ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews a series of relevant international agreements, which clearly establish that disabled people have a right to economic participation on an equal basis with others. It discusses the various environmental factors that may determine the types of economic opportunities that are open to disabled people, within a given context, as well as influencing the extent to which they are able to take advantage of these opportunities. The chapter draws on several case studies to examine three pathways to economic participation – vocational skills development, waged employment and self-directed employment. The international agreements discussed in this section reinforce the rights of disabled people to economic participation, as well as providing some guidance as to how governments can tackle discrimination in this area and support disabled people to be economically active. Self-directed employment represents the most realistic route to economic participation for many disabled people.
