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POV The daunting statistics
BY DONNA J. JODHAN |
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 Unemployment or under employment has always been a chronic problem for the disabled; especially so for the blind and visually impaired. True, many significant steps have been made over the last two decades, but according to reports produced by agencies such as Statistics Canada, the CNIB, and others, unemployment among disabled Canadians ranges anywhere from 60% to 80%. This figure is exceedingly high when compared to the unemployment statistics for mainstream Canadians and it is a statistic that affects the attitude of many blind and visually impaired Canadians and indeed disabled Canadians seeking employment. This may come as a shocker to the mainstream world but to the visually impaired person, it is neither a shocker nor shaker.
At the best of times, employed disabled Canadians face many tangible and intangible challenges in the workplace but for those who are either employable or job seeking, these daunting statistics often become a barrier. There is an old saying that goes something like this: "Bad news travels much more quickly than good news" and unfortunately, this is the case with these statistics. Several of my fellow blind and visually impaired friends continue to express their hopelessness to me whenever these statistics are brought up in conversation. I often get comments like these: "What's the use in looking for a job when these stats are so high?" "If these statistics are true, then what is it really like for those who are actually working?" "If unemployment for the disabled is so high, then how can we ever expect to find gainful employment?"
There is no concrete answer to all of this but I can assure you that this daunting stat definitely plays a part in the difference between a healthy attitude and an anemic one. Like it or not, most of our attitudes are often governed by the type of news we see and hear. Good news often motivates us to try harder while bad news often works in the opposite way. For the disabled, bad news often works negatively and maybe, just maybe, it is the reason why so many disabled Canadians give up even before they get started. Being able to find gainful employment in an accepting workplace is so important to the disabled and the energy that it takes to get to the workplace is often underestimated. So that whenever reports are issued on the unemployment picture for the disabled, it really does not help the cause when these types of stats are circulated.
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I'm Donna J. Jodhan your freelance writer and roving reporter wishing you a terrific day. For more of my blogs, please visit:
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog/blog.html
http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm, and www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com |
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