In Austria, companies with more than 24 employees have to ensure 4% of their personnel are people with a disability. But one bank there is going much further.

In the UK, only 46.5% of working-age disabled people are employed – with the figure for adults with learning difficulties just 6%. In the first of a two-part series, jobseekers with disabilities describe the hassles and heartache of finding work.

Enable Travel is a startup in the travel space but with a unique business model; it is dedicated to helping the differently abled enjoy vacations as normal people do. Debolin Sen is the promoter of Enable Travel and the company is backed by Cox & Kings and the startup fashions itself as “India’s first accessible holiday specialist”.

She gave up her a corporate career and learnt how to be a special needs educator. Now she and her husband provide a safe place for some 200 Muslim youths – but it’s been a rocky journey. (video available)

Para swimmer James Wong may have only one arm, but that hasn’t stopped him from fully embracing life with his positive outlook.

Including persons with disabilities in the workforce does not lead to lower productivity. Instead, it can help staff learn compassion.

Standing at only 92.5cm (a little shorter than the average height of a 3-year-old) and with limited motor abilities, it’s an understatement to say that Siew faces tremendous challenges every day. “There are a lot of things that people take for granted. Even the simplest of tasks such as climbing the stairs or pushing the buttons in the lift may seem like a breeze for able-bodied people. But not for me,” confides Siew.

I would like to touch again on legislation affecting persons with disabilities. I am making appeal to the Federal Government to seriously consider amending Article 8(2) (on Equality and equality before the law) of the Federal Constitution…

Sepasang suami isteri kurang upaya (OKU) nekad berdikari untuk menanggung kehidupan mereka bersama tiga cahaya mata walaupun hidup dalam serba kekurangan. Melayari hidup berumahtangga selama tujuh tahun, Mohd Syukri Abdul Kadir, 38, dan Zanainah Muhammad, 40, kedua-duanya cacat pendengaran dan bisu, tidak pernah meminta-minta walaupun ada masanya berdepan masalah kewangan.

Many of Claire’s needs are not “special” at all. She needs to eat, get around, be educated, use the bathroom and be entertained. These things take extra effort for her. She has to be fed, she uses a wheelchair, she still needs her diaper changed, and going out to have fun often requires careful planning. But the needs themselves are basic and ordinary. There is nothing special about them.