Name: Nathalie Joy L.

Pati
Section: 10-Thomson
Teacher: Ms. Almazan

Social Attributes of ableism on the rights and exclusion of disabled people in the workplace

"Right now, I'm here among hundreds of people for a job interview. Someone called out to me,
saying, "Interviewee 43, please proceed to the job interview at room 94." At the doorway, a person
gave the folder with my information and credentials to the interviewer, and they told me to have a seat.
The employer was really specific, asking questions like this or that while reviewing my paper. Of
course, I was still sensible enough to answer their questions coherently and honestly. I was having my
hopes up, especially when I knew that they were looking for someone with my competency and skills.
They did a quick glance in my direction, and then their faces fell before their expressions became
neutral again. It must have been my condition, I told myself: the wheelchairs, the image of immobility,
the physical hindrances... The interviewer told me I could go now, and they would contact me if they
decided to hire me. They never did." This is just one of the instances wherein disabled people are not
given the same opportunities to work as those without disabilities. While the topics of racism, sexism,
or colorism have been given the spotlight and endless topics of discussion, the issue of ableism has
been engrained deep in our society, and thus many have justified their actions and treatment towards
these individuals. People with disabilities on a global scale have been facing discrimination and
inequality in the workplace, and these actions should neither be tolerated nor encouraged.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities promotes each and every
person's fundamental rights and human rights. Article 27 of the CPRD states unequivocally that
people with disabilities have the right to work and to be employed. The Magna Carta for Disabled
Persons (RA7277) was also created for this reason. This law mandates that the government and
various institutions integrate disabled people into society by granting them the right to work as a civil
right. However, according to UN statistics, millions of people with disabilities do not have equal access
to employment opportunities, and more than half of them are unemployed. Paul Harpur et al. (2015)
research reveals that some developing countries go so far as to prohibit these individuals from getting
a job. According to Gould-Werth et al. (2018), Other employers and recruiters refused to hire these
individuals because of their disabilities. While there may be laws that are enacted to protect the
employment rights of differently abled people, the proper implementation of them cannot be seen as
other countries and institutions themselves discriminate against PWDs in the workplace.

There are also different socio-cultural and economic barriers to the unequal employment of
PWDs. According to Edwards and Imrie (2003), the concept of ableism has led us to believe that
impaired people have abnormal and abject characteristics. Bob Pease (2010) has written in one of his
books, “Undoing Privilege: Unearned Advantage in a Divided World," that this concept ingrained in us
was used to legitimize the inequalities experienced by people with disabilities. For example, employers
are more likely to hire a person who is physically, mentally, or intellectually abled and less likely to hire
a differently abled person, believing that the former are up to the job better than the latter. Moreover,
job recruiters have argued that impaired people may require accommodations or adjustments to the
physical and digital environments in the workplace. Also, hiring people with disabilities may mean that
they have to cover more of their medical bills as part of the employee’s benefits. For them, creating a
more inclusive work system means more liabilities for the company, and thus, many are less likely to
hire a disabled person than what society considers an abled person.

However, it is relevant to the previous two arguments that some companies and small
businesses in the Philippines have started hiring PWDs in recent years. According to the International
Disability Rights Monitor, in 2020, 56.1% of PWDs in the Philippines are employed, with 30.9%
working as farmers, foresters, or fishermen, and 10.8% as laborers or unskilled workers. A report from
TESDA in 2020 shows that the majority of companies that hire differently abled people fall under call
center agencies, followed by restaurants, mobile food service activities, and others. We can also see
more and more impaired people employed by small businesses that have adapted several inclusive
practices, including the integration of a braille system or communicating with workers using
text-to-speech mechanisms. Some companies have also designed a new working system that allows
people with intellectual or psychosocial impairments to work without any forms of distraction. Together,
we have seen that most of these institutions have been working to integrate a more inclusive
workplace for everyone, enabling people with disabilities to overcome the hindrances that come with
their impairments and take a step towards equal work opportunities with the others.

