Corporate Social Responsibility and

People with DisabilitiesAlireza Omidvar

Managing Director

Corporate Governance and Responsibility Development Centre of Iran

People with Disabilities (PWD)

Constituting the biggest minority on the planet, people

with disabilities (PWD), endure many trials and

tribulations including prejudice in the workplace,

discomfort in using public transportation, fallacious

preconceptions, lack of representativeness, etc.

How to engage the potentiality of PWD in economic

development, social engagement and environmental

integrity

The role of companies

The role of government (Social Responsibility of the

State)

The role of Civil Society Organizations

Best Practices

Sevenly

http://www.sevenly.org/collections/

autism-

speaks?utm_source=charity&utm_me

dium=AutismSpeaks&utm_campaign=

1443_Charity_Website

TOTAL RAISED TO DATE $3,979,078

Specialisterne, which translates from Danish as “The Specialists” is

a socially innovative company where the majority of employees

have a diagnosis on the autism spectrum. Employees work as

business consultants on tasks such as software testing,

programming and data-entry for the public and private sectors.

We harness the special characteristics and talents of people with

autism and use them as a competitive advantage, and as a means

to help people with autism secure meaningful employment.

Specialisterne has operations in numerous locations around the

world.

http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/the-

dandelion-principle-redesigning-work-for-the-

innovation-economy/

SAP

The Dandelion Principle: Redesigning Work for the Innovation

At its annual user conference in May 2013, German multinational

software giant SAP AG announced plans to hire hundreds of

people diagnosed with autism, with a target of having people

with autism represent 1% of the company’s work force by 2020.

Like weeds in a green lawn, people who are “different” —

whether behaviorally or neurologically — don’t always fit into

standard job categories. But if you can arrange working

conditions to align with the abilities of such individuals, they

can add significant value.

SamsungGlobal Harmony with people, society & environment, Sustainability report, 2012

FIVE GUYS

“It’s wonderful to have Kreed go somewhere and

not be treated different, except maybe with more

kindness and grace than he has ever experienced

before.”

A Letter to 'Five Guys' for Showing

Kindness to my Son with Autism

If you live in our community and catch a sight of us in public, you will

see a young man hopping through the store, a cool looking device

sitting in the shopping cart and a woman telling “hoppy” to come

along. Some people stare. Some people smile. Some people are

pretending not to stare.

It’s OK, really. He’s happy and I’m happy and that’s all the matters.

We generally go through the stores without conversation with anyone

else and that’s just fine with me. We do tend to live in just the space

between us, where I understand him and he understands me.

Except there is one place in the community where Kreed’s hopping,

dimple grin and sounds are a welcome sight, and people greet him

with cheers and shout his name and immediately start his order —

often times before I even open the door. Reminds me a little of

Kreed’s very own Cheers place.

• http://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/2014/10/20/letter-five-guys-showing-kindness-my-son-autism?utm_source=/news/news-item/kerry-magro039s-039defining-autism-heart%25253Fpage%25253D408%25252526-now-available-

amazon%25253D%253Fpage%253D3&utm_medium=text-link&utm_content=A%20Letter%20to%20%27Five%20Guys%27%20for%20Showing%20Kindness%20to%20my%20Son%20with%20Autism%20&utm_campaign=mostpopular

• http://themighty.com/2014/10/a-letter-to-our-favorite-burger-joint-from-the-mom-of-a-teenager-with-autism/

Forworded by Professor Stephen Hawking, Lucasian professor ofMathematics at Cambridge University and world leading astrophysicist,first World report on disability was released by WHO and World Bank tofollow up Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (adopted2006 and implemented from May 2008) which was put forth to “promote,protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights andfundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promoterespect for their inherent dignity”.

WHO and World Bank

WORLD REPORT ON DISABILITY 2011

In summary the report focuses on:

Attitudinal, physical, and financial barriers that People with disabilities face.

How to address them.

Action at the local, national and international levels.

Findings:

1 Billion people (15% of the world population based on 2010 global populationestimates) in the world live with some form of disability, of whom nearly 200million, between 110-190 million, experience considerable difficulties infunctioning. In the 1970s, this figure was around 10%.

In OECD countries, employment rate for people with disabilities is 44% whilethis figure is over 75% for the people without disabilities.

WHO and World Bank

WORLD REPORT ON DISABILITY 2011

Findings:

The number of people with disabilities is growing. This is because populations are ageing –older people have a higher risk of disability – and because of the global increase in chronichealth conditions associated with disability, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, andmental illness.

Disability disproportionately affects vulnerable populations. Results from the World HealthSurvey indicate a higher disability prevalence in lower income countries than in higher incomecountries.

Stereotypical views of disability emphasize wheelchair users and a few other “classic” groupssuch as blind people and deaf people and not other types of disabilities.

Children with disabilities are less likely to attend school than non-disabled children.

People with disabilities experience increased dependency and restricted participation in theirsocieties. Even in high-income countries, 20-40% of people with disabilities lack the help theyrequire to engage in everyday activities. In the United States of America, 70% of adults withdisabilities rely on family and friends for assistance with daily activities.

WHO and World Bank

WORLD REPORT ON DISABILITY 2011

Disabling barriers:

Inadequate policies and standards

Negative attitudes

Lack of provision of services

Problems with service delivery

Inadequate funding

Lack of accessibility

Lack of consultation and involvement

Lack of data and evidence

WHO and World Bank

WORLD REPORT ON DISABILITY 2011

Recommendations:

Enable access to all mainstream systems and services

Invest in programmes and services for people with disabilities

Adopt a national disability strategy and a plan of action

Involve people with disabilities

Improve human resource capacity

Provide adequate funding and improve affordability

Increase public awareness and understanding about disability

Improve the availability and quality of data on disability

Strengthen and support research on disability.

WHO and World Bank

WORLD REPORT ON DISABILITY 2011