active inclusion of young people with disabilities or...

Active inclusion of young people withdisabilities or health problems

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National report – Poland

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http://www.eurofound.europa.eu

Author: Rafal Jaros and Monika Owczarek, Institute of Social and Economic Sciences

Project manager: Anna Ludwinek

Research project: Inclusion of young people with disabilities

Contents

Summary

1. National profile

2. Case studies

3. Conclusions

Bibliography

Annexes

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3

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Current status of the target groups

In Poland policy relating to people with disabilities does not differentiate between different groups – all groups aretreated equally. There are no policies or programmes that particularly promote the participation of young people withdisabilities in the open labour market. As in many other countries, young people face significant challenges entering thejob market (especially the open market). Experts say that this is related to their low qualification level and little or nowork experience. Moreover, the Polish labour market still has relatively few jobs for people with disabilities. Most areemployed in sheltered workshops. According to the employment records of people with disabilities, almost 93% of thoseemployed in the sheltered labour market have regular employment contracts.

In Poland in 2002, it was estimated that there were 4.08 million people with disabilities, 14.3% of the population. Latestfigures for 2009 indicate that the number of people with disabilities was 3.6 million, reflecting a consistent reduction inthe number of people being certified as disabled over recent years. In 2002, people with disabilities aged 15–64 yearscomprised 13% of the working-age population. The economic activity rate of people with health problems or disabilitieswas around 19.2%, compared to a rate of 55% for the total working-age population. The employment rate for workingpeople with disabilities was 14.4%, and 44.1% for the total working-age population. It is estimated that the employmentrate of people with physical or mental impairments is between 14% and 20% (Wóycicka, 2008)). This is the lowest inthe EU (Kurzynowski, 2006). In 2007, the employment rate for 15–64-year-olds with disabilities, approximately 14%,had not increased substantially and was still the lowest in the EU. The proportion of people with disabilities inemployment in the 25–29 age range (25.77%) and 30–34 age range (21.43%) was substantially higher. In comparison tothe employment rate for people without disabilities, which was around 53% in 2007, the employment gap is verysubstantial. The rate is also much lower than the EU25 employment rate for people with severe disabilities (40.8%).

This should be indicative of a strong potential for including a significant proportion of those with health problems ordisabilities in employment, following effective rehabilitation and training activities. It also suggests a need for theadjustment of establishments and workplaces to make them accessible to people with disabilities. However, accordingto a peer review carried out in 2008, there is little focus on disability as a target area in the 2008–2010 National ReformProgramme for Growth and Jobs.

Overview of how societal and individual needs are being met

The major funder of activities for people with disabilities in Poland is the National Rehabilitation Fund for People withDisabilities (PFRON). PFRON reimburses employers for the costs of employing people with disabilities and funds thesocial security deductions for the self-employed. In addition, it subsidises and funds a wide range of support,interventions and services for people with disabilities that are provided by local authorities and voluntary organisations.

People with disabilities can apply for three types of financial benefit:

n social pensions for those who receive a certificate of disability before the age of 18;

n pensions from social security for people unable to work and who have received a certificate of disability due toaccident or illness after entering the labour market;

n the pension fund’s agricultural social security for farmers.

Summary

© European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, 2012

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In special situations, people with disabilities can also apply for welfare benefits. According to a peer review conductedin 2008, proposed changes in the disability pensions system have the potential to reduce the level of social protectionfor people with disabilities and increase the poverty risk for their families (Wóycicka, 2008).

The main means for supporting the inclusion of young people with disabilities in the open labour market is through theactivities implemented by public employment services. Among the groups included in reintegration initiatives are youngpeople, including young people with health problems or disabilities who are unemployed. Young people with disabilitiesup to the age of 25 are able to use the same routes to employment as those without disabilities, including internships,apprenticeships, vocational training, careers counselling, and temporary or seasonal work. People with disabilities mayalso apply for loans or grants to start their own business.

In principle, vocational rehabilitation is available to all people with disabilities, including the young. This includesoccupational rehabilitation and medical rehabilitation. However, the majority of jobs offered to people with disabilitiesare in sheltered workshops. Since 2006 social cooperatives which combine economic activity with social andprofessional integration have been established. Another option for job seekers with disabilities is provided by theEmployment Activation Units (ZAZ).

