People with disabilities held back by attitudes in working life
How do you open up the labour market for people with disabilities? While medical and technological advances keep breaking down barriers, attitudes are lagging behind. ”The most important thing is to see the abilities, not the disability, what people can do, not what they cannot do,” said Finland’s Minster of Labour when he met his Nordic colleagues and the social partners recently to discuss what can be done. But good attitudes are not enough. Nordic governments are bringing in new measures to compensate businesses for extra costs and the needed workplace adaptation. Now they want to see commitment from employers. The Nordic Labour Journal has met ministers and employers and not least people with disabilities who talk about what is needed to succeed.
“The laws aren’t interpreted positively enough from a disabled person’s point of view.” says senior officer Sari Loijas (above) at the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in Helsinki, who herself is visually impaired.
