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Persons with disabilities do not equally and fully participate in the life of their society. They are denied of equal opportunities in the areas of education and employment. This research is aimed at studying the employment opportunity and work conditions of persons with disabilities. Focus group discussion and in-depth interviews were employed in this research so as to collect data. This research was conducted in 2006, and hence, this monograph holds the information gathered during this time. Ten visually impaired and five physically disabled employees in different agencies were interviewed. It has been found through this research that the blind and physically impaired studied had been discriminated during application and competition for jobs. Some had been discriminated, on training and promotion. Special tools and needs were not fulfilled and addressed in their workplaces. This results in adverse psychological, social and economic effects in the lives of the disabled. Therefore, awareness-raising programs, policy and legislative measures, advocacy and other initiatives are needed to curb this problem.

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Mindahun Gebretsadik Eshetie is a lecturer at Addis Ababa University, School of Social Work. He graduated in MSW from Addis Ababa University in July 2006. Disability is his area of interest for teaching and research.

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