Disabled Employment: Interview with Soukaina Elouardi, Communications Manager of the Espoir Maroc Association
13 January 2015
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"Few dare to mention their disability on a CV"
- La Vie éco: Since the last national survey on disability and the law on the social protection of disabled people, have there been any advances on this issue?
The text of law 62-09 on strengthening the rights of people with disabilities is ambitious. Its cross-cutting approach is its strength, but also its weakness, as it requires significant work in terms of management and implementation, which blocks this law at the project stage.
In Morocco, actions regarding the integration of people with disabilities are significant but insufficient. Those carried out to date also remain within an approach of assistance and are less participatory.
These actions must significantly change the relationships between companies and people with disabilities; they must also bring a new category of public for which job adaptation and disability compensation will have to be considered differently.
- In your opinion, is disability still a discriminatory factor in hiring? Why?
Beyond social perceptions, disability remains a discriminatory factor in employment in Morocco. Few dare to mention their disability on a CV because, in the collective unconscious, it is synonymous with constraints and under-qualification. There are still preconceived ideas about disabled workers, particularly about certain disabilities that are still poorly understood and frighten employers. There are disabled workers for whom the labor market is still hesitant. These fears and hesitations primarily concern the risk of absenteeism, sick leave, and their repetition over long periods. This clearly implies a notion of lack of reliability and productivity of the disabled employee.
- How can the situation be improved?
Promoting access to employment for disabled people in companies is a challenge for equality and a major issue for the professional integration of people with specific needs in Morocco.
The policy of recruiting disabled people also involves raising awareness of disability issues: it is on the perspective, the preparation of the environment that we must still make progress.
- You plan to organize a forum dedicated to employment for disabled people in Morocco, where are you currently in this process?
Currently, we are in the preparation phase; more and more companies and associations will be involved in this first initiative. This day aims to be an innovative, human-sized meeting designed to facilitate exchanges between disabled people, employment professionals, and companies from different sectors.
- What are the objectives of this event?
The Handicap Maroc day for the employment of disabled people is an opportunity to continue changing the way citizens view disabled people with the mobilization of several associative and private partners.
This event will focus on four objectives:
• To directly connect disabled people with private or public companies.
• To directly connect disabled people with those responsible for promoting entrepreneurship in Morocco.
• To prepare people for employment through coaching workshops.
• To allow disabled people to learn about the associations that can help them in their life project.
Lavieeco.com
Published on December 24, 2014.
Posted online on January 13, 2015.
- La Vie éco: Since the last national survey on disability and the law on the social protection of disabled people, have there been any advances on this issue?
The text of law 62-09 on strengthening the rights of people with disabilities is ambitious. Its cross-cutting approach is its strength, but also its weakness, as it requires significant work in terms of management and implementation, which blocks this law at the project stage.
In Morocco, actions regarding the integration of people with disabilities are significant but insufficient. Those carried out to date also remain within an approach of assistance and are less participatory.
These actions must significantly change the relationships between companies and people with disabilities; they must also bring a new category of public for which job adaptation and disability compensation will have to be considered differently.
- In your opinion, is disability still a discriminatory factor in hiring? Why?
Beyond social perceptions, disability remains a discriminatory factor in employment in Morocco. Few dare to mention their disability on a CV because, in the collective unconscious, it is synonymous with constraints and under-qualification. There are still preconceived ideas about disabled workers, particularly about certain disabilities that are still poorly understood and frighten employers. There are disabled workers for whom the labor market is still hesitant. These fears and hesitations primarily concern the risk of absenteeism, sick leave, and their repetition over long periods. This clearly implies a notion of lack of reliability and productivity of the disabled employee.
- How can the situation be improved?
Promoting access to employment for disabled people in companies is a challenge for equality and a major issue for the professional integration of people with specific needs in Morocco.
The policy of recruiting disabled people also involves raising awareness of disability issues: it is on the perspective, the preparation of the environment that we must still make progress.
- You plan to organize a forum dedicated to employment for disabled people in Morocco, where are you currently in this process?
Currently, we are in the preparation phase; more and more companies and associations will be involved in this first initiative. This day aims to be an innovative, human-sized meeting designed to facilitate exchanges between disabled people, employment professionals, and companies from different sectors.
- What are the objectives of this event?
The Handicap Maroc day for the employment of disabled people is an opportunity to continue changing the way citizens view disabled people with the mobilization of several associative and private partners.
This event will focus on four objectives:
• To directly connect disabled people with private or public companies.
• To directly connect disabled people with those responsible for promoting entrepreneurship in Morocco.
• To prepare people for employment through coaching workshops.
• To allow disabled people to learn about the associations that can help them in their life project.
Lavieeco.com
Published on December 24, 2014.
Posted online on January 13, 2015.
