The NDA has commissioned a National Survey of Public Attitudes to Disability in Ireland. The survey builds on previous surveys conducted by NDA in 2001 and 2006, and covers a range of topics including knowledge of disability and attitudes to disability within the workplace, schools and in the neighbourhood. The findings were launched by Kathleen Lynch, T.D. Minister of State with special responsibility for Disability, Older People, Equality & Mental Health on 19 January 2012. You can download the survey here.
The survey results were launched at an NDA Conference on the 'World Report on Disability' intended to facilitate a presentation and discussion on the World Report on Disability - The Report was launched by the World Health Organisation and the World Bank in June 2011 and is intended to drive policy and practice developments, and investment in disability research and service provision globally. "Almost all jobs can be performed by someone with a disability, and given the right environment, most people with disabilities can be productive. But as documented by several studies, both in developed and developing countries, working age persons with disabilities experience significantly lower employment rates( 53% men and 20% women) and much higher unemployment rates than persons without disabilities (2-9). Lower rates of labour market participation are one of the important pathways through which disability may lead to poverty (10-15).
In Article 27 the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) "recognizes the right of persons with disabilities to work, on an equal basis with others; this includes the opportunity to gain a living by work freely chosen or accepted in a labour market and work environment that is open, inclusive and accessible to persons with disabilities"
