What Makes the Disabled Handicapped?

  The problem of the disabled is no longer an accessory social issue in Korea, an OECD member country. According to a survey by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, there are about 1.5 million disabled people in Korea. The number of the disabled has been increasing since advances in medical science have made it possible for many people to survive serious accident or illness. Also, as technology makes it possible for many disabled people, who would once have been bedridden or housebound, to be mobile and to acquire new skills, the disabled demand an end to the discrimination that has kept them out of jobs and out of mainstream life. They demand equal access to employment or services, and more chances to participate in mainstream society. As a result, the issue of the disabled has emerged as a recognized human rights issue.

  The term disabled includes people who are physically handicapped, disfigured, mentally challenged, mentally ill, emotionally disabled, drug or alcohol addicted, as well as people with histories of serious disease. People who are disabled or handicapped constitute an important population from the standpoint of living standards. The disabled have been excluded from school, work, and society, both by active discrimination and by the physical design of a world dominated by the able-bodied. Steps, curbs, and narrow doorways and aisles are impassable obstacles to many disabled people. Although the situation has been improving somewhat, many aspects of everyday life still impede the physically impaired. Especially, the most serious impediment to the disabled is the extremely high unemployment rates.

  In fact, while the number of disabled job-hunters is increasing rapidly, that of job offerings is decreasing. According to data from the Korea Employment Promotion Agency for the Disabled (KEPAD), the number of disabled job-hunters nationwide was 5589 during the third quarter of 2003, but increased to 8527 during the same quarter of 2004. On the other hand, the number of job offerings dwindled from 2495 to 1637 between the same periods.

  It is known that more than 5000 disabled people are living in Gwangju. The average employment rate of the disabled in Gwangju was 36.7 % during the third quarter of 2004, which is far lower than that of other people. Moreover, the employment rate was overestimated because it didn't count the disabled who were not seeking employment. As a matter of fact, quite a few disabled people have already given up trying to find a job due to deep-rooted discrimination. Kim Deung-hyo, an executive of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Human Rights Solidarity for the Disabled, said that many disabled people around Gwangju do not even think about finding a job because they think it is nothing but a daydream to them. As a result, they are mainly focusing on struggling for the basic requirements of daily life, such as self-support, the right to move, and accommodations that are accessible for the disabled. As a result, the majority of the disabled are unemployed, poor, and dependent only upon government subsidies.

  On the other hand, the disabled who are in the labor force are no better than their unemployed peers. The majority of disabled workers are underemployed--relegated to low-level, low-paying jobs. The monthly salaries of 73.8 % of disabled employees are less than one million won and 31% of them are paid less than 700,000 won. Besides, 56.9 % of disabled workers are employed by small companies having less than 50 employees. There are also problems in working environments for the disabled. The disabled are not working in convenient and comfortable working conditions. Many workplaces have no considerations for disabled workers. For all these reasons, the disabled are alienated from employment. 

  In contrast to our preconceptions, numerous studies have shown that when disabled people are hired, an overwhelming majority prove to be dedicated, capable workers. Despite all the negative myths about how hard it is to accommodate them, they have only a slightly higher than average absentee rate and their turnover rate is well below average. The disabled are neither slower nor less productive than other workers and have excellent safety records. Therefore, employers' prejudices are mainly responsible for the low employment rate of the disabled. 

  The unemployment issue of the disabled, then, should no longer remain as a social campaign to employers. Employers themselves need to awaken to the disabled. They should realize it is advantageous to their companies to provide equal opportunity for employment and for participation in programs and services to qualified people with disabilities. They also must make reasonable accommodations to the disabilities of disabled workers. That is, they must make facilities physically accessible, restructure job duties and modify work schedules, purchase special equipment or modify existing equipment, and provide readers, interpreters, and other support services.

  The government also must provide special programs or schools for the disabled to acquire vocational skills. Public accommodation and transportation facilities must be made accessible to people in wheelchairs, and telecommunication services must be made to allow hearing- or voice-impaired people to place and receive calls. The related legislation must be enacted to address the problems of the disabled. Indeed, what makes disabled people handicapped in this society is not their disabilities but our perceptions and our living environment. Certainly, the people known as the disabled are simply only physically or mentally challenged.