According to the survey, many of these people are unable to live fully for lack of money and support, and they constantly face physical barriers in public spaces and public transport.
More than one quarter (27 percent) of those questioned said they have difficulty in accessing their workplace, and a similar number said they had been discriminated against at work.
In February and March this year DECO sent out a questionnaire on the subject, with the help of sector associations, and received 2,854 valid responses.
According to the president of the Portuguese Disabled Association (APD), Ana Luísa Sezudo, “the difficulty in accessing the jobs market remains a reality” and “there is no awareness on the part of employers [of the need to] view people with disabilities as workers equal to any others”. In companies, there is generally no effort to adapt the environment for the purpose, she said.
Public spaces and transport also need to be adapted, because otherwise getting to work is all but impossible.
“It may seem an unreal question, but it isn’t,” Sezudo said. “Anyone who manages to get a job and have an economic life at all independent will have to acquire their own vehicle, because depending on public transport is unthinkable.”
Most people questioned by DECO said that the difficulties often start at home, in their own building.
At the same time, most people with physical disabilities have no card allowing them to park in reserved spots. In addition, they reported, these spots are frequently already occupied.
The DECO study also points to differences between the disability that is declared and that officially recognised.
“Among those who consider themselves to have some physical limitation, only half are officially recognised as people with a disability,” the document states. “This proportion rises to two-thirds among those with a serious disability.”