Disabilities and Economic Inequalities

In India, around 10-15 percent of the total population has one or more forms of disabilities and are largely denied access to many economic resources such as job opportunities, sustainable wages, etc. Also, they are not given an adequate chance for any of the self-employment opportunities due to several socio-economic factors and political barriers. It is thus very important to understand the various problems faced by persons with disabilities due to the various economic constraints and the impact it creates in their lives.

Economic freedom often works as an instrument in making changes in the status of persons with disabilities. Employment thus holds a very important position in their lives. It is not only seen as a source of income, but also as a status in society. Disabled people are involved in both paid and unpaid work in India where mostly the men are involved in paid work, whereas women are generally involved in doing unpaid domestic work. Persons with disabilities who are involved in paid work have to do equal work when compared to non-disabled people, but get a lesser salary/wage as they are considered to be less efficient and non-productive.

Data from the World Bank shows that the rate of employment of disabled people has fallen down in the last 5 years. Employment Exchanges which were set up by the government for promoting employment of disabled people have played a very limited role as the placement ratio is very low. Another link which can be identified is between education and employment. With a low education level, the chances of getting employment is also low. Educational schemes for children with disabilities have not been very significant in changing the educational status. The situation worsens in the rural areas where there is a minimal amount of infrastructure to support education. Thus, the disabled from the rural areas find it even more difficult to come out of their economic constraints. Programs like MGNREGA are not much helpful to the disabled in getting jobs as majority of the jobs require 'able-bodied' people to work.

In a society which is preoccupied with concerns regarding caste and gender, the disabled are being left-out. Disabled people have only a marginal space in the Indian economy. Economists have largely failed to consider their invisible contribution. There are may gaps in the economy which leads to inequality such as lack of equal opportunities, large wage gaps and work-place exploitation. For example, in certain areas, persons with disabilities are often excluded from various poverty alleviation programs only because of physical and attitudinal barriers. Statistics related to work and employment of disabled people presents an unsatisfactory image. It can be argued that this is so because there is a very distinct notion of work. As the physical body clearly determines the nature and the character of the work to engaged in, its repercussions from an economic standpoint are also visible.