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People with disabilities are among our priorities.
We continually invest in combating any form of discrimination and prejudice, promoting respect for individual differences, psychological safety and equal opportunities.
In 2022, we exceeded the legal quota of 5% disabled professionals in our company. Currently, 5.5% of our workforce is made up of professionals with disabilities, amounting to around 3,000 employees in a wide variety of roles.
This was an important milestone in raising the level of discussion on the subject. We seek to promote an equitable work experience, investing in accessibility and career development while combating ableism (the type of discrimination that affects people with disabilities). We work to provide an inclusive and accessible working environment, in which people with disabilities can deliver their full potential. Inclusion is everyone’s responsibility!
People with Disabilities at Vale
In 2019, 4.3%* of Vale’s workforce in Brazil was made up of people with disabilities. Our goal was to reach 5% by 2021.
We surpassed it and, in 2024, people with disabilities represented 5.5% of the company’s workforce.
We surpassed it and, in 2024, people with disabilities represented 5.5% of the company’s workforce.
| Year | Disabled people | Total workforce | % disabled people |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2019
|
2,047
|
47,734 |
4.3%
|
|
2020
|
2,292
|
50,399
|
4.5%
|
|
2021
|
2,702
|
51,029
|
5.3%
|
|
2022
|
2,713
|
50,371
|
5.4%
|
*Source: Vale S.A Brasil
People with disabilities by function
|
Operational
|
54%
|
|
Technical level
|
18%
|
| Superior level staff |
17%
|
|
Administrative
|
10%
|
|
Leadership
|
1%
|
*Source: Vale S.A Brasil
"I joined Vale in 2019 and was welcomed with care and attention by my manager Renato Sasaki, who checked my needs so that I could do my job with excellence, regardless of my physical disability. I feel welcomed and respected by everyone on my team. I wish for a company with more equity and inclusion and for everyone to have the same opportunities I had. Nothing about us without us."
Naiara Barbosa - Full Navigation Analyst - Shipping
Naiara Barbosa - Full Navigation Analyst - Shipping
Diversity Report
“I feel valued, recognized and fairly assessed for my professional competence, without being treated as just another disabled person who is there just to meet the quota. Vale’s inclusive environment allows us to break down these negative stereotypes surrounding people with disabilities.”
Ailson Silva, Senior Legal Analyst, Nova Lima, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Programas de formação exclusivos para PcD:
Acreditamos firmemente no poder da diversidade e na valorização das capacidades individuais de cada profissional. Estamos comprometidos em criar um ambiente que incentiva a confiança, a autonomia e a realização profissional dos nossos talentos PcD. Os programas englobam oficinas de desenvolvimento, sessões de coaching e 5 rodas de conversas. Até o final de 2023, contaremos com a participação de 470 empregados.
Exclusive training programs for people with disabilities:
We firmly believe in the power of diversity and in valuing the individual abilities of each professional. We are committed to creating an environment that encourages confidence, autonomy and professional fulfillment among our talented people with disabilities. Our programs include development workshops, coaching sessions and five discussion groups. By the end of 2023, 470 employees will have taken part in them.
Photographer: Vale's Archive
Empowering Disabled Talents – A journey of self-discovery focused on strengthening skills and personal development, with the aim of awakening a new way of thinking and acting in the face of career challenges. Target audience: professionals with disabilities, up to Full Senior Staff positions and who have been assessed as Solid, High, Exceptional or Performance in the last cycle.
Leveraging Disabled Talents – Aimed at employees who show potential and are close to taking on more strategic and complex positions. The program is focused on developing strategic competencies and leadership skills, aiming to increase participants’ readiness to tackle the challenges and opportunities inherent in more complex positions with greater responsibility. Target audience: people with disabilities in a Superior Staff position (Senior, Master or Specialist) and who have been assessed as Solid, High, Exceptional or Performance in the last cycle.
Access the video about the inclusion of talents with disabilities
Affinity group
Our affinity group was launched in 2023, formed voluntarily by employees with the aim of discussing ideas, opinions and experiences related to people with disabilities and connected to Vale’s diversity, equity and inclusion positioning.
Our goal is to encourage the sharing of information, provide an environment for exchange and learning, and combat unconscious biases and discriminatory and/or ableist behavior. We invite everyone, whether a person with disabilities or an ally, who is sensitive to this issue and wants to contribute to a more inclusive and barrier-free environment, to join us.
The group’s action is focused on supporting the development of the following pillars:
Content curation for the learning journey at Valer Digital, with a view to contributing to anti-ableism literacy;
The awareness-raising agenda aimed at holding and participating in events that help people understand inequalities;
Engagement of leaders;
Support for inclusion and equity-related affirmative action.
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Unconscious bias
We recognize as a challenge the fact that people with disabilities still face prejudice, unconscious biases and mistrust of their potential and productive capacity from some leaders and colleagues. All Vale employees have access to an online Unconscious Biases Course in VES, which covers how to recognize and break down bias-related barriers in order to build a more inclusive environment.
In order to include people with disabilities, it is important for everyone to be aware of their biases. Unconscious or cognitive biases are social stereotypes about certain groups of people that individuals form:
Everyone holds unconscious beliefs about different social and identity groups, and these prejudices stem from our brain's tendency to simplify the world and social relationships by categorizing them.
Unconscious bias exists in everyone’s worldview, affecting our behavior on a daily basis, including in the workplace.
We don’t necessarily perceive this, but many of those around us do.
As a result, unconscious bias creates barriers to inclusion, performance and engagement.
While we can’t get rid of unconscious bias completely, learning to mitigate its impact is a skill that everyone can learn.
Photographer: Vale's Archive
Ableism
Ableism means a situation in which an individual acts in a prejudiced and discriminatory way against a disabled person.
According to Article 88 of Brazil’s Law 13,146 of 2015 (Inclusion Law):
“Practicing, inducing or inciting discrimination against a person on the grounds of their disability carries a penalty of one to three years in prison and a fine, which may be increased depending on the conditions in which the crime was committed.”
Can ableism cause social pain?
“Social pain comes with the fear of isolation and abandonment, difficulty in communicating, the loss of social roles with family and colleagues, and financial losses.”
The process of inclusion must go hand in hand with respect and belonging, so that all people, with or without disabilities, feel part of the social context and groups they are in. It is essential to foster a welcoming environment that provides a good working climate and support for all employees.
Social pain is nothing more than the feeling people have about their inclusion or exclusion.
The correct term is “people with disabilities.”
The first step in building a good relationship with people is knowing how to refer to them properly. When it comes to people with disabilities, there is still a lot of uncertainty about the correct term.
Any other options are incorrect, such as these outdated terms:
Special needs people
People with special needs
People with special needs
Invalids
Crippled people
Special people
Exceptional people
We have produced a mini-guide with tips on how to be inclusive toward people with disabilities.
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IP Address: 216.73.216.14
IP Address: 216.73.216.14
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