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| As vice-president, Lenin Moreno (L) fought for the rights of disabled people |
Disabled
people in Ecuador were once marginalised, shut up in their homes and considered
unemployable. Since 2007, a single government initiative has transformed many
of their lives.
Before his
accident, Angel Quevedo worked as a house painter in Ecuador's capital city
Quito.
He was
originally from a farm in the Andean highlands, but had moved to the city to
find a job.
During a
party at his cousin's house in 1989, a fight broke out. As he got involved to
break it up, he was pushed and fell from a terrace on the second floor.
The impact
left him paralysed from the waist down.
Pain
confined him to bed for eight months, while his family had to sell seven cows
to pay for medical expenses.
"It
was tough," he says. "All of a sudden I had to depend on other
people's help to live."
Slowly Mr
Quevedo learnt how to get around in a wheelchair, while he resigned himself to
live off the charity of family and friends in a city that became hostile.
"People
looked at me strangely," he says. "They called me 'cripple'. They
thought I was good for nothing."
Back in
1989 it was unthinkable that a person with a disability could find work in
Ecuador.
They were
often confined to their family's homes, hidden from society. Those who ventured
out in their wheelchairs had to roll next to cars in order to move around the
city. Unable to find work, many would beg at traffic lights.
Things
started changing in 2007, when Lenin Moreno took over as vice president after
winning the elections as Rafael Correa's running mate.
Mr Moreno,
who became paraplegic after being shot in the back in 1998, set out to make a
difference.
Since
taking office, has has implemented the Ecuador without Borders programme, which
turned the rights of disabled people into state policy.
The same
rights were later included in the 2008 constitution and became an
all-encompassing law in 2012.
Gaining
independence
The
government launched programmes to research the causes and numbers of
disabilities across the country. Ecuadorean doctors, helped by their Cuban
peers, visited every village in Ecuador to establish how many people had
disabilities, and what help they needed.
The
government recognised that approximately 295,000 people have a disability (just
over 2% of the total population) and sent out technical assistance to those in
need - free wheelchairs were handed out, as well as health and housing support.
Moreover,
starting in 2010, it became compulsory for companies with over 25 employees to
fill at least 4% of staff positions with people with disabilities.
For people
like Mr Quevedo, this was the most important step in what he, and a majority of
Ecuadoreans, deem as the most successful set of policies under the
administration of President Rafael Correa.
Mr Quevedo,
who had not had a full-time job since his accident, was hired by a furniture
shop looking to comply with the new law.
"When
I started working, I felt so much better," says Mr Quevedo, now 53.
"I can earn my own money and not depend on anyone."
"For
me it was a joy to see other disabled people working too."
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| Angel Quevedo spent two decades without work |
Atu, the
company he works for, employs 15 people with disabilities.
Sporting
achievements
At the
beginning, it was not easy to find employees, says Paola Cueva, the manager who
was in charge of hiring new staff at the furniture factory.
This had
been a worry for several businesses, who had initially complained that quota
would be difficult to comply with it.
Some
companies were fined for not meeting the 4% quota, and there is still concern
that some businesses are not complying.
Ms Cueva
explains that it was hard to find a good fit for a factory where manual work
can be tough, but she still approves of the regulation.
"It's
been an enriching experience. They are all very hard-working and
responsible," she says. "If the law didn't exist, companies would
have never hired disabled people in such a massive way."
In an
interview with the BBC's Outlook, Mr Moreno said the legislature's greatest
achievement was to give visibility to a part of society that had previously
been isolated.
"Visibility
means being able to say: 'I am a human being. There are things I cannot do
because I have a disability, but I remain a human being,'" he said.
"Now
disabled people can be proud when they go out into the streets."
Pride is
felt strongly among Atu's disabled workers. Many of them are also athletes.
Wilson de
la Cruz, one of Ecuador's most decorated athletes, works at the factory. He
participated in three Paralympic Games and played basketball professionally in
the United States.
Mr Quevedo
also has an impressive record. He has competed in many events, including the
world's longest wheelchair race in Alaska.
Their
sporting achievements did not earn them much fame or money in Ecuador, but they
have become a great bonding mechanism in the workplace.
Mr de la
Cruz organises a weekly basketball game, and many participate, including Luis
Aguayo, 27, whose leg was amputated in 2007 following a work accident.
"Wilson
motivated me to keep going," says Mr Aguayo. "Now I feel like a
normal person, because I can work with other non-disabled people."
After
leaving a very successful legacy, Mr Moreno retired from politics in May. But
his career may not be over, as the Ecuadorean government is promoting him as
the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Disability.
If that
were to take place, it would be a reason to celebrate, says Mr Quevedo.
"We
could show other countries that here in Ecuador we disabled people can do
anything we set out to do," he says.
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