RACE

This report focuses on the role of adapted work settings in the international framework provided by the UNCRPD; in particular, special attention has been given to Article 26 and 27, as they both deal with principles, measures and services offered by adapted work settings.
Adapted work settings, commonly known also as sheltered workshops, are not referred to in the UNCRPD. This requires clarifications for the thousands of people that benefit from their services and whose future looks therefore uncertain.
The analysis was carried out starting from three main subjects:
- what the Convention brought in general terms through its paradigm shift and the subsequent challenges for social services
- the analysis of the current text of Article 26 and 27 and the links to the role of sheltered workshop matters
- the history of the discussions around the inclusion of sheltered workshops in the UN CRPD.

Services like sheltered workshops may sometimes and very often fulfill more than one function for persons with disabilities, thus their compliance to the UN CRPD articles is particularly sensitive. In the framework of a holistic approach to persons with disabilities, where disability itself is not the focus of attention, but everything is about the individual and the enjoyment of his rights, it is of utter importance to keep a good balance between the multitude of skills, personal choices, possibilities of individual development and society’s response.    
The report provides a state of play of possible links existing between sheltered workshops and the UN CRPD in order to gain a view on future developments needed in the provision of work opportunities to persons with (intellectual) disabilities.

The full report is available here.

For more information on the report please contact Ms. Sabrina Ferraina at sabrina.ferraina@easpd.eu.

Project duration: November 2011-October 2013

The project

RACE brought together partners from 5 different countries in the endeavor to enable persons with disabilities to enter the open labor market and thus to gain more independence and confidence. This will be achieved through adapting and applying in practice the training materials and tools developed in previous EU funded projects: ‘Conversion’ and ‘Pass it on’, and through creating new tools for the project target groups.

Target groups:

• Vocational education & training (VET) trainers
• Counselors
• Managers
• Line managers
• Policy makers

The aim is to engage and guide the participants in the efforts for creating and facilitating learning and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

Why Raising Awareness for Persons with disabilities is important?

Disability is often connected to unemployment and social exclusion. Prejudice and discrimination are the main reasons of low employment rates for people with disabilities in most EU countries. Also in line with EU conventions & strategies the society has the responsibility to create opportunities for them. One way to do so is through Supported employment which offers a suitable model to avoid segregation of persons with disabilities and is much more inclusive than sheltered workplaces. The model is 'place-train-maintain'. The benefits of increased independence and inclusion are not limited to the persons with disabilities only, employers benefit as well and so does the society. Still, it is very rare in practice, thus the main project aim is to promote and increase it.

What will do?

• Transfer of knowledge and EU good practices, training materials, guidelines
• Support to Turkish policy makers with key materials and expertise
• Raise awareness among corporate and politic communities and the society on the benefits of persons with disabilities integration
• Enable managers and key staff professionals to implement supported employment
• Enable VET, disability organizations etc. to support the persons with disabilities in open labor market
• Achieve sustainability through a set-up of national helpdesk

Outcomes and Results:

• Blended training program for managers, VET providers, counselors etc. to support persons with disabilities in open labor market
• Pilot training in Turkey and Italy
• Guidelines for integrating people with disabilities into the workplace
• Policy roundtables in Turkey and Belgium
• Best practice catalogue of policy approaches and instruments
• Policy recommendations for Turkish decision makers
• Corporate roundtables in each partner country
• Dissemination materials-project website, videos and more
• Final seminar in Turkey

As a result the employers and VET providers in Turkey and Italy will gain competences to facilitate supported employment. This efficient training model will be also offered for further exploitation. The stakeholders in Turkey will get experience with supported employment and access to best practices, as well as EU networks to equip them for decision making for future policies. The awareness of supported employment and its concrete benefits will be raised not only in Turkey and Italy, but over partnership also in other EU countries.  

More information on RACE you may receive from the Newsletter  coming in February and the project website: www.employdisable.eu

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.