The State of Employment for the Disabled

- By Jagadish Prasad Adhikari

About ten percent of the total population of Nepal -2,400,000 people – are living with disabilities, according to a World Health Organisation survey. The overall situation for those people is very startling. The main reason for this is lack of access to employment for the disabled individual. Among the many reasons why the disabled are unable to attain employment are lack of effective training, lack of opportunities, society's negative attitude towards the disabled, absence of a congenial atmosphere for the disabled at the work place, hesitancy among employers and shortcomings in government policy.

The Disabled Protection and Welfare Act 2039 (1982/ 83) entails the following arrangements for the employment of the disabled.

· His Majesty's Government (HMG) will provide employment to at least 5 percent disabled when

making new appointments for any entity or corporation.

· At least 5 percent of employees and laborers should be disabled, chosen on the basis of their qualifications and capabilities.

· It is mentioned that reservations will be provided for the disabled in employment in the nongovernmental and private sectors. The Disabled Protection and Welfare Regulation 205l says that His Majesty's Government and organized entities fully or partly under HMG ownership will accord priority to the disabled in work that suits their education, training and physical condition.

Factories employing disabled people will be given full income tax waiver upon completion of the procedures under existing law for any salary, allowances and any other facility or concession provided to the disabled. Similarly, the Disabled Services National Plan of Action 2060 (2003/04) in its arrangements for employment sets aside a 5 percent quota at NGO's and says under point 22 that arrangements made in other countries for the employment of the disabled will be studied and necessary measures carried out accordingly.

Although it is mentioned that feasible sectors will be identified to provide appropriate employment to the disabled on the basis of nature of their disability, their qualifications, capabilities and training, no compelling situation has been created. Various organizations have come together to press the bodies concerned to implement these arrangements, but this has only yielded positive assurances and no implementation has taken place. Government and non-governmental organizations have held interaction programmes on International Disabled Day around the theme of how the disabled can be accommodated in employment and at various times discussions, seminars, workshops have taken place. On such occasions commitment have also
been made. But all this has been limited to paper and so far no concrete programme has been started for employing the disabled.

We have plenty of examples to show that given the opportunity disability is no obstacle to any kind of work. The need of the day is to give due recognition to the inherent skill and capability of disabled people and to provide them with employment. Even the government, non-governmental, national and international organizations working for the disabled offer only minimal
examples of priority accorded to the disabled in employment. So what can one expect from other sectors?

Some organizations and entities including Galaxy Public School, some FM stations, Kantipur Publications, Kathmandu Model
Hospital, Medical Aid Company, Starline Dotpen, Nepal One TV and Nanglo Bakery Cafe have been employing disabled people on the basis of their qualifications, their capabilities and honesty. They have been doing this out of an appreciation of what disabled individuals can do and a recognition of when they can be entrusted with responsibility. Physically disabled Jaya Gopal Ghimire, who has been self-supporting through his work as an accountant at various private organizations over a long period of time, asks in reply, "does being disabled mean being incapable in everything?" "After completing my BBS I had the opportunity to work as an accountant. I now teach at a government school and manage to do accounting work for five private firms part -time, mornings and evenings, at the week ends. I make good money. If I had not had such opportunity my BBS certificate alone would not have brought me employment. So the most important thing is opportunity without discrimination. As long as the disabled do not get the opportunity they will not be able to get ahead in this field."


The Bakery Café, which was started seven years ago with a workforce of 12 hearing impaired people out of appreciation of the competence and quality of work shown by the deaf, now employs more than 40 of them. It is the duty and responsibility of all concerned to do something for giving the disabled a break in life instead of just making speeches. competence shown by the deaf in their work has brought about change in society's negative attitudes towards them. There has also been an increase in customer participation. "Our deaf brothers and sisters are just as capable as other citizens. That is why I started out with a new notion and a new way, and this may well be a novelty", says Shyam Sundar Kachhyapati, Chairman of Nanglo International Pvt. Ltd..


There has been some organized effort at teaching disabled people vocational skills and promoting their self-employment. For example, the Blind-Disabled Technical and Skill Development Centre, Kirtipur, the Disabled New Life Center Banke, Bhimeshwar Disabled Association, Dolakha, Disabled Multipurpose Cooperative, Bhrikuti Mandap, Kathmandu, Shanti Sewa Griha, Gausala and others have started making such effort. There are also quite a few disabled who are making a living for themselves through self-employment. Among the 2,400,000 disabled are those who place weighing scales on the pavement so that passers by can see how much they weigh, those who retail daily necessities alongside, as also those who operate their own studios or run TV, radio, watch, clothing or tea and snacks shops and otherwise demonstrate their self-reliance and provide nicely for their families.

Since some time past, there have been instances of international NGO's seeking to provide disabled persons employment, based their capabilities and qualifications. But this effort is very minimal and will in no way address the problem of employment for the whole disabled community. Nevertheless the employment provided to the disabled by Plan Nepal, HKI International, Save the Children U.S., Action Aid Nepal and some other INGO's is laudable.

Physically disabled Kalpana Thapa of Bhaktapur District has been working at Action Aid Nepal for the past six years. She works as a receptionist at the office. She answers the phone, helps out with the work at the secretariat, keeps tabs on the employees and handles the email and internet. She feels that after starting work at Action Aid she has greatly enhanced her capabilities, and she says, "being at Action Aid Nepal has enhanced my ability to work and my will power."


A few years back verbal agreement was reached on absorbing one disabled person in each INGO through coordination between the Social Welfare Council and the INGO's Association (AIN). But it never came to anything.

Lately, some hope has been raised by the continuity in pressure tactics adopted by various organizations and the example set by the private sector. A decision taken by the cabinet on 2057/1/29 not to abolish existing temporary appointments for disabled is welcome even though HMG has not been able to make any new appointments.

Also laudable are the Disabled Protection and Welfare Act 2039, the Disabled Protection and Welfare Regulations 2051, the United Nations Rules of Evidence for Generalization of Opportunities for Disabled 1993, Disabled Services National Plan of Action 2060 and the preparations made as per a decision taken by the cabinet just recently to accommodate the disabled within the 5 percent reservations in the civil service for women, ethnic communities, dalits, etc. as part of governance reform measures.

If rules and regulations, international regimes, plans of action and the like are to be brought into implementation instead of just being confined to paper, disabled people could find many opportunities for employment. In order to see to the implementation side national and international NGO's should jointly work out a programme and approach HMG with a strong demand. Similarly, a publicity campaign for informing employer organizations should be launched forcefully and it should also reach the state, the masses and others concerned. Activities likely to encourage employment providers should also be worked out.

When providing training that is directly employment or vocation-oriented, guarantees of employment should first be worked out with prospective employers. If programmes aimed at generating public awareness can be expedited vigorously to change the negative attitudes existing in society, the state, the masses and others concerned might on their own come up with additional opportunities for employment.


Dhundiraj Chalise of Rautahat District has been running a small business on the premises of Kathmandu District Administration Office since the past five years. He provides photocopies, postage stamps, the use of a telephone and also tea and snacks for customers who come to the office on business. Through this he has been meeting the daily household expenses of his family. He is of the view that a disabled person can support himself if he acts out of strong will power and does not look upon his disability as an obstacle. Chalise, who gave up a temporary job to start his business, says he finds extreme satisfaction in doing whatever business he can rather than in holding down a regular job. Disabled people would do better to take up whatever work they can rather than remain idle because they have no odd jobs or opportunities on hand, he says. With his shop he has been able to send his children to a good school and also manage his household easily enough, he further says.