KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 – Employment remains one of the most challenging arenas for women and girls with disabilities, not only in terms of access, but also when it comes to retention, dignity, and equity, according to a recently published report on the barriers to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for women with disabilities.
The report, produced by the Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (Arrow) and The Datum Initiative, highlights how ableist assumptions, discriminatory practices,and tokenistic gestures mar the experiences of people with disabilities in the workforce, forcing many to navigate jobs that are unaccommodating at best and exploitative at worst.
Used As A Token Figure
One of the major barriers that people with disabilities have to surmount appears right at the onset during the job application process when they have to declare their disability. Iman, a transmasculine individual with multiple disabilities interviewed for the report, described how this act of disclosure opened the floodgates for invasive questioning.
According to her, hiring managers, under the guise of curiosity or ignorance, often interrogated her condition, remarking that they had “never seen anything like it before”.
Furthermore, her employment was directly linked to disability-focused programmes or quotas.
She later discovered she was being used as a token figure, photographed for promotional materials to demonstrate the organisation’s commitment to inclusivity to the donor behind the programme.
While Iman expressed gratitude for the opportunity, she was also acutely aware that her role served more as proof of compliance than genuine inclusion.
Excluded From Key Organisational Processes
The report also described how disabled employees are often omitted from key organisational processes, citing the experience of Pauziah, a deaf woman, who said she was routinely excluded from staff meetings and departmental town halls.
No attempt was made to accommodate her disability through provisions such as sign language interpretation or accessible summaries.
When she inquired about it, she was told these were “company affairs” that did not concern her, and that she should simply “focus on work.”
This recurring theme of exclusion from decision-making processes was reported by multiple respondents and reflects a broader devaluation of disabled workers’ contributions beyond task completion, according to the report.
Invisible Disabilities Often Dismissed, Downplayed
Individuals with invisible disabilities are faced with added challenges when it comes to requesting accommodations at work.
Mei, who lives with a physical condition not immediately apparent, found that despite disclosing her disability, she was offered no accommodation.
Her superiors failed to grasp the extent of her limitations, denying requests for shorter hospital rounds or designated parking closer to the building.
Mei’s experience is emblematic of how invisible disabilities are often dismissed or downplayed, resulting in workers being forced to push beyond their physical limits.
Marginalised For Gender And Disability
The burden of being marginalised is further compounded when it includes ingrained prejudices exemplified by the experience of Lakshmi, a blind woman, who said her opinions are not only frequently disregarded by male colleagues, but she was overlooked for promotions despite her seniority and experience.
She described social events where people would avoid addressing her directly, choosing instead to speak to those around her, as if her presence was invisible. This erasure extends across professional and personal spaces, underpinned by gendered and ableist assumptions about competence and leadership, according to the report.
Freelance Work Provides Autonomy To Manage Condition
The fraught and thorny landscape of formal employment can become overwhelming for women with psychosocial and learning disabilities such as Farah, who lives with several such conditions. She found formal work environments rigid and intolerant of her needs.
As a result, she chose to pursue freelance work instead, where she could stipulate clear boundaries and accessibility requirements. In her contracts, she specifies communication windows, forbids unnecessary late-night messaging, and requests clients to respect her time.
This autonomy allows her to manage her condition while maintaining productivity, an example of self-determined access on her own terms.
Disability Employment Framed As Act Of Charity
Mary, a deaf indigenous woman from Sabah, appeared to have struck gold in the workplace when she was hired by a welcoming employer. The organisation also hired seven other deaf colleagues, some as clerical staff and others as factory workers.
At the company, some colleagues learned basic sign language, and her supervisors defended their inclusive hiring to sceptical international stakeholders, indicating the company’s supportive environment.
All was not as it seemed though as Mary’s salary remained stagnant despite years of loyal service. Bonuses were also minimal.
When she attempted to organise her fellow deaf colleagues to advocate for fairer treatment, they were reluctant. Gratitude had become a double-edged sword.
She said that many of them feared appearing ungrateful, believing they should simply be thankful to have jobs at all.
When organisations frame disability employment as an act of charity rather than a human right, it creates a dynamic ripe for exploitation, noted the report.
Employers, emboldened by their self-ascribed altruism, may neglect fair remuneration,career advancement, and meaningful inclusion, believing that mere employment is enough.
Move Beyond Superficial Inclusion
The report argues that these testimonies underscore the urgent need to move beyond superficial inclusion.
Merely hiring people with disabilities is insufficient, organisations must adopt policies and practices that are rooted in respect, equity, and recognition of the full humanity and potential of persons with disabilities.
It maintained that inclusive workspaces require more than quotas or token gestures; they require structural change, disability-led policy, and a conscious dismantling of the ableist norms that continue to shape the world of work.
