Access to Employment

*Globally, 80% to 90% of persons with disabilities of working age are unemployed in developing countries. Data of employment and unemployment of persons with disabilities in Malaysia is not publicly available, not disaggregated by gender, age and disability, and not updated regularly.

In Malaysia, data from 2018 reported that approximately 4500 persons with disabilities were working in both public and private sectors. This is approximately 1.4% of the adults with disabilities of working age (320,870) known to the Social Welfare Department’s national disability register in 2018.

Meanwhile, it was reported in 2021 that only 0.35% of employees in the civil service were persons with disabilities, much lower than the policy which targeted 1% quota in the public sector.

Many persons with disabilities work in sheltered workshops, segregated work centres that primarily employ persons with disabilities. Some sheltered workshops also provide independent living skills training and recreational activities to their clients with disabilities. Persons with disabilities working in sheltered workshops usually receive nominal wages that are below the minimum wage.

Although sheltered workshops provide some form of employment to persons with disabilities, they are “highly discouraged by the CRPD Committee because they exclude people with disabilities from the mainstream labour market” (Meanie-Davis & Coe, 2020). Sheltered workshops are also not sustainable in addressing systemic barriers and discrimination of persons with disabilities in open employment.

Barriers to Employment of Persons with Disabilities in Malaysia

Persons with disabilities face multiple barriers to employment, and not just during the recruitment and hiring process. Even when persons with disabilities are in employment, they experience difficulties in obtaining work-related training and education. They also have difficulties completing their work duties due to the lack of supportive systems and policies to accommodate their needs.

Some of the common barriers to employment include but are not limited to:

Inadequate and inaccessible education and skills training for persons with disabilities from the early years, resulting in lower educational level and job-readiness skills.
Training programmes within employment is not accessible (built environment and content) to persons with disabilities, including on-the-job training and training within industry.
Lack of training programmes for employers and staff to address discrimination and negative attitudes, and learn disability-inclusive practices.
Inaccessible workplace buildings and infrastructures, such as lack of step-free access, inaccessible toilets and work stations.
Lack of understanding of the importance of reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities to perform their work duties and continuing to withhold access, such as enforcing rigid work hours, not providing support to work from home, heavy reliance on spoken communication, etc.
Societal prejudice, such as the misperception that workers with disabilities are less productive or less qualified, and the misperception that reasonable accommodations give employees with disabilities an unfair advantage over others.
Disability discrimination in the workplace, including negative evaluation, withholding promotion, disability-based harassment.
Lack of anti-discrimination legislations and proactive policies to ensure equal opportunities in the employment of persons with disabilities.
Lack of funding support for employers to make their workplace disability-inclusive and accessible.
Low salary and a lack of universal basic income.
Lack of accessible public transportation to commute to work.
Lack of accessible and affordable housing, which can reduce the quality of life of persons with disabilities and subsequently negatively affect their performance at work.
Lack of support for personal assistance, which can be vital for some persons with disabilities to perform their work duties successfully.

Breaking Barriers to Employment: Insights from Pioneering Neurodiversity Initiatives that Empower Employers for Greater Inclusivity and Productivity

We are ALL neurodiverse because no two humans on the planet are exactly the same

The term “neurodiversity” is attributed to an online community of autistic people; it first appeared in print in 1998 in the work off journalist, Harvey Blume
Source: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/13623613241237871

Neurodiversity may be every bit as crucial for the human race as biodiversity is for life in general. Who can say what form of wiring will prove best at any given moment?
Harvey Blume, The Atlantic, 1998

The Neurodiversity Hub has produced community of practice resources that supportemployers in increasing awareness and understanding towards achieving a more accommodating working environment and inclusive work force.

Those advocating with prospective employers could also use these resources. Below are the 15 topics covered.

1. Neurodiversity: Definition and Information

2. “Neurodiversity as Competitive Advantage”

3. Some Tips from Temple Grandin for NDH Employer Partners

4. Tips for Employer Expos

5. Concise Information Flyers and Documents

6. Lived Experience from Orion Kelly – that Autistic Guy

7. Neurodiverse Employment Resources

8. Uptimize

9. “Be Your Best” Life Skills and Work-ready Skills Training

10. Neurodiversity at Work

11. “Dear Dyslexic”

12. ADHD

13. Employer Training Presentations

14. Employer Guide to Supervising Individuals with ASD

15. Books for Employers from Integrate Advisors

Source: Neurodiversity Resources For Employers — Neurodiversity Hub

Breaking Barriers to Employment: the DREAM Employment Network of Resources for Young People with Disability, and for Employers

The Disability Representation Employment & Accessibility Mission (DREAM) Network is for:

Young people with disability looking for leadership and career opportunities;
Employers with an interest in learning about, or providing, accessible employment.

The resource development, networking activities and workshops, diversity and intersectionality, and employer engagement of the Network were co-designed by groups of young people with disability and employers across the country (Australia).

The Project Governance Group ensures that the Network meets its goals. Its members include representatives from the CYDA Youth Council and organizations interested in employment for youth with disability. See DREAM co-design and project governance – CYDA

Resources for young people with disability include the following:

Resources for employers include the following:

We know our own issues best … and we are one of the most creative, entrepreneurial sectors of society and we are continuously underestimated.
Charlotte Young, CYDA Youth Delegate to the Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CoSP) 16, New York, USA, June 2023

Much of the advocacy work of the DREAM Network is co-designed with or is led by youth with disability. See Advocacy – CYDA

Resources

*Note: Resources linked are in English and pdf or webpage format, unless stated otherwise.

Legislation and Policies – Malaysia

Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 (Section 29: Access to Employment)

Dasar Satu Peratus Peluang Pekerjaan Dalam Perkhidmatan Awam Kepada Orang Kurang Upaya (PP 16/2010) (1 Percent Employment in Civil Service for Persons with Disabilities Policy)

Guidelines for Supporting Persons with Disabilities in the Workplace

Creating an accessible and inclusive workplace by IncludeAbility, Australian Human Rights Commission

Workplace Adjustments for Executive Dysfunction by Emma Sharman

Employment Transition Programme Trainer’s Manual by Enabling Academy, Yayasan Gamuda. Available in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese

Access to Employment

Barriers to Employment of Persons with Disabilities in Malaysia

Breaking Barriers to Employment: Insights from Pioneering Neurodiversity Initiatives that Empower Employers for Greater Inclusivity and Productivity

Breaking Barriers to Employment: the DREAM Employment Network of Resources for Young People with Disability, and for Employers

Resources

Legislation and Policies – Malaysia

Employment Support for Persons with Disabilities in Malaysia

Reports and Research Papers – Malaysia

Reports and Research Papers – International

Articles

Guidelines for Supporting Persons with Disabilities in the Workplace