Publications

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The Zero Project, an initiative by the Austrian non-profit Essl Foundation, works to create a world with zero barriers by finding and sharing solutions that improve the daily lives and legal rights of all persons with disabilities. The annual Zero Project Conference rotates through four themes: education, employment, accessibility, independent living and political participation, with information and communication technology (ICT) being addressed every year. The ILO GBDN partners with the Zero Project to encourage companies to nominate their good practices in the area of disability-inclusive employment at their global conferences.

Valuable 500 is a global non-profit organisation of over 500 multinational corporations working to end disability exclusion in the workplace, with more than 530 C-suite leaders publicly committing to put disability inclusion on their agendas. The ILO GBDN can help Valuable 500 partners and companies to deliver on these commitments, by providing technical support, peer-to-peer learning and business-relevant resources.

The United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), established in 2000, is the world’s largest corporate sustainability and corporate social responsibility initiative. Principle 6 of the UNGC’s Ten Principles states that “businesses should uphold the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation”, which includes any type of disability-based discrimination. The collaboration between the ILO GBDN and UNGC spans over a decade, partnering together on webinars, publications and conferences.

Typically, like other societal actors, enterprises are on a learning journey regarding the way disability inclusion, including the employment of persons in their own workforces, can be made effective and sustainable. National Business and Disability Networks (NBDNs) can provide non-judgmental and encouraging employers-led platforms at country level.

Persons with disabilities face unique challenges in the context of climate change – both in terms of how they are directly impacted as well as the obstacle faced in taking advantage of emerging labour market opportunities – and are often overlooked in the development and implementation of climate policies and adaptation efforts. To achieve a just transition, it is necessary that empowerment and training in emerging green job niches are inclusive to the needs of disadvantaged groups, that social dialogue with underrepresented groups is central in all policymaking processes, and that inclusion and accessibility are incorporated in the greening process and social protection systems.

New forces are transforming the world of work, bringing with them risks and opportunities for persons with disabilities. The ILO’s Global Business and Disability Network (GBDN) hosted a landmark event on 21-22 November 2019 to identify key issues that need to be addressed to make the future of work inclusive of persons with disabilities. With over 250 experts and leaders from business, civil society and international organizations, the conference built bridges between global efforts on the future of work and disability inclusion.

The future of work is still to be shaped, and we can all influence it to some extent. Driven by this idea and aware of the urgency to take action, the ILO Global Business and Disability Network and Fundación ONCE have developed this publication. This is a first exercise to connect different areas of debate, looking at the key trends of the future of work from a disability perspective and seeking to identify specific action needed in order to shape the future of work in a more disability-inclusive way.

This easy-to-read version of the 2019 publication “Making the future of work inclusive of people with disabilities” shows how to ensure that the future of work is inclusive, leaving no one behind, including the one billion persons with disabilities living on our planet.

This easy-to-read version of the 2021 publication “An inclusive digital economy for people with disabilities” takes a closer look at the digital transformation of the world of work and how it affects opportunities and challenges for the inclusion of persons with disabilities.