Financial Times

But where are the jobs for this special group?
Skilled, differently-abled who want to serve
There were political speeches on what has come to pass, and what is yet to come, and it all sounded very promising, but behind all the encouraging and enthusiastic words, what is the job lot for the 1.7 million disabled people in Sri Lanka?

The occasion was the second National Dirijaya Awards, where the organisers’ goal was to make Sri Lanka a disabled-friendly nation, at the Galle Face Hotel earlier this week. The event was organized by the Enable the Disabled (ETD) project under The Management Club.

The awards themselves were an uplifting experience — well, it was for this able-bodied person. The introduction of the 23 winners and an explanation of their achievements was an eye opener to what can be done despite the multitude of obstacles that need to be overcome.

There was Kosala Dullewa with Down’s Syndrome who showed off his traditional dancing skills, to I. A. Senerathne, who is blind, but that hasn’t stopped him from producing world-standard white canes, as well as repairing and servicing Braille typewriters and other equipment for the visually-impaired.
But for all the adulation, what is actually happening in the world outside, on the street, in the workplace? Is Sri Lanka becoming a more disabled-friendly country? To try to find some answers we spoke to a couple of people in the know like Charmaine Vanderhoeven, Chairperson of the Enable the Disabled (ETD) and L. Hettiarachchi, Director of the Sri Lankan Council for the Blind.
The general impression was not very encouraging, especially when it came to employer attitudes and enforcing the rules already in place, but there were signs that things were moving in the right direction.

Prejudices
It seems there are a few prejudices surrounding the employing the disabled. Mrs Vanderhoeven felt that numerous companies did not want their customers to see disabled people on the work floor, thinking they would feel uncomfortable. There was also the feeling that disabled people were not effective workers, and were difficult to accommodate, not to mention expensive with the need for the work space needing to become disabled-friendly, such as building access ramps and accessible toilets.

Mr Hettiarachchi, who has been blind since birth, and is now an activist for the further development for the visually impaired, said he was feeling more encouraged about the work place as seen by the number of corporate sponsors at the awards. With such sponsorship numbers, he said those companies still in denial over employing the disabled should get together with those that do, where sentiment and experiences can be exchanged.

Enforcing requests
As far as the political process goes, Mrs Vanderhoeven said moves have been made, such as official requests from governments for companies to accommodate the disabled, such as a request for 3 percent of job opportunities to be set aside. “The problem here is that there is no-one to enforce these requests. It’s not as if you can take them to court,” she continued.

The main hope it seems is the new disability rights paper that is presently being drafted. Mr Hettiarachchi said that the government was being lobbied to speed up the legal process. “Once this is passed into law we will have the ability to take people to court who don’t comply with aspects of it, like disabled access to all public buildings. It will give us the chance to get our voices heard in more and more places. We will be able to pressure more businesses to open up to us,” he added.

“It also helps that for the first time this country has a partially handicapped Minister of Social Services in Mr. K. N. Douglas Devananda, who is blind in one eye. I feel more confident that progress will be made at a quicker pace as far as our rights go,” he said.

But there is the same problem with plenty of foot-dragging in parliament, where a number of drafts had been passed by the Cabinet and put into some form of regulations where they still rest.

To get business to change its attitude, Mrs Vanderhoeven said that creating awareness as to what disabled people can do was a huge priority. “We need companies to accept that disabled people have talents that can be used. Disabled people are also known to have a much better attendance record than many able-bodied people. For jobs, why can’t there be more female telephone operators?” she asked.

For the government sector, Mr Hettiarachchi said that until recently the only jobs for the disabled were as teachers, but recently a blind man was given the post as a senior legal officer in the Land Reform Department. “It’s a start,” he said.

But the retired civil servant is fighting a cause at the moment over the right of blind people to sit the Education Administrative Service exams, where blind people have been barred. He is fighting it under the human rights laws in the country. “But at least we blind people can now exercise our right to vote with the aid of a friend, whereas before it was through senior officials at the booth.”

Acceptance
Mrs Vanderhoeven’s present and future fight is getting the disabled accepted, hoping to emulate Britain and Singapore in the future. There, she said, the handicapped are not shunned by society, and where business realises that despite the disability the mind is still bright. “I think it will take 10 to 15 years for us to be more like those countries,” she said. And to help the cause, the inexhaustible ETD chairwoman aims to organise media blitzes, jingles on radio and TV, billboards, promotions incorporating business and schools to all push the point that the disabled can be a very useful addition to the labour force if only they are given the opportunity.

Mr. Hettiarachchi seems ever optimistic these days, a far cry for the days 49 years ago when he decided to become an activist to better the human rights for his disability. “There are companies out there that are now sending bills and statements in Braille.”

But that is what the awards event was all about: to raise awareness. As one perennial activist said: “The awards were a milestone for those with disabilities. To showcase their talents and let them know that their efforts were all worthwhile.” What more can you say, but are the politicians listening?
(Robert)

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