Home| Keynote Speeches| Workshop Papers| Other Documents
1. INTRODUCTION
Rehabilitation of the disabled
should not only meet the physical needs of such individuals but also economic
and social needs. Considering the fact that a disabled person is an individual
whose prospects of securing and retaining suitable employment are substantially
reduced, special approaches should be designed to ensure employment opportunities
for persons with disabilities. Measures to encourage employers to hire
disabled persons for employment should be devised in that more people are
getting disabled than ever before.
Rehabilitation of the disabled
should include among others medical, social, educational and vocational
needs of such persons. Medical rehabilitation may focus on curative surgery,
fitting of artificial limbs or supports to enable an individual function
as much as possible. Social rehabilitation should focus on emotional adjustments
which may arise due to the onset of disability. The participation of the
family is highly required.
Education rehabilitation
aims at equipping a disabled person with necessary education to enable
him compete for jobs. Career guidance in this regard is important. It is
not advisable to build false hopes in clients especially on what they can
do. Though the question of what they cannot do is not important in that
our concern should be how can they do a given task. This entails vocational
training.
2. PLACEMENT SERVICES FOR
THE DISABLED
The third world perspective
gives a grim chance for the survival of disabled people in employment.
This is because job opportunities are dwindling and able-bodied labour
is abundant. Ethical obligations by society to aspire for equal distribution
of work is more pressing now than ever before. Disabled people should be
made to earn a living as a matter of justice to all and not charity. Legislation
for quota system to reserve certain jobs for disabled people should be
instituted as a starting point. The interest of government to promote working
culture in disabled people should be seen to be done as no nation can afford
a wastage of manpower.
3. MODIFICATION OF GADGETS
AND THE WORK ENVIRONMENT
All jobs are designed for
people with certain aptitudes. Because disabled people are a minority in
the world, job requirements have often been segregative. In order for a
disabled person to become useful economically, designing of assistive devices
for vocational needs and modification of gadgets in the work environment
are important. Some employers may be willing to take on disabled people
but face difficulties in shouldering added expenses especially where purchases
of gadgets and modifications are concerned. The questions of who should
buy the gadgets, who should modify the machine cannot be answered by many
governments and service providers today. Also prices for special devices
necessary for the disabled to do a given task are becoming too expensive
to give any meaning to employers economically. Stepping forward together;
families, professionals as partners in achieving education for all and
for the well being of a disabled person can only be realised with the participation
of everyone.
4. RESEARCH BUREAU FOR THE
FIRST WORLD AND THIRD WORLD PERSPECTIVES
The world we live in is
being fused into a global village. The third world are copying from the
first world. In order to maintain a global understanding on vocational
prospects for disabled people, I suggest that an information bureau be
established to link all partners. Such information be distributed on strides
achieved by others in reducing unemployment for persons with disabilities.
END
*********************