WORK.INC · The right to work for men and women with disabilities - successful collaboration between employers and support systems using the workplace as an arena for work inclusion

The right to work for men and women with disabilities - successful collaboration between employers and support systems using the workplace as an arena for work inclusion

The employment rate of persons with disabilities across Europe is much lower than of the general population and the disability employment gap has remained considerable, independently of labour market policies. Over time different approaches to work inclusion of persons with disabilities have been developed, where support-side approaches, especially supported employment methods, that are using the workplaces as instruments of work inclusion, have been shown effective. The collaboration between employer and the support system is crucial when using the workplace as an arena for work inclusion, but there is a lack of research on employer-support system relations and how they can be formed to facilitate increased employment of persons with disabilities. This project goes beyond the state of the art by addressing the employer-support system collaboration in depth. The overall objectives are to: (1) develop in-depth knowledge of the workplace as an arena for work inclusion of people with disabilities, (2), study explanatory mechanisms that contribute to a successful collaboration between the labour market (employers) and support systems (professionals), (3) develop interdisciplinary frameworks and theories on work inclusion, and (4) establish a foundation for future research on work inclusion, and enhance professional capacity to be a leader in this field. These objectives have partly been met in the performance of two empirical studies, in a literature review and an combined observational and interview study and by a prominent orientation on enhancing professional capacity, by performing leadership activities, building research competence, writing book chapters and scientific articles, and by dissemination activities in scientific and practice forums. The overall results from WORK.INC have provided novel knowledge, that is useful to design support measures to meet employer needs and demands, as well as the needs of the support systems and the employees with disabilities. This knowledge has a potential for key impact on the development of effective support-side methods and as called for in EU policies, on the labour market participation of persons with disabilities.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз