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Making the future of work inclusive of people with disabilities

ILO GLOBAL BUSINESS AND DISABILITY NETWORK
FUNDACION ONCE
November 2019

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This is a first exercise to connect different areas of debate, looking at the key trends of the future of work from a disability perspective and seeking to identify specific action needed in order to shape the future of work in a more disability-inclusive way.

Chapters include: Work and disability - overview of current situation; megatrends of future work and persons with disability (technological revolution, skills revolution, cultutral change, demographic change and climate change); and Roadmap for an inclusive future of work.

 

The following five key objectives for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the future of work have been identified:

1. New forms of employment and employment relations integrate disability inclusion

2. Skills development and life-long learning made inclusive of persons with disabilities

3. Universal Design embedded in development of all new infrastructure, products and services

4. Assistive technologies, existing and newly developed, to be made affordable and available

5. Measures to include persons with disabilities in growing and developing areas of the economy

 

Governments, companies, disability NGOs, trade unions and academia must be encouraged to commit and contribute towards achieving these objectives through different actions. An inclusive future of work can be reached through coordination and alliances among the different stakeholders

Employees with hearing impairment. A qualitative study exploring managers’ experiences

VIGRESTAD SVINNDAL, Elisabeth
JENSEN, Chris
BY RISE, Marit
January 2019

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Purpose: Explore managers’ experiences regarding employees with hearing impairments.

 

Materials and methods: Individual interviews with ten managers having employees with hearing impairment. The interviews were analyzed using Systematic text condensation.

 

Results: The managers felt great responsibility for their employees’ functioning, but hearing loss issues were easily forgotten. They found access to information as imperative to secure workplace adjustments, and temporary needs, rather than permanent ones, were easily met. Despite their challenging nature, meetings were not accommodated to meet hearing loss needs. Support in accommodation processes at the workplace was not requested since minor adjustments were perceived as sufficient.

 

Conclusion: The results show that there are barriers towards developing less strenuous working conditions for employees with hearing impairments. The implications of hearing loss should be recognized as risk factors for fatigue and treated accordingly. Appropriate services are necessary to support the stakeholders at the workplace and utilize the room for manoeuver in the accommodation process. Further studies should identify how such services can accommodate both the employees, and managers’ needs.

Working life trajectories with hearing impairment

VIGRESTAD SVINNDAL, Elisabeth
JENSEN, Chris
BY RISE, Marit
October 2018

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Purpose: The aim was to identify and explore factors, which facilitate or hinder work participation for people with hearing impairment.

 

Materials and methods: In-depth interviews with 21 hearing impaired individuals of 32–67 years of age with a present or recent vocational affiliation were conducted. The analysis was conducted using a grounded theory approach.

 

Results: The analysis resulted in a conceptual framework of working life trajectories evolving through three phases of acknowledgement of hearing loss impact: the pre-acknowledgement, acknowledgement, and post-acknowledgement phase. The phases were influenced by the qualities of three contexts: the personal, the workplace, and the service provider. The qualities of the contexts, together with the amount of time spent in a pre-acknowledgement phase, formed the trajectories towards continuation of work participation or towards a disconnection. Accumulated risk factors constituted increased likelihood of disconnecting trajectories, while accumulated facilitating factors supported sustainable trajectories.

 

Conclusions: The results revealed a need for extended support at the workplaces, which includes the manager, colleagues, and professionals in the aim of preventing exhaustion and facilitate work participation among employees with hearing impairments. Joint action in facilitating communicative participation would share the responsibility for accommodation measures and broaden the room for manoeuver at the workplace.

Employment outcomes of skills training in South Asian countries: An evidence summary

ILAVARASAN, P Vigneswara
KUMAR, Arpan K
ASWANI, Reema
November 2017

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This evidence summary of systematic reviews provides insights for policy makers surrounding the impact of training programmes on employment outcomes. There are 11 studies included in this summary focusing on technical and vocational education and training (TVET), rehabilitation and counselling, personality development (including leadership training, stress management and communication skills training) and entrepreneurship training programmes.

