1

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of People with Disabilities:

From Principles to Practice

Debra PerrySenior Specialist in Vocational Rehabilitation

International Labour Office (ILO)

2

Topics / Activities

1 Challenges and Barriers2 International Standards3 ILO Conventions and Recommendations4 Current Trends5 Examples of Good Practice

3

The Challenge

600 million disabled people worldwide 370 million in Asia 386 million of working-age worldwide 238 million in Asia Most live in rural areas Unemployment rates are double that of the general

population and as high as 80 percent Disability and poverty are linked The socioeconomic costs are high

4

Barriers to Employment

Lack of policy support

Lack of assistive devices, support services, information

Inaccessible buildings and transport

Unequal accessto education and training

Negative attitudes

Low self-esteem,overprotective families

5

Workers with Disabilities

• Are capable and talented• Can work and perform on par with their peers

(Dupont Study (U.S.), Lou Harris poll (U.S.), Marriot (U.S.), Centrica (UK), Tricon Restaurants (Australia)

• Have greater job retention

6

The Response: Promote Full Participation

• International Declarations, Standards etc. • Regional Decade of Disabled Persons• National Legislation and Policies• Service Delivery Systems and Programs• Self-Help and Advocacy Groups• Promoting Awareness

7

Timeline• 1955 ILO VR Recommendation No. 99

• 1971 UN Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons

• 1975 UN Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons

• 1981 UN International Year of Disabled Persons

• 1982 UN World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled Persons

• 1983-1992 UN Decade of Disabled Persons

• 1983 ILO VR (Disabled) Convention No. 159

• 1983 ILO VR (Disabled) Recommendation No. 168

• 1993 UN Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities

• 1993-2002 Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons

8

The ILO and People with Disabilities

• Decent work for all - non-discrimination• Equality of opportunity• Equality of treatment• Mainstreaming in training and employment• Choice• Special measures• Community participation• Tripartite consultations • Involvement of disabled persons and NGOs

9

Basic Definitions: ILO Instruments

• Disabled Person: An individual whose prospects of securing and retaining suitable employment are substantially reduced as a result of physical or mental impairment (introduced in R 99).

• Vocational Rehabilitation: That part of the continuous

and coordinated process of rehabilitation which involves the provision of those vocational services, e.g. vocational guidance, vocational training and selective placement, designed to enable a disabled person to secure and retain suitable employment (introduced in R 99).

10

Recommendation No. 99 (1955)

• Covers all disabled people • Identifies vocational guidance, training and

placement principles• Recommends approaches to implementing

principles

11

R99: Highlights

• Use existing services• Enable disabled people to use services• Include employers and trade unions • Foster cooperation between medical and VR• Expand vocational opportunities• Establish sheltered workshops/homebound• Develop services for children and youth

12

Convention No. 159 (1983)

• Purpose of Vocational Rehabilitation• Equity issues• Policy and Action

13

Purpose of Vocational Rehabilitation

To enable a disabled person to secure, retain and advance in suitable employment and thereby to further such person’s integration or reintegration into society (introduced in C 159 and R 168)

14

Serve all types of disabled persons

Among disabled and other workers

Between disabled women and men

Special positive measures okay

Services in urban and rural areas

Equity

15

Convention No. 159

POLICY National VR Input from employers,

labor unions, and people with disabilities

Fosters open employment

ACTION Includes the delivery

and evaluation of VR services

Has provisions for competent personnel and staff training

16

R168: Highlights• Expands VR principles• Suggests measures to increase employment opportunities• Encourages full community participation• Provides approaches to equalize rural and urban services• Identifies strategies for VR staff development• Specifies mechanisms for engaging workers’, employers’

and disabled persons’ organizations

17

R168: Create Job Opportunities

In the openlabour market

Provide financial incentives to employers fortraining, employment, adaptations

Provisions of part-time and other job arrangements Disseminate information on success cases Additional research

In the informal,self-employmentsector

Encourage establishment of small scale industries,cooperatives, and other types of productionworkshops

In shelteredemployment

Provide government support Encourage cooperation between sheltered and

production workshops Government support to eliminate potential for

exploitation and to facilitate transition to openmarket

18

R168: Reduce Barriers to Employment

VR services Provide government support Provide follow-up to assess effectiveness Consider all forms of training, ILS,

literacy, etc.

Physical, communication,architectural andtransport barriers

Eliminate existing barriers, by stages, ifnecessary

Consider standards in new buildings andconstruction

Facilitate transportation

Devices etc. Removes taxes, import barriers andrelated fees and levies

Provide aids, devices and personalservices

19

ILO Disability Programme

Policy Advice Technical Cooperation Activities Research Projects Others:

– Code of Practice on Disability – GLADNET - Global Applied Disability and

Information Network on Employment

20

Asia Pacific Decade Target Areas1. National coordination2. Legislation3. Information, 4. Public awareness5. Accessibility and Communication6. Education7. Training and Employment8. Prevention of causes of disability 9. Rehabilitation 10. Assistive devices11. Self-help organizations12. Regional cooperation

21

Training and Employment Targets

Collaborative bodyto ensure vocationaltraining relevancy

Accessibility ofmainstreamtraining

Equitable participationin poverty alleviationand income generation

Better curricula andsupport services

National placementtargets and policies

Self-employmentschemes

Services and fundsfor those withextensive disabilities

Gender-equitabletargets for allministries

Monitoring andevaluation body

22

Trends Affecting Vocational Rehabilitation

• From Charity to Civil Rights• From the Industrial to the

Knowledge Economy• From Centralized to Community

-based Services

23

Charity Civil Rights

• The disability movement • Inclusion of all disability groups• Medical to social model of disability• Costs of the welfare state• The business argument

24

Implications

• Disabled people involved in planning, services, and evaluation

• Mainstream services inclusive• Services more innovative and effective• All types of disabled persons served• Multisectoral approaches

25

Industrial Knowledge Economy

• New focus on information and technology• Globalization • ICT and new work tools • Businesses must be leaner, meaner and smarter • Fast-paced, changing, more competitive

workplace• Threats and opportunities for disabled persons

26

Implications

• Training must address new technology• Training must be flexible• English language important • New work structures (e.g. teleworking)• Life-long learning important• Must meet employer needs

27

Centralized Community

• More attention, autonomy to communities • Fewer resources and weaker infrastructures• Different needs and standards• Greater reliance on informal sector and self-

employment for jobs• More family and community involvement

28

Implications• Standard VR practices may not apply• Each community has different resources and needs• Community based services must reflect them• All resources should be tapped • Services and staff must be flexible and diverse • Expand concept of employment (e.g. self-employment,

cooperative)• Poverty alleviation and income generation programs should

include disabled people• Full community participation