A strategy of including women entrepreneurs with disabilities and/or living with HIV/AIDS in mainstream training activities began in the early 2000s under the ILO-Irish Aid Partnership Programme in East and Southern Africa. Phelloner, above on far left, is HIV positive. She started a beads and HIV/AIDS red ribbon business in 2005 in Lusaka. In 2007, she participated in the ILO's Improve Your Exhibiting Skills training. "I am still dealing with the challenge of being rejected by my family as well as my husband's family because of my status. ILO activities gave me an opportunity to be with people who treated each other as equals," says Phelloner. Photo: ILO/F. Mambwe. Photo:ILO/Mambwe F.

Osiline, deaf and widowed mother of seven, appreciated the ILO's mainstream approach to training. "It made me realize that as a deaf woman I could share my knowledge with other people. This practice should continue because we are all the same. We all want to develop our entrepreneurship skills," she says. Osiline operates a retail business selling bread, eggs and other items in Libala, just outside of Lusaka. Photo: ILO/F. Mambwe. Photo:ILO/Mambwe F.

The Month of the Woman Entrepreneur (MOWE), initiated by the Partnership Programme, draws attention to the achievements of women entrepreneurs, including women with disabilities. MOWE celebrations are now held annually across several East and Southern African countries. In Ethiopia, MOWE events and celebrations began in March 2004. In 2009, MOWE celebrations were held in Awassa. Genet, above, sells incense and perfumed wood chips. She participated in the trade fair organized as part of 2009 MOWE in Awassa. Photo: ILO/ A. Fiorente. Photo:ILO/Fiorente A.

Senayet, above holding sandal, has been self-employed in the leather crafts business for more than two years. She is one of five recipients of the 2009 MOWE (Awassa, Ethiopia) trophy awarded to the "Best Performing Woman Entrepreneur". Photo: ILO/ A. Fiorente. Photo:ILO/Fiorente A.

In Beijing, nearly 50 companies participated in the Job Fair for People with Disabilities organized by the China Disability Persons' Federation (CDPF) Beijing branch and the Beijing Talent Service Centre in May 2009. At the Job Fair, prospective employers were provided with important and practical information in Chinese on hiring people with disabilities. This information was made available by the ILO-Irish Aid Partnership Programme. In recent years, the Partnership Programme supported the CDPF in the development of Regulations for the implementation of the Law concerning the Employment of Persons with Disabilities. The Law promotes equality, participation and sharing, and prohibits discrimination. ILO representative speaks to disabled job seeker about his search for decent work. Photo: ILO/L. Chunxiu. Photo:ILO/Chunxiu L.

Increasingly, companies and organizations alike are realizing that when given the opportunity and in jobs suited to their abilities, people with disabilities make good employees. Deaf candidate uses sign language in discussing job possibilities with staff from Panasonic International at the Job Fair for People with Disabilities in Beijing in May 2009. Photo: ILO/L. Chunxiu. Photo:ILO/Chunxiu L.

In Tanzania, the Zanzibar Association of Disabled Persons (UWZ), with support provided by the ILO-Irish Partnership Programme, played a central role in shaping policy and legislation on disability, including the Persons with Disabilities (Rights and Privileges) Act 2006. This NGO promotes the rights and opportunities of people with disabilities through advocacy and awareness-raising, provides training, and leadership skills development. Mwantatu, above, operates a hair and henna skin decorating salon. She has been a member of UWZ for several years. Photo: ILO/R. Kapur. Photo:ILO/Kapur R.

ILO Convention No. 159 on the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons), 1983, the ILO Code of Practice on Managing Disability in the Workplace (2001), along with other international, regional and national initiatives, provide a framework for action to break down barriers to inclusion and to promote equal treatment and opportunity for disabled persons. The UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, which entered into force in May 2008, provides fresh impetus to ILO¿s disability mandate to promote equal opportunities for persons with disabilities in training and employment. Photo: ILO/ J. Maillard. Photo:ILO/Maillard J.

Productive and decent work enables people with disabilities to realize their aspirations, improve their living conditions and participate more actively in society. The photo above, "The warmth of a teacher's hand", won second place in an Asia-Pacific region-wide competition organized by ILO, Disabled Peoples' International and the ILO-Irish Aid Partnership Programme under the theme "Decent Work for Persons with Disabilities" in 2007. Photo: ILO/L. Thuan Thoi. Photo:ILO/Thuan Thoi L.