Profile of people with in

According to the most recent official data on people with disabilities, the 2000 Census, we can perceive that 14% of the population have some kind of , which represents 24 million citizens - a figure quite different from 1991, where the percentage was 1,15%, statistics were multiplied by twelve. During this period there were no wars or similar situations. What really happened was that there was a strong change in the Census methodology. If we compare data per states, one can see a not very clear correlation between indexes of incidence of disabilities between 91 and 2000. In the last census, obeying the Guatemala Convention, the person evaluated his own perceived disability, as opposed to what the interviewer perceived and reported. The person evaluates his own capacity of hearing, seeing, move, or being able to do things with the help of an instrument, like glasses, contact lenses, hearing aid, or equipment that makes it easier to climb stairs, for example. What counts is the person’s own evaluation, whereby he takes in consideration his access to technological conditions that meet his special needs. This introduces a closer statistical relation between disability and conditions, or, not having to buy glasses may represent a visual disability with the same physical condition as a person who wears glasses but is not considered in the same form in statistics. The new census is more resourceful as it indicates several degrees of disability. In the 1991 census a question allowed the person to mention only one disability or more than one without identifying it, something that today would be considered politically incorrect like blind, deaf, etc. In the 2000 census the disability form contains five questions and another one targeting mental issues or mental incapacity. Five questions with different levels regarding the difficulties in seeing, hearing, walking, etc.

If we use only one classification for only one person with a perception of incapacity in the highest degree, we shall reach a relation much closer between the 1991 and 2000 data. A kind of lost link in the Brazilian historical series that go back to the end of the 19th Century, the concept we propose is that of Persons that Perceive Incapacities (PPI). If the individual experiences some difficulties or great difficulties in one of the questions analyzed, he is outside the concept. This way the 2000 census propitiates richer levels of analysis that the previous, but the concept of Persons that Perceive Incapacities (PPI) allows one to recompose the continuity of historical series.

Age is the main fundamental factor for explaining disability. Around 50% of persons aged 60 years old and above, according to the official IBGE classification, are bearers of some type of disability, in a trend that increases with age. It should be noted that in the 0 to 4 years old age group the percentage is 2,26%. In the case of Persons that Perceive Own Incapacities, it starts at 1,5% for the younger group reaching 7,5%., Persons Bearing some kind of Disability at some degree reach 23, something more intrinsic to the process of growing old. Age is the most fundamental variable associated to the group with disabilities in a broader sense.

The second variable related to people with disabilities is income, reaching the poorer. Amongst the 8 States with higher levels of disability in Brazil are the northeastern States, which are low income. This condition is clearer for States, not municipalities. For example Fernando de Noronha is the municipality with the smallest levels of PBD in Brazil, despite being situated in the Northeast, although per capita income there is quite high. Specifically,, in the State of Piauí there are two São Gonçalo municipalities, one has a level of disability that is amongst the five lowest in Brazil, around 3,10% of the local population. The other São Gonçalo do Piauí has the highest level in the country: 33% of the local population. This latter São Gonçalo is 140 km away from the State capital, Teresina. It is a pleasant place to live with good living conditions for disabled people and is relatively close to the State capital. This effect is much influenced by local conditions and the performance of the state and civil society institutions like SORRI. People with disabilities naturally move to more accessible areas.

Public Policy Context – People With Disabilities

The group of people with disabilities is a pioneer in some of their conquests in comparison to other groups such as afro-descendants also excluded from the Brazilian society . For example, whilst Brazilian social groups start to discuss the implementation of quotas for afro-descendants in universities, there is already a law stipulating quotas for disabled employees in all sectors. Social security policy is another pioneering example of people with disabilities, as the Constitution guarantees a minimum salary for the disabled that are poor. The analysis of these policies can generate relevant lessons not only for the group of people with disabilities but also for other groups also excluded. Pioneering means the need for constant improvement of policies. itself shows a recent pattern in its evolution in Brazil.

Beyond influencing the philosophy and practice in the change of behavior, SORRI has performed relevant local and country wide activies in two areas: education and labor. In the following section we show the changes in these areas as well as the action of SORRI in the socio-economic context.

Inclusive Education: Amongst the Brazilians with a perception of higher degree of disability, about 33,7% never attended school and on the other hand people that do not report disabilities and the ones that present them reach 15,47% and 21,6% respectively. In general terms, it can be observed that there exist barriers to including people with disabilities and further these barriers are found at all levels of schooling, in particular in secondary school. It should be noticed that of the total number of enrollments, about 0,71% are people with some sort of disability. On the other hand, the percentage enrolled in professional training schools is as significant as 5.8% of enrollment.

Inclusive Labor: The main mechanism available for labor insertion for people with disabilities is a quota policy, established in 1999. The law prescribes a certain percentage of disabled emplyees according to the size of each enterprise. Enterprises with more than 1000 workers, per example, have to allow at least 5% available vacancies for this group. It is important to evaluate the impact of this new legislation, as well as its results. Testing the relation between the legislators’ intention and the results of the enterprises that are responsible for the implementation of these quotas, we find that in an universe of 26 million active formally employed workers, 537.000 are disabled, representing 2,05 of the total workers, according to the statement of the enterprises. By the letter of the law, there should have been an additional 518.012 deficient workers, practically doubling the present level. The enterprises with 1000 or more workers would generate jobs for 310.081 persons with some kind of disability. The ones with 200 up to 500 jobs could generate 85.407 new jobs for the disabled group, whilst the others with 501 to 1000 jobs could offer 82.290 and 40.234 jobs, respectively. These figures should be seen as the top limit of the quotas impact, as hypothetically the replacement of non-disable workers by disabled workers in enterprises that are not obeying the law, as the enterprises that were within the law were maintained. In any case, figures show that considerable amount of enterprises are not observing the law, after it was promulgated.