Region: Americas
Disability Definition
According to the Brazilian Law on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, a person with a disability is considered to be a person who has a long-term impairment of a physical, mental, intellectual or sensory nature, which, in interaction with one or more barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on equal terms. with the other people.
Legislation
On January 2, 2016, the Brazilian Law on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (Law no. 13,146/2015) took effect in Brazil. Designed to be a breakthrough toward guaranteeing rights for as many as 45 million people with disabilities living in Brazil.
Signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 30 March 2007 and ratified the CRPD on 1 August 2008.
Employer Legal Requirements
To meet a quota that ranges from 2% to 5% depending on company size.
fewer than 100 employees – no requirement
00 to 200 employees – 2%
201 to 500 employees – 3%
501 to 1000 employees – 4%
Over 1000 employees – 5%
A certification of disability is required for every employee used to fill the quota, must provide training for people with disabilities who lack prior job experience, offer reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities, and guarantee equal pay for equal work between employees with disabilities and employees without disabilities.
To fulfill the quota obligation, the data/information is part of monthly mandatory forms (Cadastro Geral de Empregados e Desempregados or “CAGED”) that must be submitted to the labor authorities on a monthly basis.
Fines from employment authorities range from BRL 2,300 to BRL 231,000 per unfilled disabled position. The exact amount is set by the employment inspector, based primarily on (i) the company´s records in terms of compliance to the Disability Quota (i.e., if the company is a repeated offender); (ii) the company´s financial capacity; and (ii) the size of the company (i.e., number of employees).
Disability status may be collected during Application, After Offer and After Employment commences as employment law requires companies to keep a certain number of employees with disabilities, the company is entitled to request such information at any point.
Accessibility Requirements
ICT accessibility and reasonable accommodation are defined in the law. One of the articles of the 2015 Inclusion for People with Disabilities Act makes accessibility mandatory on websites maintained by government agencies or by companies with headquarters or commercial representation in the country.
G3ict and the Government of Brazil signed an agreement in June 2018 to Cooperate on ICT Accessibility Policies and Programs.
Cultural Norms
According to this Disabilities & Inclusion Global Findings report, in Portuguese, “person with a disability” translates to “carrier of a disability.” The implication of disability’s “burden” can be interpreted to reflect cultural stigma.
Employees with disabilities are more likely to face exclusion, and to expend energy repressing their persona at work, when compared to their counterparts in the US.
Robust welfare systems for families of people with disabilities can result in strong familial pressure for them to stay at home, rather than pursue a path into the labor market.
Social stigmas around disability in Brazil are such that depression and other mental health conditions are sometimes seen as signs of an inability to perform.
Business Practices/Examples
Companies adhere to pact to boost inclusion of people with disabilities in the job market.
UnitedHealth Group Brazil signed the Social Inclusion Business Network (REIS) Pact for Inclusion of People with Disabilities to adhere to the initiative’s five commitments: engaging senior leadership with respect for and promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities; develop affirmative action policies at all levels of the organization; promote an inclusive and accessible environment; communicate the rights and duties of persons with disabilities; and include the issue of disability in the company’s strategy and product and service planning.
Insights
Because of federal quotas, college-educated people with disabilities are highly sought after and are likely to disclose to employers. Estimated 16 Million people with disabilities in Brazil. 1 Million are in the workforce. Fully 50% of employees with disabilities in study have disclosed to HR (vs. 21% in the U.S.). (Source: Disabilities and Inclusion Global Findings Report)
Supplier Diversity
Disability:IN provides the below information on currently known supplier diversity activities in the country.
Certification is in place for women-owned business enterprises (WeConnect)
Certification or Business Network is in place for LGBT-owned enterprises (NGLCC Network: Câmara de Comércio Lésbica, Gay, Bisexual e Transgênera Brasileira (CCLGBTB))
Part of the Out and Equal Global Network
Talent Sourcing Resources
Egalite assists people with disabilities to enter the labor market and companies to comply with the quota law with assertive recruitment and the construction of best practices for inclusion for people with disabilities to develop as professionals in a productive work environment for all those involved.
National Employment System (SINE) Placement Agency of the Ministry of Labour and Employment SINE agencies are present in all 27 Brazilian states. Services include operating a database with job vacancies; orientation about rights, legislation and more.
Support Program for Persons with Disabilities (PADEF) Support placement program specifically for persons with disabilities in Sao Paulo. It provides job placement services and orientation for persons with disabilities concerning labour market, legislation, rights, etc.
IBDD Brazilian Institute for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities The IBDD Inclusion By Work initiative provides recruitment and selection, training and preparation, professional development, job mapping and accessibility diagnostics.
Center for Independent Living in Rio de Janeiro (Centro de Vida Independente do Rio de Janeiro) Through the CVI-Rio Employability Program, provides recruitment, selection, preparation, competency development, and offers a Supported Employment model.
Specialisterne Brazil Training and employment for people with ASD and IT services for our clients.
Additional Resources
Rede Empresarial de Inclusao Social (REIS) Entrepreneurial Network for Social Inclusion aims to bring together and mobilize Brazilian companies to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in the labor market by sharing knowledge and identifying good practices, networking, developing partnerships and projects to create qualifying services and hiring and retaining people with disabilities.
National Service for Industrial Training (SENAI) SENAI Program of Inclusive Actions (PSAI) facilitates access for people with disabilities to SENAI courses. It provides books on inclusive professional education; dictionaries of Brazilian sign language with specific terms in Electronic and other industrial areas; E-learning courses about inclusion for teachers. SENAI schools provide a wide range of skills training courses.
Portal Brazil Accessibility Page with links to Brazilian accessibility mandates.
Associação Brasileira Beneficiente de Reabilitação (ABBR) Network of Rehabilitation Centers with coordinated research studies.
Associação Niteroiense dos Deficientes Físicos (Andef) One of the reasons that Andef was founded in 1981 was that the founder of the institution, Tania Rodrigues, was responsible for the job bank in the International Year of Disabled Persons, established by the UN. Since then, the Generation of Employment and Income has been one of the main objectives of Andef as an organization. In 2014, Andef reached the mark of 25 contracted companies, where about 800 employees with disabilities play different roles.
The Brazilian Federation of Down Syndrome Associations (FBASD) The Down Federation aims to guarantee the rights of health, education, social assistance, work, culture and other areas, in relation to Down syndrome, and in general to all intellectual disabilities. , while defending, where necessary, the cause of the disabled person. To comply with the incident legislation was defined as its preponderant area of action social assistance.
The Latin American Network of Non-Governmental Organizations of Persons With Disabilities and their Families (RIADIS) is a network formed by organizations of persons with disabilities from 19 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Formed in 2002, RIADIS represents national DPOs as well as several NGOs acting as technical collaborators.
References
Center for Talent Innovation – Disabilities & Innovation Report
G3ict and Government of Brazil Agree to Cooperate on ICT Accessibility Policies and Programs
NGOs
Catho – a technology company that operates as an online job and resume search engine. Catho has the largest base of candidates with disabilities. Companies are able to post jobs for free.
Inklua – seeks to open paths and facilitate access to the job market for thousands of people with disabilities, throughout Brazil. Inklua promotes assertive connections between professionals and opportunities
PCD Online – Provides a job portal for people with disabilities for the Human Resources professionals
Talento Incluir – connect with partners that carry out the Recruitment and Selection in an assertive and complete manner. They offer solutions that ensure inclusion is consistent – such as monitoring the hired professional, research between hired and manager, ambiance etc
Egalite – Social business that has developed an online recruitment platform that incorporates a behavioural profile evaluation tool and free e-learning courses adapted for persons with disabilities