On July 24th, the Quota Law (nº 8,213/1991) turns 35 years old. Responsible for establishing the mandatory hiring of people with disabilities by companies with more than 100 employees, the legislation expanded this population’s access to formal employment and transformed the Brazilian job market.

After more than three decades, the main challenge is no longer just fulfilling the legal reserve of vacancies and has become the permanence of these professionals in companies, the fight against ableism and the construction of truly inclusive environments.

According to Beto Pereira, sociologist and responsible for Institutional Relations at Laramara – Brazilian Association for Assistance to People with Visual Disabilities, the Quota Law significantly expanded access for people with disabilities to formal employment. However, ableism continues to be present in organizations and still influences hiring, promotion and professional development decisions, by mistakenly associating deficiency lack of autonomy, productivity or leadership capacity.

“Young people and adults still face prejudice, ableism and lack of knowledge when searching for work. Often, disability is seen before skills, making access, professional development and staying in the market difficult”, he explains.

How can public and private institutions change this scenario?

Changing this scenario involves promoting daily coexistence between teams, deconstructing prejudices and eliminating the perception of incapacity associated with people with disabilities. It is also necessary to prepare managers and recruiters to conduct truly inclusive selection processes, preventing surmountable physical limitations from being treated as eliminatory criteria to the detriment of candidates’ skills.

Another important point is the training of leaders on topics such as disability, accessibilityassistive technologies and combating ableism. Furthermore, internal processes, computerized systems and performance evaluation criteria need to be reviewed to ensure equal opportunities and promote professional development.

Quota Law goes beyond reserving vacancies

35 years after the creation of the Quota Law, the legislation continues to be considered an essential instrument to increase the participation of people with disabilities in the job market. Without it, the tendency would be for social and economic inequalities to increase, with direct impacts on the financial autonomy and productive inclusion of this population.

“The objective is that the Quota Law will no longer be necessary when equal opportunities are a reality. Until then, the legislation must be accompanied by investments in inclusive educationprofessional qualification, accessibility, transport and inspection”, says Beto Pereira.

Elimination of barriers provided for by the Brazilian Inclusion Law

In addition to changing attitudes in public and private institutions, inclusion depends on the elimination of barriers provided for by the Brazilian Inclusion Law (LBI), of 2015. The legislation requires companies to promote reasonable adaptations and guarantee physical, communicational and technological accessibility. In the case of blind people and those with low vision, needs vary depending on each professional and may involve assistive technology resources, accessible signage and adjustments to the work environment.

By Fábia Medeiros