Discrimination and inequality in the workplace have long been problems for people with
disabilities on a global scale. However, the combined efforts of the government, institutions,
employers, and activists who continue to fight for the rights of PWDs have led to a more inclusive
workplace, with a greater chance of equality in the rights of all to employment, and a way for people
with disabilities to exercise their fundamental freedom and labor rights.
Name: Nathalie Joy L. Pati
Section: 10-Thomson
Teacher: Ms. Almazan

Social Attributes of ableism on the rights and exclusion of disabled people in the workplace

"Right now, I'm here among hundreds of people for a job interview. Someone called out to me,
saying, "Interviewee 43, please proceed to the job interview at room 94." At the doorway, a person
gave the folder with my information and credentials to the interviewer, and they told me to have a seat.
The employer was really specific, asking questions like this or that while reviewing my paper. Of
course, I was still sensible enough to answer their questions coherently and honestly. I was having my
hopes up, especially when I knew that they were looking for someone with my competency and skills.
They did a quick glance in my direction, and then their faces fell before their expressions became
neutral again. It must have been my condition, I told myself: the wheelchairs, the image of immobility,
the physical hindrances... The interviewer told me I could go now, and they would contact me if they
decided to hire me. They never did." This is just one of the instances wherein disabled people are not
given the same opportunities to work as those without disabilities. While the topics of racism, sexism,
or colorism have been given the spotlight and endless topics of discussion, the issue of ableism has
been engrained deep in our society, and thus many have justified their actions and treatment towards
these individuals. People with disabilities on a global scale have been facing discrimination and
inequality in the workplace, and these actions should neither be tolerated nor encouraged.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities promotes each and every
person's fundamental rights and human rights. Article 27 of the CPRD states unequivocally that
people with disabilities have the right to work and to be employed. The Magna Carta for Disabled
Persons (RA7277) was also created for this reason. This law mandates that the government and
various institutions integrate disabled people into society by granting them the right to work as a civil
right. However, according to UN statistics, millions of people with disabilities do not have equal access
to employment opportunities, and more than half of them are unemployed. Paul Harpur et al. (2015)
research reveals that some developing countries go so far as to prohibit these individuals from getting
a job. According to Gould-Werth et al. (2018), Other employers and recruiters refused to hire these
individuals because of their disabilities. While there may be laws that are enacted to protect the
employment rights of differently abled people, the proper implementation of them cannot be seen as
other countries and institutions themselves discriminate against PWDs in the workplace.

There are also different socio-cultural and economic barriers to the unequal employment of
PWDs. According to Edwards and Imrie (2003), the concept of ableism has led us to believe that
impaired people have abnormal and abject characteristics. Bob Pease (2010) has written in one of his
books, “Undoing Privilege: Unearned Advantage in a Divided World," that this concept ingrained in us
was used to legitimize the inequalities experienced by people with disabilities. For example, employers
are more likely to hire a person who is physically, mentally, or intellectually abled and less likely to hire
a differently abled person, believing that the former are up to the job better than the latter. Moreover,
job recruiters have argued that impaired people may require accommodations or adjustments to the
physical and digital environments in the workplace. Also, hiring people with disabilities may mean that
they have to cover more of their medical bills as part of the employee’s benefits. For them, creating a
more inclusive work system means more liabilities for the company, and thus, many are less likely to
hire a disabled person than what society considers an abled person.

However, it is relevant to the previous two arguments that some companies and small
businesses in the Philippines have started hiring PWDs in recent years. According to the International
Disability Rights Monitor, in 2020, 56.1% of PWDs in the Philippines are employed, with 30.9%
working as farmers, foresters, or fishermen, and 10.8% as laborers or unskilled workers. A report from
TESDA in 2020 shows that the majority of companies that hire differently abled people fall under call
center agencies, followed by restaurants, mobile food service activities, and others. We can also see
more and more impaired people employed by small businesses that have adapted several inclusive
practices, including the integration of a braille system or communicating with workers using
text-to-speech mechanisms. Some companies have also designed a new working system that allows
people with intellectual or psychosocial impairments to work without any forms of distraction. Together,
we have seen that most of these institutions have been working to integrate a more inclusive
workplace for everyone, enabling people with disabilities to overcome the hindrances that come with
their impairments and take a step towards equal work opportunities with the others.

Discrimination and inequality in the workplace have long been problems for people with
disabilities on a global scale. However, the combined efforts of the government, institutions,
employers, and activists who continue to fight for the rights of PWDs have led to a more inclusive
workplace, with a greater chance of equality in the rights of all to employment, and a way for people
with disabilities to exercise their fundamental freedom and labor rights.
Pangalan: Nathalie Joy L. Pati
Seksyon: 10-Thomson

“My Day or My Day Story”