It is probably obvious to say that not everyone can have gainful employment. However, I am disabled and know through personal experience the many pitfalls society has to offer. I'd like to talk about one in particular. Moving for employment.
People move to where the jobs are, but that is not an option for many, if not most, disabled people. We need the familiarity of our environment to function. At best, this is for efficiency reasons. At worst, our lives depend on it.
For example, most disabled people live either with or close to their family. They are the first to help for practically any reason. From doing laundry to an emergency visit to the hospital. Many governments tasks the family with this responsibility. Moving away from family is therefore a big adjustment and a risk.
Another example is based on barriers caused by how we design environments. Growing up with a disability in a small village, basically nothing was easy or safe to navigate. However, I learned what to look out for and came up with personal solutions. Adjusting to a new environment might be impossible…or at least a risk.
I hope this illustrates one of the biggest hurdles disabled people face when looking for employment and how meaningless it is for politicians to advocate for “more jobs for disabled people” without systemic change. To me this feels like we are asked to risk our lives for a society (not including friends and family) that is jet to prove it really cares about us.