The ‘Building Disability Confidence’ campaign has been 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 will be doing a variety of things, to show their support for the International Day of Persons with Disability in Asia on 3 December 2011, from sending out communications about and running training for their employees to auditing their premises and participating in outreach projects serving people with disabilities.
International studies suggest that around 400 million people with disabilities live in the Asia and Pacific region of the world. 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.
“The incidence of disability is widespread and growing in Asia” said Kate Vernon, Managing Director, Community Business. “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.”
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
