Self-advocates share personal journeys

Employment is more than a paycheque – for people with disabilities, it is also about belonging, purpose, and being able to decide the path of one’s own life.

That message was emphasised during the “Self-advocates’ Employment Experiences” session at the World Congress 2025 “We Are Inclusion” held in Sharjah, where speakers with disabilities from Taiwan and Malaysia shared powerful stories of how they found work they love, overcame their doubts and barriers, and even became their own bosses.

The session, hosted by PAPID Taiwan, United Voice Malaysia, and Inclusion International, was opened by Luis Gabriel Villarreal, Vice President of Inclusion International, who reminded the audience that the global network has adopted a clear statement on inclusive employment, built with the input of self-advocates themselves.

“Inclusive employment is when people with and without disabilities work together, when everyone gets the support they need to do their job, when everyone is valued and treated like they belong, and when people with disabilities are paid equally for their work,” he said.

From Taiwan, Yi-Chun Chen stood up to speak about her own journey from being helped to helping others. Living with a mild intellectual disability, she described her determination to study social work at the National Open University, a path that began in 2015 and culminated in her earning her associate bachelor’s degree in 2022. Carrying a dream of becoming a social worker, she took on a new role at PAPID Taitung as an assistant social worker in March 2024, after eight years of working with a supermarket chain.

“From being helped, I went on to help others,” Chen said. Today, she organises advocacy clubs, conducts home visits, interviews people with intellectual disabilities about their work situations, and even speaks out for national policies such as transportation subsidies and easy-to-read information. “Everyone has their strengths and values. You don’t need to be the same as others. Just be yourself, and your efforts will be seen,” she noted.

Another Taiwanese speaker, Ling-Chieh Tu, spoke candidly about the doubts she faced when transitioning from working in a community-based restaurant to a job in a mainstream retail store. “Before changing my job, I felt hesitation, could I really do it? I worried about being too slow or dragging everyone down,” she said. With guidance from an employment counsellor, she prepared by building on her customer service skills.

She later joined Cosmed, a health and beauty chain, where she learned everything from restocking and shelf organisation to answering customer enquiries.

“Mainstream workplaces aren’t scary. Believe in yourself, and you can do it too. From proactively helping customers with mobility issues to helping customers choose the right products for them, I have come a long way in my job.”

From Malaysia, Siti Farhah told the story of her long career with United Voice Malaysia, a self-advocacy society founded in 1995 to empower people with learning disabilities.

“For me, employment is very meaningful,” she said. “It provides me with challenges as well as the opportunity to socialise. Going to work also makes me feel accepted.”

She described projects such as her business “I’m Possible Cafe,” where 25 adults are employed in meaningful work, as well as self-employment programmes that train members in social enterprise, finance, and running small businesses.

Her colleague, Wendy Yeong, added her own reflections on what it means to be your own boss. Having worked with United Voice since 2008, she spoke about entrepreneurship as a path for people who find traditional jobs too rigid.

“Not everyone can work a regular job, some of us find rules difficult to follow, but it doesn’t mean we can’t work,” she said. “Being your own boss means you can choose what to do, choose how you work, take small steps to grow your skills, and earn profit in your own way.”

World Congress 2025 “We Are Inclusion” continues in Sharjah until Sept.17, bringing together more than 500 participants from 74 countries, including 152 speakers representing 160 organisations, across 59 parallel sessions.

Held for the first time in the MENA region and North Africa, the Congress is a leading global platform for sharing best practices and advancing the rights and inclusion of persons with intellectual disabilities. It is co-organised by Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services and Inclusion International, and in strategic partnership with the Sharjah Government Media Bureau.