 

The target groups covered in the included studies are diverse including people with disabilities, health workers, women and enterprises as a whole. The final studies comprise of one study each from 2011 and 2017; two studies each from 2013, 2015 and 2016; and three studies from 2014. The focus of this evidence is on low and middle income South Asian countries namely: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka

Promoting equality and addressing discrimination - Disability: Inclusive approaches for productive work

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE (ILO)
May 2013

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Part 6.3 of the ILO's "The Informal Economy and Decent Work: A Policy Resource Guide supporting transitions to formality"

Key challenges are discussed:

  • Marginalization from the mainstream economy
  • Weak data to support policy development
  • Attitudinal barriers and social exclusion
  • Low educational levels
  • Skills gaps
  • Labour market discrimination
  • Weak policy and legal environment

and emerging approaches and good practices are presented:

  • A rights based approach
  • Inclusive strategies
  • Addressing data challenges
  • Expanding labour market opportunities
  • Education policies
  • Overcoming skills gaps
  • Making training accessible
  • Community Based Rehabilitation 
  • Changing policy and legal frameworks
  • Awareness raising and knowledge sharing

Inclusive microfinance : reaching disabled people through partnership development

LEYMAT, Anne
March 2012

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"This study examines projects that support access to financial services for disabled people, highlighting good practices that guarantee efficiency and sustainability of initiatives with a particular focus on the use of microcredit. The study is based on the findings of: a global survey and interviews with disabled people's organizations and microfinance providers; a literature review; field studies in seven countries; and the outcome of two regional workshops (in Kenya and Bangladesh) and a practitioner workshop in Geneva. It is estimated that 10 to 12 per cent of the world's population has some kind of impairment and of those around 82 per cent live below the poverty line. Most people with impairments who work are self-employed. However, access to financial services for disabled people remains sporadic. The central part of the study explores the potential for successful, responsible, and complementary partnership development between microfinance actors and disabled people's organizations. Our findings demonstrate that if disabled people are given the opportunity to access financial services, many are capable of successfully managing loans and businesses - thereby becoming agents of their own development"
Enterprise Development and Microfinance Vol. 23 No. 1

Disabilities and decent work in the Pacific. The case for disability inclusive employment.

LAMOTTE, David
COCCO, Bernardo
LAL, Iresh
2012

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This publication aims to highlight some of the challenges faced by persons with disability in accessing decent jobs and to identify relevant labour standards and other policy interventions that could advance disability in the workplace and assist Pacific Island countries address these challenges. It also celebrates the experience of eighteen people with disabilities in Fiji and Vanuatu who have been able to secure employment – sometimes against all odds and barriers. As employees or as self-employed persons, their stories emphasise the “business case” for hiring a person with disability. They are hard-working, reliable, loyal and productive workers. Through their own strong determination, access to education and vocational training, they have overcome the barriers to employment that too many other people face. They are a role model to all of us and show that it is not a person’s disability, but, rather, their ability, that makes them good employees and productive members of society

Community-based rehabilitation : CBR guidelines|Livelihood component

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
et al
2010

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This component of the CBR Guidelines focuses on inclusive livelihoods. It describes "the role of CBR is to facilitate access for people with disabilities and their families to acquiring skills, livelihood opportunities, enhanced participation in community life and self-fulfilment." The guideline outlines key concepts, and then presents the core concepts, examples and areas of suggested activities in each of the following five elements: Skills development; Self-employment; Wage employment; Financial services; Social protection. This guideline is useful for anyone interested in livelihood component of CBR

What really matters : a guide to person-centered excellence|Application for services for people with mental illness

THE COUNCIL ON QUALITY AND LEADERSHIP (CQL)
2010

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"This guide promotes quality improvement in behavioral health services and supports. These best practices and the resulting quality improvement initiatives can be applied across the range of supports and services for people with mental illness...This manual has eight main sections and each section contains a key factor with its success indicators. We use the term ‘factor’ to refer to the main area: for example, Person-centered Planning. Likewise, each factor has a number of ‘success indicators’ that describe critical aspects of the factor. For each success indicator there are three parts: a statement of the indicator; a brief explanation of the meaning behind this indicator; a description of how organizations apply this indicator in practice"

