I was saying that the implementation of the project “Labour market Employment for young Adults with a Disability – LEAD”, funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment, is a challenge for us in regard to what we want to change in the communities to which the project is adressed.
We (Health Action Overseas Foundation), as leading partner, alongside our colleagues from Valakupiai Rehabilitation Center (Lithuania) and Consultis – Consultoria Empresarial, Unipessoal Lda. (Portugal), with the support of Status Employment, our expert partner, went down the roadwanting to change conceptions, perceptions and habits on the employment and social integration of young adults with disabilities.
“X can’t work because they have….”, “My child can’t do anything without me. How could they work?! ” Surely you have heard such statements more than once! In the last three years, we have dismantled these kind of opinions countless times using the results of our work instead of sterile words and theories. For each “this is not possible”, we have come up with dozens of examples that “this is quite possible”. I am pleased to inform you that in the last three years, we have employed hundreds of young adults with various disabilities (hearing, visual, speech, physical impairments, learning/intellectual, and mental disabilities). These young adults have managed to keep their jobs and even to advance in their carriers.
“I can’t hire persons with disabilities in my company. They can not handle their work duties”; “There is no benefit if I hire a person with disabilities! On the contrary, I will waste time and money!” Doesn’t that sound familiar to you? Again, I am proud to say that our beneficiaries were accepted in companies whose representatives have initially rejected the idea of having colleagues on a diverse spectrum.
How are these situations possible? We have implemented in Romania, Lithuania and Portugal a model of good practice in Supported Employment which has proven its viability in the United Kingdom, and which is focused on the innovative approach of the relations between: young adults with disabilities; parents and their relatives; companies; specialists and providers of Supported Employment services.
Let’s start with young adults! Absolutely all these young adults with disabilities have a common denominator: they WANT to work! Therefore, I invite those who really want to find a suitable job to contact us, at the Services Centers for Supported Employmentopened within LEAD project. Here, each young adult will be helped by a specialist in psychology, education sciences, socio-psycho-pedagogy to identifytheir skills and professional objectives. Then, our specialist will prepare them for a job according to their professional training and interests. Also, our colleagues will offerthem counseling to increase self-confidence.After their employment, our specialist will monitor and provide them with in-work and outside work support. This is a laborious process that requires time, involvement and consistency. Therefore, the young adult is not thrown into the water and left to fend, but they are taught to swim, in the style that suits them best.
I said at the beginning of this editorial that our team has succeeded countless times in overcoming the reluctance of business people to hire people with disabilities. How do we do that? First of all, we organise experience exchanges in order to encourage dialogue and to facilitate interactions between the young adults looking for a job and potential employers. I am glad to say that most ofthe time, these events ended with the employment of one or more young adults.
Also, we organise,at our headquarters, training sessions dedicated to employers and human resources specialists. On these occasions, our specialists provide them the information needed in order to increase their understanding of disability issues and help them to attract, recruit and retain young adults with disabilities.At the same time, we offer them a Guide of Good Practice, which details: the advantages which employers have when they hire young adults with disabilities; relevant aspects of national disability legislation; practical steps in employment and retention of young adults with disabilities; information, ideas, examples and suggestions on how existing systems and structures at work can be adapted for them; some of our successful cases. Last but not least, we provide assistance during the integration process of the new employee at the workplace.
It is a matter of pride for us that most of the entrepreneurs which have worked with us have not stopped at hiring just a single young adult with disabilities. We have companies in the portfolio which have employed 3-4 young adults and they are still working with our specialists. We are happy to note that both multinational companies, and small and medium companies with domestic capital have joined us. Even in pandemic conditions, they have given a chance to a better life to our young beneficiaries.
Another important direction in our work consists in providing informational and emotional support to parents and family members of young adults with disabilities. In this respect, our team developed a dedicated training package, which includes: practical information designed to help parents support their children in accessing the services available for their integration into the labour market; practical ways to motivate their children to get and keep a job; specific strategies for an individual approach in addressing the needs / the desires of young adults with disabilities and developing their teamwork, decision-making and conflict resolution skills. In addition, we regularly organise meetings with members of the support group for families of young adults with disabilities.
After three years of implementation (of which almost two years into the Covid-19 pandemic), the results which we have obtained are remarkable, not only in terms of assumed indicators, which are achieved and exceeded, but especially in terms of the quality and the sustainability of the employment process of the young adults with disabilities and strong relationships built by our team with employers.
What is the next step? We want to widely promote this model, which is based on a win-win strategy, through the National Networks of Supported Employment Service Providers, created within LEAD project. As we have shown, the Supported Employment process offers the people with disabilities the chance to get suitable jobs and keep them for the long term, while companies have the opportunity to hire loyal and dedicated workers.
The project “Labour market Employment for young Adults with a Disability – LEAD” is funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment.
If I have convinced you, I am waiting for you to join us!
Nicolae Dobrescu,
Project Manager – LEAD
Executive Director of Health Action Overseas Foundation
Project Manager – LEAD
Executive Director of
Health Action Overseas Foundation. Credits: LEAD
