THA Commits To Improving Employment For People With Disabilities
According to the United Nations, more than 16% of the world’s population, or approximately 1.3 billion people, live with a disability. For many, finding and maintaining sustainable employment remains a significant challenge.
To address this issue, staff from the Tobago House of Assembly and private-sector employers participated in a workshop designed to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully recruit, onboard, and support employees with disabilities.
Assistant Secretary in the Division of Community Development and Social Protection, Ackel Franklyn, noted that the THA has fallen short in its treatment of the differently abled.
« Not only are we accepting that we have misrepresented them, but today, under the strict directives of our honourable Chief Secretary Farley Chavez Augustine, we are moving towards correcting such ills. »
In the first instance, the THA is mandated to employ at least one disabled person within each division. The next step is to create an environment where more people with disabilities can be accommodated.
« True inclusion goes beyond accessible buildings and workplace policies, it is reflected in our attitudes or willingness to accommodate different needs and our commitment to treating every individual with dignity and fairness. »
To help the THA and the private sector understand how to make this happen, Head of the UNDP’s Inclusive Growth and Policy Unit for Trinidad and Tobago, Isele Robinson-Cooper, shared some tips. When hiring, she advised that there should be a policy to consider the differently abled but warned that it is not about reaching a certain quota.
« You don’t have anybody working, persons with disabilities, in this office, so the next 10 hires are going to be persons with disabilities. That is not the issue. You still have to be well suited for the job. But it is a consideration that cannot just be brushed over. It has to be looked at. »
Ms Robinson-Cooper also stressed the importance of educating the wider staff to eliminate notions of stigma and discrimination against the differently abled.
« So when you’re looking at onboarding, when you’re looking at writing job specifications or terms of reference or those things, you have to have conversations with persons with disabilities. When you are looking at issues around access, you must consult regularly, and it is not a one-off thing. »
While it is important to create physical accessibility within the workplace, Mrs Robinson-Cooper also suggested utilising technology as a tool for accommodating differently abled persons.
