The one-day ‘Career Expo for Persons with Disabilities’, held on December 5 last year in the Capital, has so far managed to create employment opportunities for 12 individuals with various disabilities.

The expo , the first of its kind, had seen the participation of over 1,500 persons with disabilities, out of which, some 623 registered with merojob.com, an employment website. According to organisers, many other applicants, in addition to the 12, have been approached by prospective employers.

Out of the 12 job recipients, Jivan Kumari Gautam was hired by the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Sagar Prasain by Water Aid Nepal and Shiva Ram Achhami by Koshish-Nepal, an NGO. Gautam is visually impaired, Prasain is in a wheelchair and Achhami suffers from a psycho-social disability.

Another participant at the expo , Achuyt Subedi of Gulariya-Bardia, sat for a job interview at the Maharajgunj-based PNG Technological on Tuesday after the enterprise showed interest. “I am now expecting results,” said Subedi.

Merojob.com has posted profiles of all job applicants on its website. According to the employment website, on average, around 30 viewers have visited each of the posted profiles of the differently-abled applicants so far.

The expo , organised by the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, the FNCCI, the National Federation of the Disabled Nepal (NFDN) and the Association of INGOs (AIN) of Nepal, was hailed by many as providing a platform for the employment of the disabled. Apart from creating job opportunities, many saw the event as an attempt to bridge the divide between the differently-abled and everyone else.

Aradhana Thapa, program officer at the Karuna Foundation, an NGO working for people with disabilities, said that many individuals and organisations have expressed their commitments to provide jobs. “Job aside, the expo proved helpful in mainstreaming the marginalised. It helped many people realise that those with disabilities are not actually very different,” said Thapa, who volunteered at the expo on the behalf of AIN.

However, rormer president of the NFDN, Birendra Pokhrel, said that were many commitments but few have materialised. “The bottom line is that one should get jobs if they are qualified, irrespective of their appearance or physical condition. Many organisations, including the AIN and the American Embassy, are positive about hiring the disabled. Having said that, job seekers should also be equally capable and match the expectations of their office,” said Pokhrel.

He went on to blame the government for negligence in capacity enhancement and misunderstanding rights with welfare. “Physically able people have been given government jobs in the name of the disabled,” he said. Experts have also said that employment opportunities will not hold much meaning if organisations and public infrastructure like roads, vehicles, toilets and buildings are still unfriendly to the disabled.

The NFDN claims that around 15 percent of the total population is differently-abled in some way while the 2011 Census put the number at only two percent.

As per Article 4 of the Disabled Protection and Welfare Act 1982, any office with over 25 staffers is required to recruit not fewer than five differently-abled persons on the basis of physical capability, training and qualifications. However, neither the government nor public institutions have complied with the Act.

source: The Kathmandu post,31jan 2013