International studies suggest that around 400 million people with disabilities live in the APAC region. When taking into consideration the impact on Asian families, the lives and livelihood of over 800 million people are impacted, about 25% of the population.
Kate Vernon, Managing Director, Community Business commented, “The incidence of disability is widespread and growing in Asia. This is significant for the corporate sector, because these growing numbers of people affected by disability represent a company’s customers, employees, shareholders, stakeholders, partners and competitors. Addressing the needs of people with disabilities is therefore not merely a philanthropic or socially responsible gesture—it’s a business imperative that requires corporate commitment at the highest levels.”
With this is mind, the Building Disability Confidence Campaign was designed to raise awareness on the importance of addressing disability as a business issue and promote greater equality and access to opportunities for people with disabilities. 20 leading companies from across Asia showed their support for the International Day of Persons with Disability in Asia at the end of 2011. Companies engaged in a wide range of activities from sending out communications about and running employee training programmes to auditing their premises and participating in outreach projects serving people with disabilities.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
