ABSTRACT
This chapter refers to the experience of discrimination encountered by disabled people in the West, especially with regard to disadvantage in the labour market. In this as in other areas, research on disability and the labour market tends to focus on Western examples. While its findings may not be directly Of fully applicable to the developing world, it still provides insight concerning patterns of discrimination which impede the achievement of economic rights by disabled people in a range of social and political contexts. The mutual relationship between poverty and disability and the link between underdevelopment and a higher rate of impairment will also be reviewed, showing the enormous gap between the services available for disabled people and their needs. Finally, the different approaches to dealing with needs are also discussed, including legislation, welfare services and rehabilitation programmes.