Social Integration Centres and Clubs, which cater for the long-term unemployed, substance misusers, people with mentalhealth problems and ex-offenders, are another source of support for people with disabilities in Poland. The SocialIntegration Centres and Clubs are integral to the framework of the 2003–2013 Strategy of Social Policy.

People with disabilities are entitled to participate in education at all levels in the same way as those without disability.People who are eligible can receive funding for vocational training. Training institutions are obliged to take into accountthe needs of people with disabilities in their educational provision. However, in practice, many schools are not wellprepared for these students, and many barriers remain to their inclusion in education, ranging from inaccessible buildingsand inappropriate equipment to poor methods of working with people with disabilities. Training courses specifically forpeople with disabilities are rare and are mainly concerned with the development of soft skills rather than vocationaltraining. Consequently, the level of education among people with disabilities is low in every age group, including theyoung, and the more severe the degree of disability, the lower the level of education is.

People with disabilities are legally entitled to the same health services and social welfare that is available to the generalpopulation. In addition, those at risk of social exclusion can receive social assistance, including medical rehabilitationand a period in a rehabilitation camp. PFRON cooperates with local governments to provide active rehabilitation toanyone who has a certificate of disability.

Active inclusion of young people with disabilities or health problems: National report – Poland


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Current status of active inclusion in national and sectoral policy

The Polish government’s 2008–2010 National Reform Programme (NRP) for Growth and Jobs was assessed from asocial inclusion perspective in a peer review in 2008, and it came to a number of conclusions that are relevant to thisreport (Wóycicka, 2008).

According to the review, there was little evidence to suggest that Poland had adopted an active inclusion approach.Neither the National Action Plan for Inclusion (NAP Inclusion) nor the NRP adopted a comprehensive approach to theemployment activation of people furthest from the labour market. The current approach was focused only on labourmarket measures and failed to offer a broader approach combining different social services and measures to improveincome support for those distant from the labour market, such as people with disabilities.

There is a major initiative to modernise the social protection system, particularly in relation to old-age and disability-related social insurance, extending the period of employment of older workers and preventing early withdrawal from thelabour market. From a disability perspective, these changes carry a risk that the social protection of those with disabilitieswill be reduced and that incidence of poverty in their families will increase. The primary aim of the reforms is todiscourage people with disabilities from applying for a disability pension. However, the changes are not accompaniedby inclusive labour market measures for people with health problems or disabilities. This has the potential to negativelyimpact on their material well-being.

It is considered that a major contributor to the very low proportion of people with disabilities in employment in Polandis the lack of a comprehensive approach to their activation through education and lifelong learning, early medicalrehabilitation, and responsive labour market measures. Increasing the open employment rate of people with disabilitiesis considered to be the best way to economic inclusion and integration into the local community, but a lack ofcoordination between social services presents a significant challenge in the delivery of effective occupational integrationservices and social supports.

An intended impact of the reform of labour market institutions is the improvement of services to people facingdifficulties in the labour market, offering better quality training and ensuring universal access to core labour marketservices, such as more effective employment exchanges, occupational counselling and occupational information.However, the reform of labour market services focuses solely on older people and youth, and does not address theproblems of those whose unemployment stems from difficulties such as health problems or disability.

The social economy is viewed as an important mechanism to support social inclusion policy and to enhance employmentopportunities for those excluded from the labour market, such as people with disabilities. It is also hoped that it canreduce the number of people relying on social assistance benefits and unemployment allowances. Traditional socialeconomy organisations offer employment to over half a million people in Poland, 55,000 of whom work in 350cooperatives for people with disabilities.

Planned reforms in the school system have some characteristics of an integrated approach. Poland is one of the countriesin which educational achievement in the school system is closely correlated with the material situation and social statusof the pupils’ parents. In order to improve the quality of education and to contribute to levelling out differences ineducational opportunities, a number of measures are planned, including:

n the inclusion of all five-year-olds in full-time education;

n modernisation of curricula;

n the upgrading of school equipment.

National profile


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Even so, the planned strategy is not considered to be sufficiently comprehensive from a social inclusion perspective. Forexample, even though the need for levelling out of educational opportunities is acknowledged, the approach does notaddress such systemic issues as the informal segregation of pupils within schools. Planned measures to reform third-leveleducation, to establish a national qualifications framework, and to create a national strategy of lifelong learning shouldall help reduce the risk of unemployment due to qualifications mismatching the needs of the labour market. However,there is no explicit attempt to redress major disparities in access to tertiary education.

