In Belarus only 17% of people with disabilities manage to find a job. But what are the reasons for such overwhelmingly low rate? There is a series of them. Firstly, employers are reluctant to hire people with disabilities. Secondly, many people who have disabilities simply cannot get to their work places (e.g. those who use a wheelchair because of the absence of wheelchair ramps). However, those who have an opportunity to get employed, often lack self-confidence and, therefore, do not look for a job or give up hoping after some failed attempts. But besides these reasons there is also a very important one, which is usually forgotten. Quite often an employer, willing to hire a person with reduced capabilities, and a person with a disability cannot find each other.
Unfortunately, very little information about job search for people with disabilities can be found in mass media. However not only are job vacancies for such people limited, but also the sources of information about such vacancies. To solve this problem, the Republican association of wheelchair users in cooperation with HeadHunter (RABOTA.TUT.BY) has launched on its website raik.by a new job searching service for people with disabilities. At the end of the previous year on the internet resource RABOTA.TUT.BY job vacancies available for these people became specially marked. Also, due to HeadHunter, the section with job vacancies for people with disabilities ( https://raik.by/poisk-raboty ) was created on the website raik.by. This service is unprecedented for our country. Before that Belarusian job search websites did not have an option to select and mark the vacancies offered by various companies to people with disabilities.
Unfortunately, there are rather few jobs that employers are ready to offer to people with disabilities yet. As of the 13th of January on the website RABOTA.TUT.BY only 19 out of 8756 job vacancies were available for such people. However it is hoped that such services will encourage employers to change their attitude towards people with disabilities and their employment. After all, as the colour of applicant’s eyes or hair is of no importance, so should be his disability. Much more important is what kind of a worker this person is and how useful he can be for the company. By acting in such a way the employers can not only help people with disabilities achieve their legal right to employment, but also get highly qualified specialists.
Yulia Tunick
PA”RAWU”
