Enforcing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Nigerian Workplaces: HR Management Perspectives

This research examines human resource management practices in Nigerian workplaces in relation to the rights of employees with disabilities, assessing compliance with the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 and the CRPD. The right to work on an equal basis, as articulated in Article 27 of the CRPD, requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation and ensure non-discrimination throughout the employment cycle. The study adopts a professional HR management perspective, conducting structured surveys of HR managers, disability rights officers, and employees with disabilities across 25 organizations in Lagos, Abuja, and Kano, spanning financial services, manufacturing, and public administration sectors. Workplace accessibility audits and review of organizational disability policies are also conducted. Findings reveal that fewer than 30 percent of surveyed organizations have documented disability accommodation policies, that disclosure of disability by employees is associated with career advancement penalties, and that HR professionals receive minimal training on disability rights obligations. The study proposes a disability-inclusive HR management framework for Nigerian organizations, incorporating recruitment, accommodation, performance management, and retention components. The framework is anchored in a combination of legal compliance requirements and business case arguments for disability inclusion. Recommendations include mandatory disability equality reporting for organizations with over 50 employees, government procurement preferences for disability-inclusive employers, and subsidized workplace adaptation grants for small enterprises. Keywords: disability rights, workplace accommodation, HR management, CRPD, Nigeria.