Beyond Inclusion: Employability for persons with disabilities

28.7% of persons with disabilities in the EU are at risk of poverty and social exclusion compared to 19.2% among the general population. Their employment rate in the EU in 2017 was 50,6% compared to 75% for those persons without disabilities (European Disability Forum 2020). Several studies show that employment functions as a primary factor for disabled people in terms of social inclusion in general. Low employment rates of persons with disabilities indicate in turn an untapped potential and talent and a core area of intervention as stressed by the European Disability Rights Agenda 2020-2030 (EDF 2020).The inclusion of persons with disabilities in the labour-market is promoted by national legislations through employment quotas, coupled with non-discrimination laws on the ground of disabilities, incentives for employers, as well as non-compliance measures.However, it is debatable whether quotas represent an effective or desirable policy approach, or in contrary, one more form of discrimination. (ILO, Gender, Equality and Diversity & ILOAIDS Branch, Promoting Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities, 2019). The quotas system in general addresses almost entirely companies with more than 50 employees. Small and micro-enterprises (<10 employees) however, represent 93% of the total SMEs number, reckoning the vast majority of SMEs ‘out of the map’ as significant players in promoting employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. The unemployment rate of persons with disabilities across EU Member-States is still very high (50%), while in respect to the participating countries in the proposed project they look as follows: Romania 37,6%, Bulgaria, 49,4%, Greece 32,3%, Spain 31,1%, Cyprus 34,1% (EU SILC [2018).Considering these data, the proposed project is focusing on the important role of the labour-market side (in terms of its employment providers) in promoting employment opportunities for people with disabilities. It will look into equipping SMEs (especially micro and small enterprises), including Human Resources departments and recruiters as well as business consultants responsible for recruiting, hiring, retaining, and promoting employees with a set of tools and practices (openly and freely available online in an e-learning and e-consulting format) that will help them to acknowledge and reap the benefits of including disabled people in their work-force, beyond the ‘philanthropy – social responsibility – law abiding’ nexus. At a parallel level, the proposed project will provide persons with disabilities (as end beneficiaries) with a structured approach, tools, practices and methodologies (e-learning adapted to learning capabilities) to demonstrate, acquire/further develop job skills (including job seeking skills, self-marketing, job expectations, self-presentation skills), as well as transferable soft skills for professional development at the work-place. The proposed project will focus on three groups of persons with disabilities (Deaf/Hard of Hearing persons, Blind/Visual impaired persons, Persons with physical/kinetic disabilities).Main objectives of the projectPrompting and guiding SMEs to engulf diversity on the grounds of disability as valuable resource in the work environment, rather than ‘moral/ law obligation’Shifting social inclusion through employment for persons with disabilities from the scope of intervention to ‘remove barriers’, to one of ‘career success’ and professional development (by equipping persons with disabilities with the appropriate skills sets and attitudes for labour market inclusion and career development)Fighting social exclusion by promoting employment opportunities in SMEs for persons with disabilities on the ground of factors such as personal growth and self-realisation, rather than appropriateness to disability and policy measures/legislation. Target groupsPrimary:SMEs (focusing on small and micro) key actors in recruitment and hiring of personnel (managers, directors, job recruiters)HR departmentsBusiness consultantsPersons with disabilities (end beneficiaries) Secondary:SME representative bodies Chambers of CommerceBusiness associationsDisabled persons representative bodiesBusiness consulting and training organisationsThe proposed project is to be implemented in Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Spain and Cyprus by a mixed partnership to bring in knowledge in the fields of support for persons with disabilities, professional development and business consulting. At such a transnational level, considering also that the participating countries exhibit high levels of unemployment of persons with disabilities, the cross-fertilisation of knowledge and experience from organisations at both sides of the issue (SMEs and business world – persons with disabilities) is the appropriate way to tackle an EU wide issue, which only takes special characteristics at national levels, while remaining similar in its effects regarding social exclusion.