ILRIC 4360 - Global Comparative Disability Policy

(CU-ITL)

Fall. 3 credits. Letter grades only (no audit).

M. Saleh.

How do different nations implement policies that increase the labor market participation and economic security of people with disabilities? National frameworks vary in terms of the breadth of anti-discrimination requirements, as well as the rehabilitation and social services available to enhance labor market outcomes. Even with landmark human rights efforts like the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2008), many countries do not have robust frameworks for promoting substantive disability equality. One study found that among U.N. Member States, 27% did not explicitly define the term “disability” in their laws, 30% had no legal provisions for reasonable accommodations, and 51% had no specific legal protections for employment discrimination on health grounds.

Disability policy considerations are on schedule to grow more pressing. Projections indicate that the global rate of disability will continue to rise, owing to factors such as population aging, pollution and climate displacement as potential causes of disability, and the global expansion of precarious employment and free-market deregulation. The global pandemic has also created new considerations. Many demographic changes will be more acute in low- and middle-income nations, where urbanization and population aging are occurring at more rapid rates. In this course, we will explore comparative policy approaches, legal frameworks, and cultural factors related to disability policy. We will learn to make nuanced comparative analyses of national approaches to disability policy, and to make our own, context-specific policy recommendations.