In conclusion, although the concept of active inclusion appears in discussions about the future shape of policies affectingpeople with disabilities, there is no comprehensive solution addressing both legislation and programmes to support them.Various government departments pursue their own policy toward disabled individuals, and often little attention is paidto this group. Policy affecting disabled people is coordinated by the Government Agency for Disabled People, but inpractice its cooperation with local authorities and other institutions is insufficient and uncoordinated. There is no clearaction plan, no clearly defined responsibilities for the implementation of policies, and no indicators to measureimplementation. In the Polish system, the emphasis is more upon the financial support of people with disabilities ratherthan promoting their entry into the open labour market and helping them achieve independence. There are no specialcomprehensive support programmes for young people with disabilities to assist them in their transition from school towork. This is a well-known gap in provision, discussed in the media and among experts, yet still no concrete measureshave been introduced to tackle the problem.

Indicative statistics

Poland has not participated in the Eurostat surveys on the employment of people with disabilities, and so it has beenmore difficult to gather data on the proportional activity rates for people with disabilities broken down by age.Nevertheless, there are some relevant data from the 2008 Labour Force Survey (LFS) on the activity status of peoplewith disabilities.

Table 1 presents the total figures derived from the 2008 LFS. This does not provide a comparative figure for peoplewithout disabilities. Nevertheless, it is possible to come to some conclusions on the basis of the relative activity rates byage. On the basis of unemployment rates, it would appear that the labour market participation of people with disabilities(2.2%) is much lower than the unemployment rate for those without disabilities (14.90%). However, this low rate isactually a reflection of the low number of people with disabilities (84,000) who are registered with the publicemployment services. More appropriate indicators are employment and inactivity rates. The employment rate fordisabled people aged 15–64 years, at approximately 14%, is the lowest in the EU. The proportion of people withdisabilities in employment in the 25–29 age range (25.77%) and 30–34 age range (21.43%) is substantially higher thanthis overall average. One explanation of this is that older people have exited the workforce in greater numbers, while thehigher proportion of those between 15 and 24 years who are inactive could well be because many of these people arestill in full-time education and thus not available for work.

Table 1: Activity status of people with disabilities by age group (2007)

Source: CSO, LFS 2008 (Wapiennik, 2008)



15–24 years 25–29 years 30–34 years Total (15–64 years)

000s % 000s % 000s % 000s %

Employed 15 10.71 25 25.77 24 21.43 529 13.87

Unemployed 8 5.71 10 10.31 9 8.04 84 2.20

Inactive 117 83.57 62 63.92 79 70.54 3,201 83.93

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Table 2 provides a perspective on activity rates on the basis of severity of disability. (The Total row is the same as theTotal column in Table 1.) The pattern in Table 2 is similar to that all EU Member States, where those with severedisabilities tend to be most excluded from the labour market. In fact, less than 4% of people with severe disabilities areactive in the labour market. The employment rate for people with mild disabilities (21.07%) is relatively higher. Incomparison to the employment rate for people without disabilities, which was around 53% in 2007, the employment gapis very substantial. The rate is also much lower than the EU25 employment rate for people with severe disabilities(40.8%).

Table 2: Activity status of people with disabilities by degree of severity (2007)

Source: CSO, LFS 2008 (Wapiennik, 2008).

The proportional distribution of disability by age group (0–64 years) is presented in Table 3. The percentage of youngpeople with disabilities among those aged 16–24 in 2002 was 3.2% (2.7% of all women and 3.7% men). The percentageof people with disabilities aged 25–34 was 3.8% (3.2% of women and 4.4% of men). The largest numbers of people withdisabilities were aged between 55 and 64 (34.5%).

Table 3: Proportional distribution of people with disabilities by age group

Source: Census 2002

Table 4 shows that the largest groups among people with disabilities are those with circulatory system diseases (48.5%)and the physically disabled (46.1%). The lowest percentages are those with mental illness (7.9%) and intellectualdisability (2.5%).


