Discrimination of people with disabilities in the labor market as a source of social vulnerability

People with disabilities in Russian society remain one of the most vulnerable categories of the population. Negative stereotypes about persons with disabilities and inadequate support mechanisms promote their social exclusion and discrimination. The attitude to the disabled is determined by the socio-cultural characteristics of regional communities, and depends on the image of this group in the perception of others. The purpose of this work is to analyze the reasons for exclusion of the disabled and discrimination against them in the regional labor market. The information base of the study includes the data of the state statistics service, researches of Russian scientists, the results of a sociological survey among the population of the North-Western Federal District, sociological surveys of disabled people living in the Vologda region carried out in the period from 2013 to 2017. The surveys of the Northwestern Federal District population demonstrate that in social perception disabled people remain dependent and passive social group which require support from the state. The majority of respondents (51%) consider disability an insurmountable barrier for employment, and 63 % noted that even the availability of education and professional qualifications does not give disabled people advantages in the labor market. It is shown that disabled persons of the third group, basically, do not need special working conditions to be created for them. Therefore, overcoming the negative attitude of employers and successful employment may turn to the quick positive economic effect. Further research will be focused on the detailed analysis of mechanisms which help disabled people to overcome employment barriers, efficiency of these mechanisms and ways to improve them. The results of the current research may be useful for social management specialists and for researchers focused on issues of life quality and social participation of persons with disabilities.