China's disabled have difficulty finding jobs

[yuiyoshida]

Despite China's booming economy, the disabled, including those with rare medical disorders, still find it difficult to find jobs due to social stigma and discrimination. By Maria Siow, Channel NewsAsia

BEIJING: Despite China's booming economy, the disabled, including those with rare medical disorders, still find it difficult to find jobs. Social stigma and discrimination in hiring are the key factors behind the high unemployment rate.

Xing Chen from Hebei province was born with a congenital bone disorder, or what is commonly known as brittle bone disease. Known in Chinese as 'Ci Wawa', or the porcelain doll syndrome, the disease causes bones to break easily due to a mutation in the production of collagen.

Though wheelchair-bound, Xing Chen has worked at various part-time jobs such as online customer service representative and voice-over artiste. But despite repeated attempts, the 21-year-old is still unable to secure a full-time job.

She said: "Prospective employers worry I may fall ill, or that the possibility of me getting into accidents may be higher. But the likelihood of us falling is not higher than ordinary people, who can also trip and fall, get into accidents, or contract certain illnesses while at work."

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/china-s-disabled-have/1876120.html

[lunamagica]

1. So do American Disabled

Actually, this is a worldwide problem.