Employed Unemployed Inactive

000s % 000s % 000s %

Total 529 13.87 84 2.20 3,201 83.93

Severe 31 3.22 5 0.52 927 96.26

Moderate 187 13.59 29 2.11 1,160 84.30

Mild 311 21.07 50 3.39 1,115 75.54

Female Male Total

0–15 years 1.9 2.4 2.2

16–24 years 2.7 3.7 3.2

25–34 years 3.2 4.4 3.8

35–44 years 7.1 8.8 8.0

45–54 years 20.1 21.2 20.7

55–64 years 30.5 39.1 34.5

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Table 4: Structure of the population with disabilities by type of disability (2008)

Source: CSO, 2008.

Table 5 suggests that the number of people with disabilities in Poland has been decreasing consistently over the years,although this could well be due to changes in the way in which the system classifies disability. It has become moredifficult to obtain disability certification.

Table 5: Activity status of people with disabilities aged 15 and over

Source: CSO, LFS

Data from 2000 indicate that the employment rate was largest for people with visual and motor impairments, while theunemployment rate was highest among people with mental and intellectual disabilities. Table 6 shows that economicactivity rates among people with disability are low (below 20%) and in some groups very low indeed (for example,among the intellectually disabled, at just 8.5%). Those with physical disability or circulatory system diseases find iteasier to obtain employment than people with intellectual, mental, sensory or neurological disabilities and are more oftenemployed in the open labour market. There were no data available on employment or unemployment rates by both ageand type of disability.

Table 6: Proportional distribution of activity status by type of disability (2000)



Type of disability Occurrence (%)

Circulatory system diseases 48.5

Damages and diseases of the locomotor system 46.1

Visual impairments (blind) 29.5

Neurological disorders 29

Aural impairments (deaf) 13.9

Mental illnesses 7.9

Mental illnesses 2.5

1995 2000 2005 2009

Total (000s) 4,440 4,324 4,085 3,562

Activity status (000s) Employed 843 685 535 128

Unemployed 134 147 128 64

Total active 977 832 663 585

Inactive 3,463 3,492 3,422 2,977

Activity status (%) Active 22 19.2 16.2 16.4

Unemployed 13.7 17.7 19.3 10.9

Employment rate Unemployment rate Inactivity rate

Intellectual 6.4 25.1 91.5

Mental 10.3 34.1 84.4

Motor 14.3 13.7 83.5

Visual 15.5 11.4 82.5

Hearing 10.8 9.2 88.1

Circulatory system impairment 14.0 15.2 83.4

Neurological 15.9 17.4 80.8

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Table 7 presents the numbers of people with disabilities registered with public employment services by age. Older peopleare more likely to be registered as actively seeking work. This may well reflect the reduction in the number of shelteredworkplaces in recent years, and workers who have exited open employment as a result of an acquired illness or disabilityat an older age.

Table 7: People with disabilities registered with public employment services by age

Source: Public employment services, 2003

Table 8 presents the trends in the proportion of people with disabilities registering with public employment services. Thenumbers of registered unemployed people with disabilities has been increasing year on year. This could indicate that theyare more active in the labour market, but it could also be the case that the weakened presence of sheltered employmentin the labour market, once the normal employment for people with disabilities after they had left school, has alsocontributed to this increase.

Table 8: Unemployed people with disabilities registered in public employment services

Source: CSO, LFS.

Trends in the gender distribution of activity status over the six years up to 2009 are presented in Table 9 for people withdisabilities aged between 15 and 34. The employment and inactivity rates of people with disabilities have varied onlyslightly over the period. The proportion of men in employment ranged from 20 to 24% over the period, compared to arange of 16 to 18% for women.


Unemployed Job seekers

Total % Total %

All ages 69,778 100 32,276 100

15–24 years 9,086 13 3,776 11.7

25–34 years 13,189 18.9 4,819 14.9

35–44 years 15,192 21.8 6,158 19.1

45–54 years 26,868 38.5 12,197 37.8

55–59 years 4,655 6.7 3,811 11.8

60 + years 788 1.1 1,515 4.7

18–24 years 25–34 years All ages

2007 000s 5.3 10.867.2

% 7.9 16.1

2008 000s 5.4 11.273.1

% 7.4 15.3

2009 000s 7.2 14.094.4

% 7.6 14.9

2010 000s 7.0 13.794.6

% 7.4 14.5

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Table 9: Economic activity of people with disabilities aged 15–34 by gender (2004–2009)

Source: CSO, LFS.

