Disability, Employment and the Law: A Caribbean Outlook

Abstract

Employment opportunities for persons with disabilities are often limited, due to the structural barriers they face, throughout the course of having the disability. This prevents them from realising their full potential and consequently limits their full and equal participation in society. Persons with disabilities face not only unemployment, but also underemployment even where they are able to secure a job. In comparison to their peers without known disabilities, they experience significantly lower rates of employment and earn less, causing them to experience disadvantage, exclusion and discrimination in the labour market, as they face unequal unemployment circumstances. Most Caribbean countries have enacted laws to protect the rights of persons with disabilities within employment, education and the provision of goods and services. This chapter will review the legal protections and support provided by Caribbean countries in addressing the challenges faced by persons with disabilities who seek or have employment. This overview is done primarily on the basis of international legal obligations and existing domestic law as it relates to disability in employment to determine how the various Caribbean governments have attempted to address such matters through law.