A new report reveals that in Yucatán, 70% of people with disabilities are unemployed.
To make things worse, roughly half of disabled people with formal employment are underpaid and lack access to benefits such as social security.
The report, prepared by disability advocacy group Construyendo Vínculos de Oportunidades, also highlights the challenges disabled people face in Yucatán when it comes to pursuing education.
“Only four out of every nine people with disabilities in Yucatán complete basic education, and only one in 100 graduates from college,” said Jesús Campos Hernández, president of Construyendo Vínculos de Oportunidades.
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The report also notes that Yucatán’s government has not done enough to facilitate connections between the private sector and people with disabilities.
“We can’t approach these problems one by one, we have to take the whole picture into account. We need to strive for a culture of inclusivity. Then and only then will the pieces fall into place,” said Campos Hernández.
Several laws both at federal and state levels are intended to defend the rights of persons with disabilities in Mexico, but their real-world implementation has been spotty at best.
Disability advocates also point out society at large has to do a better job of being inclusive of people with disabilities, not out of pity or because it’s a nice thing to do, but because they are people with rights like everyone else.
