Experts say civil service system ignoring plight of the disabled

MADINAH: A legal expert and a psychological expert have agreed that the civil service system ignores people who are physically disabled, despite the special instructions that exist to the contrary, adding that some of the previous regulations related to their employment were exploited by fake private establishments in the Kingdom.

In view of this, the two experts recommended a number of measures to help disabled people find employment. These included creating transfer and rehabilitation programs to help them in educational and employment environments, introducing special job positions for them, creating legislation that supports and protects them in the workplace, the reformation of labor laws to suit their needs, and the activation of a monitoring system to record workplace violations against disabled people.
Legal consultant Ahmad Al-Mahmeed said there are many solutions that can help the physically challenged rehabilitate and enter employment. For him, this involves designing special programs to help disabled people work in a functional educational and employment environment so they can practice a greater level of independence. Additionally, he recommended better partnerships with the Ministries of the Civil Service, Social Affairs and Labor and to create jobs for them and be able to enter into an employment structure.
Psychoanalyst and expert in family and community issues Dr. Hani Al-Ghamdi said there should be special provisions for the handicapped in the conditions of employment in the civil service regarding work hours, tasks entrusted to them and promotions. He added that the work should be meaningful and not symbolic, but assigned to be commensurate with their disabilities.
Ghamdi also suggested that some of the previous regulations concerning the employment of disabled persons were taken advantage of by fake Saudization measures.
Al-Mahmeed said the Civil Service Ministry should create new job positions for the physically challenged and should create regulations and conditions aligned with the capabilities of this group in society. For example, fitness and health are two core conditions of a career in the civil service, but it is possible to replace these two conditions, provided the efficiency and capacity for action is there.
He said that work hours for the physically challenged should be modified to mean less work for them, and there should be laws to guarantee them their full rights in the workplace and at home.
Al-Ghamdi said there should be better work mechanisms for disabled people, depending on the type of disability, in terms of flexible working hours, according to Alwatan.