Tables 10 and 11 present a comparison of the situations of two groups of people with disabilities. Table 10 presents theemployment status of people without intellectual, sensory, neurological and mental disabilities, and Table 11 presentssimilar data for people with intellectual, sensory, neurological and mental disabilities.

Table 10: Employment of people with disabilities, excluding intellectual, sensory and neurological disability and mentalillnesses

Source: PFRON



Activity status

Employed Unemployed Inactive

Year Gender 000s % 000s % 000s %

2004 Male 38 21.23 20 11.17 121 67.60

Female 21 16.67 11 8.73 94 74.60

2005 Male 40 22.99 17 9.77 117 67.24

Female 20 16.00 11 8.80 94 75.20

2006 Male 38 20.65 12 6.52 134 72.83

Female 22 18.03 8 6.56 92 75.41

2007 Male 37 18.97 10 5.13 148 75.90

Female 28 20.29 8 5.80 102 73.91

2008 Male 45 22.50 14 7.00 141 70.50

Female 30 20.69 9 6.21 106 73.10

2009 Male 47 24.48 9 4.69 136 70.83

Female 24 18.18 11 8.33 97 73.48

Employmenttype

Degree ofdisability

2008 2009

N % N %

Open labourmarket

Minor 22,861 63.70 27,527 57.52

Moderate 12,231 34.08 18,371 38.39

Severe 1,296 3.61 1,960 4.10

Total 35,888 20.63 47,858 23.10

Shelteredemployment

Minor 82,132 59.49 89,779 56.37

Moderate 51,780 37.51 64,962 40.78

Severe 4,190 3.03 4,539 2.85

Total 138,061 79.37 159,280 76.90

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Table 11: Employment of people with intellectual, sensory and neurological disabilities and mental illness

Source: PFRON

The pattern of employment reflects the reality for the majority of people with disabilities in Poland, in that the majorityof them work in the sheltered labour market. It is interesting to note that the highest proportion of working people withintellectual, sensory, neurological and mental disability have a moderate disability. This is because it is currently moreworthwhile to employ this group as the reimbursement of the costs of employment is higher for them.

National policies and programmes

The main policy guidelines for support of people with disabilities (including young people) were described in the NAPInclusion and in the relevant legislation.

The major funder of activities for people with disabilities in Poland is National Rehabilitation Fund for People withDisabilities (PFRON). Its income derives from sources such as payments from the employers not achieving theobligatory rate of employment of people with disabilities, subsidies from the state budget, legacies, bequests anddonations, voluntary payments from employers, and investments. PFRON revenue is allocated to:

n reimbursing higher costs borne by an employer who employs people with disabilities (subsidising remuneration fordisabled employees and reimbursing social security deductions);

n reimbursing social security deductions of people with disabilities who undertake a business activity, disabled farmersand their disabled householders;

n supporting existing and at-risk workplaces for people with disabilities;

n subsidising tasks carried out by the government and municipal programmes for people with disabilities;

n providing dedicated programmes for vocational, social and medical rehabilitation of people with disabilities;

n subsidising sports and cultural, recreational and tourism activities for people with disabilities;

n subsidising the procurement of rehabilitation and orthopaedic equipment, aids and devices granted to people withdisabilities through separate regulations;

n subsidising the removal of architectural barriers and obstacles to communication, and dealing with technicaldifficulties to accommodate the individual needs of people with disabilities;


Employmenttype

Degree ofdisability

2008 2009

N % N %

Open labourmarket

Minor 669 20.04 1,208 23.00

Moderate 1,614 48.34 2,591 49.33

Severe 1,056 31.63 1,453 27.67

Total 3,339 11.32 5,252 16.08

Shelteredemployment

Minor 10,921 41.74 11,381 41.51

Moderate 12,657 48.38 13,517 49.30

Severe 2,586 9.88 2,512 9.16

Total 26,164 88.68 27,419 83.92

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n financing organisational expenses and the operations of therapeutic activity workshops;

n subsidising construction works, extension or modernisation works of rehabilitation premises;

n reimbursing the adaptation and adjustment costs of existing workplaces and equipping new ones for people withdisabilities;

n subsidising the start-up of business/agricultural activity or the establishment of a social cooperative by a person witha disability;

n cofinancing projects supported by aid from the European Union.

