Accessibility of Workplaces, Information and the Broader Environment

As regards social insurance and social health insurance, a huge obstacle limiting the coverage of persons with disabilities is simply the lack of job opportunities in the formal economy. Measures to promote such work include the employment quotas mentioned above. Some countries, such as Algeria and Tunisia, have also introduced social security contribution reductions or income tax exemptions for persons with disabilities, as well as various other financial incentives to employ them.[1] Reasonable accommodation of workplaces, accessibility of buildings, and means of transport - all are factors that are not part of the core definition of the SPF, but which are nevertheless needed to facilitate the inclusiveness of social protection measures.

Even when social protection is available, there are in practice a number of obstacles which frequently render it inaccessible, particularly for persons with disabilities. The locations necessary to visit in order to access support are often geographically distant, especially in rural areas, or otherwise physically inaccessible. This obstacle may be aggravated by bureaucratic, time-consuming and expensive application procedures, which frequently call for numerous visits and re-visits to a number of government offices. Among persons with disabilities in Morocco who do not benefit from RAMED, fully 49 percent have cited “administrative difficulties” as their reason for this.[2] In Iraq, similarly, obstacles of this sort have posed a momentous hindrance for persons with disabilities trying to access CTs.[3] This has especially affected women with disabilities, who have faced obstacles in the form of sexual harassment and culturally imposed mobility restrictions, making it particularly difficult for them to go through the lengthy application process.[4]

Another major obstacle is lack of information about the available social protection measures. In Morocco, for instance, 13 percent of persons with disabilities not enrolled in RAMED stated that they had no knowledge of the scheme.[5] Only 9.2 percentof persons with disabilities declared being aware of the services furnished by the Ministry of Family, Solidarity, Equality and Social Development.[6] Furthermore, as noted above, there are indications of confusion concerning the disability card. In Egypt[7] and Tunisia,[8] similarly, there is reportedly some confusion among persons with disabilities regarding where and how to access social protection services.

Governments have resorted to various measures to alleviatethese problems. For example, Saudi Arabia’s Compatibility Programme, launched in 2012 by the Ministry of Labour, comprizes a broad set of initiatives to increase employment among persons with disabilities. As part of this, the ministry “is endeavouring to turn its internal working environment into a model environment adapted to the needs of employees and visitors with disabilities of various kinds”. Notably, this programme also implies cooperation between the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Social Affairs aming to ensure that persons with disabilities in employment be covered by social insurance.[9]

As noted, persons with disabilities are in many countries in the region entitled to free or subsidized public transport, which could partly remedy the problem of prohibitive geographic distances and thus make the broader environment more accessible. In the United Arab Emirates, applications for disability cards, as well as for other forms of social protection such as CTs, are submitted online, which may reduce the need for persons with disabilities to visit potentially inaccessible government offices. In Tunisia, relatedly, efforts have been made to to make administrative websites disability accessible,[10] which could open up a venue for persons with disabilities to gain information about social protection programmes. Countries are also making efforts to enhance persons with disabilities’ access to internet.[11] A telling example of the increased awareness within the region of accessibility for persons with disabilities is the AccessAbilities Expo in Dubai. This event, scheduled to take place in November 2017, will bring together a large number of stakeholders, including from governments and from companies providing new technological products enabling persons with disabilities to live independently.[12]