Trapped Between Ableism and Neoliberalism: Critical Reflections on Disability and Employment in India

Abstract

Despite affirmative actions such as reserved government employment, incentives and subsidies for employers, tax exemptions, skill development training etc., employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in India continue to be characterized by lower work-force participation, lower wages, lack of or limited career advancement, and discrimination in the workplace. While there has been some research on the presence of persons with disabilities in formal employment, such studies have lacked critical assessment of the underlying conceptions of (dis)ability and its interface with changes in the wider political and economic context. Using a case study approach, this article examines the outcomes of three employment initiatives in India. We contend that work and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities remain trapped in constructs of ableism; while neoliberalism has resulted in complex, often adverse outcomes that have received little attention. The article calls for developing a more critical research agenda and building capacities for wider contestation against ableism and neoliberalism.This article examines the outcomes of recent efforts to employ persons with disabilities in India. It attempts to unmask the underlying ableist assumptions of such efforts and to critique the complex interface between ableism and neoliberalism. We begin with a brief overview of the present employment status of persons with disabilities in India, followed by a brief account of recent efforts to increase their employment opportunities, which highlights the popularity and pervasiveness of such endeavors. The second section presents a contextual account of disability and employment in India around three key foci: the social construction of (dis)ableism; the role of religion and karma in Hinduism (the dominant religion in India); and neoliberalism, the prevailing development model. In the third section, we present three case studies in which interviews were conducted with employers and their employees with disabilities. The fourth section comprises a detailed discussion around conceptions of ableism and karma in the context of neoliberalism. We find that the interface between ableism and neoliberalism in India results in ever more complex forms of workplace marginalization for persons with disabilities. In the final section, we outline a more critical research agenda to fully unearth these influences. Building Skills And Reserving Jobs: Disability And Employment In IndiaEstimated to be nearly 15% of the world's population (WHO, 2011), counts of persons with disabilities in India are both ambiguous and much lower than global estimates. For example, the National Sample Survey (2003) reported a total of 18.5 million persons with disabilities in India, while the 2001 Census identified 21.9 million persons with disabilities (Registrar General of India, 2001), which constitutes a 20% difference in government estimates. The workforce participation rate of persons with disabilities is as low as 37.6% compared to 62.5...

Making community inclusion work for persons with disabilities: drawing lessons from the field

“…Some of the data discussed in this article has been published elsewhere (Kumar, Sonpal, & Hiranandani, 2012; Kumar, Kothiyal, Hiranandani, & Sonpal, 2014, forthcoming).…”

“…The "supercrip" stereotype renders disability invisible and somewhat irrelevant, and designates persons with disabilities as superheroes for others to follow. Thus, disability is conveniently cast aside and persons with disabilities are silenced (Kumar, Hiranandani, & Sonpal, 2012). This is in stark contrast to the principles of community development that promote critical consciousness, self-determination, agency (developing the capacities of persons with disabilities to take action for change), and solidarity between different strata of the disability community and solidarity with the non-disabled community.…”

“…However, this approach Community Development 159 severely disadvantages persons with disabilities, who are trapped in a situation where obligation and the pressure to prove themselves as "equals" discourages these workers from making any demands on management and/or their employers. (para 46, Kumar et al, 2012) In addition to the ableist and neoliberal forces, the ideas of karma inhibit persons with disabilities from making any demands or pursuing their rights. For example, we have discussed elsewhere that [i]n an interview with an employee with a hearing impairment, (…) [he responded] "What more can I possibly ask for?…”

“…Deeply influenced by the theory of karma and fatalism, the employees often thanked God, their friends, relatives, and colleagues for making their lives livable, and for providing them with the opportunity to contribute to the family income, even though it may not be substantial. (para 40, Kumar et al, 2012) Thus, questions of community inclusion continue to be characterized by largesse shown towards persons with disabilities either by benevolent individuals or institutions. Persons with disabilities are expected to remain perpetually in gratitude to those who provide them the opportunity to be included.…”

Deaf bodies and corporate bodies: new regimes of value in Bangalore's business process outsourcing sector

“…5 While this literature is mostly situated in the West, studies of disability and employment in India tend to follow this trajectory and largely examine the underemployment and discrimination with which disabled people grapple (e.g. Hiranandani & Sonpal 2010;Kumar, Sonpal & Hiranandani 2012).…”