True or False? Putting to the Test Our Knowledge of Disability

In Latin America and the Caribbean, one in seven people has a disability. Clearly, having a disability is not unusual, but part of human diversity, and as with characteristics such as race or gender, should not be cause for exclusion. That means that governments in the region should ensure the economic and social inclusion of people with disabilities so that they can participate on equal terms with their peers without disabilities.

Unfortunately, myths and incorrect notions about disability still persist, and these misconceptions can lead to the design of ineffective policies and programs. For this reason, we have summarized the evidence on what works to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in our recent publication.  

In this blog we invite you to test how much you know on this issue. See if you think the following statements are true or false.

1. Children with disabilities do not attend school at the same levels as their peers without disabilities.
2. Children with disabilities learn more and better when they study only with other children with disabilities.
3. Discrimination and prejudice against people with disabilities in the workplace is a thing of the past.
4. Employment quotas always work to promote the employment of people with disabilities.
5. Cash transfers for people with disabilities are a disincentive to work and should not be advocated for.

Here are the correct answers and their explanations.

Children and youth with disabilities do not attend school at the same levels as their peers without disabilities. True

Although the vast majority of children with disabilities in the region complete elementary school, far fewer youth with disabilities complete secondary school than their peers without disabilities.  A study of eight countries in the region found that the probability of attending school for 12-17 year olds with disabilities is 10 percentage points lower than for youth without disabilities. Meanwhile, a high percentage of children with disabilities continues to attend segregated special education schools. Without a doubt, we have a long way to go to achieve inclusive education in the region.

Children with disabilities learn more and better when they study only with other children with disabilities.  False

The few rigorous studies on the subject show that including students with disabilities in traditional classrooms and schools has positive or neutral effects on their ability to learn. Research also shows that the inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms does not have negative impacts on the learning of their peers without disabilities when appropriate supports are in place. However, we still have much to learn about this issue and need rigorous strategies to identify the effects.

Discrimination and prejudice against people with disabilities in the workplace continue to be a problem in our societies. True

Despite widespread legislation that prohibits employment discrimination against people with disabilities, this continues to be a problem. For example, a study in Norway found that when people disclose in their cover letter that they have a disability, the likelihood of their being called for an interview drops by 50%. Studies from Denmark and Canada have yielded similar results.

Employment quotas always work to promote the employment of people with disabilities. False

Programs involving employment quotas do not always have the desired effect of increasing the hiring of people with disabilities. On the one hand, evidence from Austria, Japan, Spain, Brazil, and Chile suggests that quotas can slightly or moderately increase the number of people with disabilities working in companies subject to them. But studies from other countries, such as France and Germany, show the opposite: quotas often have no effect or even decrease their hiring. Moreover, some studies show that when quotas do increase the employment of people with disabilities, this is largely a result of reclassifying already hired workers as having disabilities. This is the case in Chile, where up to one-third of the increase in employees with disabilities was due to reclassification. In other words, labor quotas are not a magic bullet to this employment problem.  

Cash transfers for people with disabilities are a disincentive to work, and therefore should not be advocated for. False

Studies in Europe, the United States, and Canada have found that disability insurance, financed through contributions from formal employment, has negative effects on income and the probability of employment. However, the size of these effects is small. In contexts with high levels of labor informality, as is the case in Latin America and the Caribbean, non-contributory disability pensions are much more relevant, and function as cash transfers. A study in Brazil found that the disability pension reduces its beneficiaries’ days of formal employment by only five days per year, a quite low figure. Moreover, although the effects on income and employment are important, cash transfers have other positive effects on the quality of life of people with disabilities. Studies in the United States, Brazil and the Netherlands have found that receiving a disability benefit improves the financial stability of the household and may even decrease the mortality of people with disabilities.

How many correct answers did you get? Regardless of the number, we invite you to continue learning more about what works to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities by reading our publication. While there is a lack of research on disability issues in Latin America and the Caribbean, we hope that by fostering research and dialogue on these issues we can contribute to the development of innovative and increasingly successful inclusion policies and programs.