Adequate income

People with disabilities can apply for three types of financial benefit:

n social pensions for those who received a certificate of disability before the age of 18;

n pensions from social security for people unable to work due to accident or illness and who have received a certificateof disability while already active in the labour market;

n the pension fund’s agricultural social security for farmers.

In special situations, people with disabilities can also apply for welfare benefits.

Adequate income for those who are disabled from birth and those who have lost their ability to work before the age of18 or while in full-time education is guaranteed by the Social Pensions Act of 27 June 2003. To qualify, a certificate ofdisability must be applied for; this determines the degree of disability and is the basis for calculating benefit.

The Act covering pensions from the Social Security Fund applies to retired individuals and people of all ages who haveworked, but who have lost the ability to work. These people can get financial support depending on the degree of theirdisability (severe, moderate or minor) and how long they were in work. Young people have to pay compulsory insurancecontributions when they start working and therefore are entitled to a pension in the event that they become disabled,whether through physical impairment or illness.

According to the 2008 peer review, proposed changes in the disability pensions systems have the potential to reduce thelevel of social protection for people with disabilities and to increase the risk of poverty for their families (Wóycicka,2008).

Changes in the criteria for disability pensions are intended to reduce the number of people interested in gainingentitlement to the benefit. However, the reform is not accompanied by a comprehensive employment strategy to helpdisabled people find work, and lower benefits could worsen the material situation of this group.

Inclusive labour market measures

The main way of supporting the inclusion of young people with disabilities in the open labour market is throughactivities implemented by the public employment services. These are open to all school leavers, with and withoutdisabilities, who are registered at labour offices as unemployed.



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Among the groups included in reintegration initiatives are all unemployed young people, including those with healthproblems or disabilities, and the initiatives are offered by labour offices, social welfare centres and special programmes.The unemployment rate among young people up to the age of 24 in the second quarter of 2006 was about 30%, accordingto the LFS.

The Act for the Promotion of Employment and Labour Market Institutions of 20 April 2004 makes it possible for youngpeople with disabilities up to 25 years of age to access the same reintegration initiatives as those without disabilities,including internships, apprenticeships, vocational training, careers counselling, and temporary or seasonal work. Peoplewith disabilities may also apply for loans or grants to start their own business, a measure aimed particularly at youngpeople. It is not very popular, however, because of the need to meet several conditions. To receive a loan, a person mustbe registered with the public employment services as a job seeker or unemployed, and the applicant needs a guarantorto provide financial security for repayment of the loan. Application procedures for obtaining the loans are alsocomplicated.

Vocational rehabilitation is governed by the Vocational and Social Rehabilitation and Employment of People withDisabilities Act of 27 August 1997. The Act covers all people with disabilities in Poland in general, including youngpeople. It is the most important piece of legislation dealing with the labour market situation of people with disabilities.It defines occupational rehabilitation and its goals, the rights of employees with disabilities, and the rights and duties ofemployers of disabled workers. It also defines the principles governing PFRON. The Act gathers together all theregulations that assist people with disabilities to function on the labour market and guarantee them optimal livingconditions. Other measures incorporated into the Act include ways of implementing occupational rehabilitation (medicalrehabilitation is covered by a separate Act) and the operating principles of sheltered workshops.

Social cooperatives were formally introduced by the provisions of the Act on Social Cooperatives of 27 April 2006.These have been modelled on Italian programmes combining economic activity with social and professional integrationof cooperative members, usually people with disabilities or people experiencing other difficulties on the labour market.By early 2006, 45 social cooperatives were established throughout the country, and this had increased to 106 formallyregistered social cooperatives by the following year.

One example of the social enterprise approach is the Association of Disabled Persons for the Environment (EKON). Thiswas established in 2003 with the dual objectives of creating employment opportunities for people with physical andmental disabilities and promoting ecologically friendly living by collecting and segregating recyclable waste. Theassociation partners private sector firms with local employment offices to recruit and train their employees to collect andsort recyclable waste. Over a three-year period to 2006, the association employed 600 people, providing services to60,000 flats in Warsaw, and had spread to a further 16 locations (EKON, 2011). Some social enterprises also offervocational rehabilitation facilities. Many of these have been established by NGOs.

