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Disabled people locked out of job market: UN's Ban

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an end to the "deplorable" job discrimination against millions of disabled people around the world.

In a message on Monday on the International Day of Disabled Persons, Ban said estimates show that at least half of all disabled people in developed nations and the vast majority of those in developing countries are unemployed.

"This situation is deplorable," the secretary-general said. "Persons with disabilities have the ability to make valuable contributions in the workforce as employees, entrepreneurs and employers. But they face numerous barriers that prevent them from fulfilling their potential."

Ban cited difficulties for the disabled in getting an education, prejudices about their abilities and inaccessible workplaces.

According to the latest UN figures, about 10 percent of the world's population, or 650 million people, live with a disability.

Of those living with disabilities, 80 percent live in developing countries.

Chris Sullivan, a vice president of Merrill Lynch who was born hearing impaired, told a news conference global employers are projecting a shortage of 31 million skilled workers by 2010 and 56 million by 2020.

"Against that backdrop, more than 65 percent of the people with disabilities in the US are unemployed," he said, urging more companies to bring the disabled into the workforce.
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