ACROSS Asia and the Pacific, more than 700 million people live with disabilities. In Malaysia alone, over 800,000 individuals are officially registered, though the real figure is much higher.

National surveys show that 8.2% of adults identify as having a disability, or nearly one in five when functional difficulties are taken into account.

Among children aged 2 to 17, the rate is 4.7%. Yet despite this, workforce participation for persons with disabilities remains below 1%, one of the lowest in the region.

These gaps do not result from disability itself. They stem from inaccessible systems and longstanding stigma. And while Malaysia and ASEAN have made important progress, more can be done.

For too long, disability inclusion has been framed as charity. But inclusion is not an act of generosity. It is a legal and moral obligation grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). It is about ensuring autonomy, dignity and equal participation. It is about upholding these not as optional goodwill gestures, but as duties borne by all of society.

Beyond this, however, it is also simply a smart economic strategy.

Across ASEAN, persons with disabilities face labour force participation rates two to six times lower than those without disabilities.

This exclusion has a measurable economic cost. Studies show that economies can forfeit up to 7% of their GDP by sidelining persons with disabilities.

In Malaysia’s case, with a GDP of USD 400 billion, that translates to USD 28 billion in lost economic value every single year.

Inclusion is not the cost, exclusion is. And it is expensive.

Companies with inclusive hiring practices are approx. 35% more likely to financially outperform their competitors and approx. 70% more likely to break into new markets.

Disability-inclusive employment across Asia-Pacific could lift regional GDP by 1–7%. These figures make one thing clear: economic transformation and disability inclusion must go hand in hand.

Fortunately, encouraging reforms are taking shape across ASEAN. Indonesia’s disability law mandates accessibility and equal access to public services.

Thailand’s employment quota system has created tens of thousands of jobs, while Vietnam has expanded inclusive education nationwide, increasing the number of children with disabilities in public schools tenfold over the past decade.

In Singapore, the Enabling Masterplan 2030 strengthens pathways to inclusive employment and adaptive technologies.

The Philippines provides tax incentives for employers who hire persons with disabilities, and Malaysia’s 1% public sector employment policy is gradually opening doors in the civil service.

But progress must be more consistent and more ambitious. Economic empowerment for persons with disabilities starts with investment in skills, confidence, and inclusive workplace systems.

It requires technology, accessible infrastructure, and a labour market that rewards capability rather than penalises difference.

Crucially, it demands ownership by persons with disabilities themselves because policies designed with communities, not merely for them, are always more effective.

ASEAN nations stand at a crossroad. The evidence is clear: inclusive development builds stronger economies, fairer societies, and more resilient futures.

It is time to move from awareness to accountability, from commitments to action, and from rights to obligations.

A society thrives when everyone has the opportunity to contribute.

Empowering persons with disabilities is not just the right thing to do, it is one of the smartest investments we can make.