers. But they face numerous barriers that prevent them from fulfilling their potential." Ban cited difficulties for the disabled in getting an education and learning skills that would be useful in the job market, fears and prejudices about their abilities, as well as inaccessible workplaces, and explicit and implict discriminatory legislation and practices. Last December, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a new convention enshrining the rights of the world's disabled. Approval of the 32-page convention culminated a campaign spearheaded by disability rights activists and the governments of New Zealand, Ecuador and Mexico. According to the latest U.N. figures, about 10 percent of the world's population, or 650 million people, live with a disability and the number is increasing with population growth. The disabled constitute the world's largest minority, and 80 percent live in developing countries, many in poverty. Ban noted that the convention, which has been ratified by 10 countries and is expected to enter into force early next year, recognized the rights of the disabled to work and be employed on an equal basis with others. Chris Sullivan, a vice president of Merrill Lynch (nyse: MER - news - people ) who was born hearing impaired, told a news conference he is program manager for the company's Special Needs Financial Services Group, which he called "the only program offered by a full service financial firm to serve the special needs market." "It is a profitable enterprise," he said. Sullivan said global employers are projecting a shortage of 31 million skilled workers by 2010 and 56 million by 2020. "Against that backdrop, more than 65 percent of the people with disabilities in the U.S. are unemployed," he said, urging more companies to bring the disabled into the workforce. Judy Young, vice president of the National Business and Disability Conference, said people will disabilities "have significantly increased their visibility in the past 20 years." "The next couple of years will be especially ripe for turning the tide and improving the employments situation of people with disabilities around the world as many developed countries will experience tighter labor markets as a result of the aging population," she said. "Higher life expectance and falling birth rates in these countries will force businesses to become more creative in filling job vacancies and to take a look at underutilized and non-traditional pools of labor and those with disabilities certainly represent one of the largest untapped, talented and viable resources," Young said. To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