CIRRIE database of international rehabilitation research

CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL REHABILITATION AND RESEARCH INFORMATION AND EXCHANGE (CIRRIE)
January 2006

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Includes references to over 24,000 materials about international rehabilitation research conducted outside the USA. Most of the references include abstracts or links to the full text of the material. The database offers a detailed search facility allowing users to select broad, narrow or related search terms from a detailed thesaurus, as well as specify geographical region, language, or year of publication of materials. A very useful database, materials indexed are mainly articles from a wide range of journals including 'Disability and Rehabilitation', 'Asia and Pacific Journal on Disabilty', and 'International Journal of Rehabilitation Research'. In addition to indexing from mainstream journals and internet sites, CIRRIE also includes citations to resources not readily available to U.S. researchers

Disability and social change : a South African agenda

WATERMEYER, Brian
et al
2006

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This book has been produced to promote the social rights of people with disabilities. It presents extensive research on the South African context of disability and society and draws upon contributions from a diverse range of specialists in the field. A key aim of the text is to unite the disability movement in South Africa through research discourse, as a means to drive processes of social change. Key sections of the book cover: theoretical approaches to disability; governmental and societal responses to disability; disability and education; disability poverty and social security; disability and service provision; disability and human spaces. This book would be of interest to anybody working in the fields of disability, development and social inclusion

Jobs not charity : promoting disabled people's access to the labour market and the role of organisations of disabled people

GOODLEY, Dan
December 2005

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The aims of this project report are to examine the contemporary position of disabled people in the labour market in Britain, to explore the work experiences of a number of disabled people and the impact of policy and practice on their life stories of work and to identify and disseminate the good practices of organisations such as Breakthrough UK Ltd and GMCDP in relation to promoting the work opportunities of disabled people. The report is based on a research project that brought together Breakthrough UK Ltd (BUK Ltd), the Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People (GMCDP), researchers from the Centre of Applied Disability Studies at the University of Sheffield and the financial support of the European Social Fund. This project started in March 2004 and finished in December 2005. Versions of this report are available in Braille, Easy Word, Large Print and Audio by contacting the publisher

Guidelines for reducing stigma and discrimination and enhanacing care and support for people living with HIV and AIDS

KHAN, Naira
LOEWENSON, Rene
2005

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In many communities, stigma and fear of discrimination often exacerbate the impact of the AIDS epidemic and prevent people living with HIV (PLWH) from accessing support services. This document, commissioned by SANASO, and incorporating inputs from faith-based organisations, union representatives, people living with HIV and the media, examines how to address stigma and discrimination in key settings of social life, such as the family, the workplace, faith-based organisations, and the media. It suggests good practices, policies or behavioural changes which should foster a supportive environment for PLWH and improve the general response to HIV and AIDS

The right to decent work of persons with disabilities

O'REILLY, Arthur
2003

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The ILO has commissioned this paper as a contribution to the deliberations taking place in preparation for the development of a United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The paper is intended to be of specific relevance to those involved in drafting the provisions concerning employment and work in the proposed Convention. By examining the development over time of the legal ‘right to work’ of disabled persons, the way in which this matter has been dealt with in international instruments and national legislation to date, and the experience in implementing employment and work opportunities, the paper will enable those involved in the preparation of the proposed UN Convention to build on achievements so far

Resource kit for independent living : tools for power

RATZKA, Adolf D
Ed
1992

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Produced for the Disabled Peoples' International Independent Living Committee, this document is intended to empower disabled individuals and organisations of disabled persons by providing them with easily accessible information on Independent Living philosophy and approach, model projects, and sources of technical assistance in organising grass-roots initiatives. It also serves as a handbook for professionals working in such areas as community planning, social policy and services, rehabilitation, and vocational training. Finally it wants to aid NGO's in their disability work and to inform potential sponsors about the innovative approach that Independent Living entails for the equalisation of opportunities for persons with disabilities

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