Up Front and Public at the Mexico City Airport: Inclusion in the Temple of Air Travel

Although some may question the author's generous opinion that the Mexican government is "now at the vanguard of the disabled-rights movement in the developing world" the country's leadership certainly deserves recognition for breaking barriers to employment - and publicly challenging disability-aversion in this project:

AT THE main international airport for Mexico City, the first thing to notice is that the path from the baggage claim is lined with smiling employees guiding passengers to their taxis or connecting flights. The second is that they are all in wheelchairs.

Since the opening of a new terminal in November 2007, the airport has hired some 60 disabled, bilingual workers to serve as Mexico's face to the world. Their presence delights both passengers, who frequently offer congratulations and ask to take their picture, and their superiors. "They're professional, attentive, always in a good mood, and never miss work," says Héctor Velázquez, the airport's director.

Mr Velázquez says he first thought of seeking out disabled staff after being impressed by the performance of Jazmín Flores Martínez, a young labour lawyer suffering from severe arthritis. He instructed a subcontracting firm to take on 20 graduates of a physical and psychological training programme for the handicapped, and then tripled the programme's size upon seeing the results. The workers say they are thrilled by the public exposure--and by their respectable $550 a month salaries. "If you don't have a job, you sit at home all day thinking about what hurts," says Ms Martínez. "Now, we're independent, and people can see that our physical condition doesn't matter. They don't look at you as some strange creature any more."