People with disabilities, sustainable development and work: from invisibility to priority?

Silva, Talita Naiara Rossi da; Alonso, Carolina Maria do Carmo

doi:10.1590/2317-6369/18724pt2025v50eddsst4

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Essay/Dossier Sustainable Development and Work • Rev. bras. saúde ocup. 50 • 2025 • https://doi.org/10.1590/2317-6369/18724en2025v50eddsst4 linkcopy

People with disabilities, sustainable development and work: from invisibility to priority?

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The sustainable development goals reaffirmed human rights and articulated global commitments that will only be achieved by including all individuals among these people with disabilities. Despite concerted international and national efforts to uphold their rights, experiences of discrimination, social exclusion, and lack of opportunities for full and effective participation in society persist. This theoretical essay, with a reflective and interpretative nature, explores the relationship between the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace and the promotion of sustainability. It uses the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a basis for analysis and the Brazilian normative framework. The discussion highlights the essential role of people with disabilities inclusion in achieving specific SDG targets, particularly those related to work, given the role of this activity in promoting equality and sustainable economic growth. Thus, it emphasizes the need to formulate strategies to boost the participation of people with disabilities in work, ensuring access to employment, permanence in the activity, and professional development.

Disabled Persons; Sustainable Development; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion; Occupational Health; Work

SDGS	Summary of goals	How PCDs are addressed
SDG 4 - Quality education	Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.	Eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the most vulnerable, including the PCD, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations and build and improve the physical conditions of learning environments so that they are safer, non-violent, inclusive and effective.
SDG 8 - Decent work and economic growth	Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.	Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including young people and the disabled, and equal pay for work of equal value.
SDG 10 - Reducing inequalities within and between countries	Promote social, economic and political inclusion, guaranteeing equal opportunities and reducing inequalities, through policies that seek greater equity, better financial regulation and safe and orderly migration.	Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, regardless of age, gender, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, economic or other status.
SDG 11 - Sustainable cities and communities	Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.	It emphasizes the need for “access to safe, accessible, sustainable and affordable transport systems for all”, as well as access to public spaces, with special attention to the needs of people with disabilities among the groups highlighted.
SDG 17 - Partnerships and means of implementing the SDGs	Strengthen the mobilization of financial resources and investments for developing countries, promote cooperation in technology and capacity building, and improve the quality of data and global partnerships for the effective implementation of the SDGs.	The need to produce demographic data with greater quality and reliability by country and disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographical location and other relevant characteristics.

Articles	Description of how the right to work is presented in the articles of the LBI
Article 34	It establishes the right to work for people with disabilities in an accessible and inclusive environment, with equal opportunities. It includes encouraging self-employment and entrepreneurship, participation in courses, training, continuing education, career plans, promotions, bonuses and professional incentives.
Article 35	An advance on the Quotas Law, it ensures not only access, but also the permanence of people with disabilities in the workplace. It provides for professional habilitation and rehabilitation services and programs with a multidisciplinary team to support insertion, continuity or return to work.
Article 37	It defines inclusion at work as competitive placement and equal opportunities. It requires compliance with labor and social security legislation, accessibility rules, the provision of assistive technology and reasonable adjustments. Guidelines for implementation include: priority for people with greater difficulty in integration, provision of the necessary support, respect for vocational profiles and interests, support for employers, periodic assessments, intersectoral coordination of public policies, and participation in civil society organizations. Note: The proposal for supported work still needs to be regulated.

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