By Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana
Executive Secretary UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
In December 2021, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) launched a report, Disability at a Glance 2021: The Shaping of Disability-inclusive Employment in Asia and the Pacific. The report highlighted innovative approaches to making employment more inclusive. The governments should mainstream universal design principles into national development plans, not only in disability-specific laws and policies.
The report was unveiled to coincide with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities designed to build a more inclusive, accessible and sustainable world. An estimated 690 million persons with disabilities, around 15 per cent of the total population, live in the Asia-Pacific region. Many of them continue to be excluded from socio-economic participation. Available data suggest People with Disabilities (PwDs) are only half as likely to be employed as people without disabilities. They are also half as likely to have voted in an election and are underrepresented in government decision-making bodies.
The Asia-Pacific region adopted the world’s first set of disability-specific development goals in the Incheon Strategy, which now requires governments to further reduce barriers. One of the main reasons behind these exclusions is a lack of accessibility. Public transportation and the built environment in general – including public offices, polling stations, workplaces, markets, and other essential structures – lack ramps, walkways, and basic accessibility features.
Accessibility, however, goes beyond the commonly thought-of physical structures. Barriers to access to services and information and communication technology must also be removed, to allow for the participation of persons with diverse types of disabilities, including persons with intellectual disabilities and hearing and vision impairments.
The pandemic and related lockdowns have exacerbated existing inequalities. Many persons with disabilities face increased health concerns due to co-morbidities and were left without access to their assistants and essential goods and services. As much of society moved online during lockdowns, inaccessible digital infrastructure meant that persons with disabilities could not access public health information or online employment opportunities.
Adjusting to a post-pandemic world presents an opportunity for governments to reassess and implement policies to increase the inclusion of persons with disabilities in employment, decision-making bodies and all aspects of society. Implementing policies with universal design, which creates environments and services that are useable by all people, benefits the whole of society.
Governments should mainstream universal design principles into national development plans, not only in disability-specific laws and policies. As a global leader in disability-inclusive development for over 30 years, the Asia-Pacific region has set an example by adopting the world’s first set of disability-specific development goals in the Incheon Strategy to ‘Make the Right Real.’ Meeting the Incheon Strategy goals will require governments to intensify their efforts to reduce barriers to education, employment, and political participation.
wrote in SDG/IIS Organization
