in English - Handicap International

Analyze the causes and consequences. Once the priority problem has
been defined, we need to determine its causes and its consequences.
For instance, unemployment is a problem that affects many people;
however, it is obviously a more serious problem among people of productive
age with disabilities, since this group has much higher rates of
unemployment. Thus, we find that while the unemployment rate among
the general population is below 10%, it is higher than 75% among people
of productive age with disabilities.
In our example, when we break down the causes of such a high unemployment
rate, we find that a very important factor is the failure to hire
workers with disabilities, and the generalized underestimation of the abilities
of disabled persons in our societies (which is even greater in the
economic sphere when evaluating productive capabilities). Another
cause is the lack of accessible conditions (whether physical or informational)
in workplaces and on public transportation, affecting workers
with physical or sensory disabilities (the deaf and the blind). There is also
resistance on the part of employers to providing accessible conditions
in the workplace. Another important cause that merits mention is related
to the qualifications of the disabled work force. People with disabilities
confront great obstacles in terms of professional and technical
training due to a lack of accessible training opportunities. Added to this
is the limited or complete lack of accessible transportation services, and
equally inaccessible urban settings. All of these factors link together,
severely reducing the supply of qualified disabled workers.
There are very clear consequences: a high rate of unemployment and
economic dependency for a significant segment of adult disabled persons
of productive age, who are forced to depend upon their families,
government assistance or charity. In addition, the fact that many
people with disabilities are not hired perpetuates the idea that they are
productively incapable, and makes it more difficult to fight existing prejudices
that in turn lead to resistance to hiring disabled workers.
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