Another option for job seekers with disabilities is provided by the Employment Activation Units (ZAZ). There arearound 40 ZAZ offering social and employment reintegration programmes specifically to the physically and mentallydisabled.

Social Integration Centres and Clubs are another source of support for people with disabilities in Poland. Establishedunder regulations of the Act on Social Employment of 2003, there are over 35 Social Integration Centres and over 90Social Integration Clubs. Both public and private institutions can set them up, but the majority are operated by localauthorities or institutions of public administration operating in the sphere of social aid.


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The Social Integration Centres and Clubs cater for the long-term unemployed, substance misusers, people with mentalhealth problems and ex-offenders. Through cooperation with employers and local communities, the centres aim tofacilitate reintegration into social and occupational life. The focus is on improving the personal and family situation, andpromoting independence. The Social Integration Centres and Clubs are integral to the framework of the 2003–2013Strategy of Social Policy.

Another option for people with disabilities is participation in voluntary services. This is an opportunity for them to gainwork experience and other skills that may be of use in the workplace. Volunteering can lead to employment for some.With increasing frequency, volunteering leads to someone with a disability taking unusual forms of employment (suchas teleworking or job rotation) or other forms of paid cooperation (such as agency contracts, service contracts andcontract work). This is considered to be a more efficient use of capacities of employees with disabilities, and itdemonstrates that hiring job seekers with disabilities can meet employers’ needs.

At this point the future direction of disability policies is not clear, although two proposals include enabling people withdisabilities to receive support in seeking work at employment agencies created specifically to serve them, and subsidiesto employers who hire a person with a disability.

Lifelong learning

People with disabilities are entitled to participate in education at all levels in the same way as those without a disability.This right is guaranteed by the Act on Vocational and Social Rehabilitation and Employment of People with Disabilitiesof 27 August 1997, and the Regulation of the Ministry of National Education of 15 June 2009 on lifelong learningeducation institutions, on public professional education institutions, and on practical training and professionaldevelopment.

The Act on Vocational and Social Rehabilitation and Employment of People with Disabilities makes funding forvocational training available to those with all types of disability who submit an application, particularly graduates andthe unemployed. The Regulation of the Ministry of National Education obliges training institutions to take into accountthe needs of people with disabilities in their educational provision. However, the regulation is not specific about whatshould be done to adapt to the needs of learners with disabilities. This provision is important because it indicates thedifficulties that can restrict access to learning for this group, but does not provide specific guidance on how to improvetheir situation.

However, in practice, many schools are not prepared to work with disabled people. Barriers include not only architecturalimpediments and equipment that is not suitable for them, especially for the physically disabled and people with visualimpairments, but the lack of methods of working with people with disabilities. Teachers often lack the skills needed foreffective transfer of knowledge to people with disabilities, especially the mentally or intellectually disabled.

According to a report compiled for the Academic Network of European Disability experts (ANED) (Wapiennik, 2007),people with disabilities have difficulty getting a proper education because schools do not devote enough attention tothem. They are stereotypically perceived as a group not able to learn, who do not warrant significant investment of timeand resources.

The level of education among people with disability is low in every age group, including the young. The more severethe degree of disability, the lower the level of education. This is exacerbated by the unpopularity of lifelong learning inPoland. According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), only 0.5% of people with disability participate in lifelonglearning, but the percentage of people taking advantage of lifelong learning in the general population is also low, just



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5%. Very gradual change is underway, and young people with disabilities are increasingly are aware of the need toacquire skills and knowledge, largely as a result of information campaigns on television and on the internet. However,educational institutions are not yet fully prepared with appropriate facilities.

Training courses specifically for people with disabilities are rare, and when they are organised they are mainly concernedwith the development of soft skills. There are few vocational courses for people with disabilities. In addition, educationalprovision that is targeted at people with disabilities often does not meet their needs, aspirations or interests. The cost oftraining is an added difficulty. Only courses co-funded by the European Union or PFRON are free of charge, but theyare generally of short duration, usually no longer than a few months, and this restricts participation in these courses to arelatively small group of people with disabilities.

Poland still lacks a coherent policy supporting people with disabilities in acquiring knowledge and improvingprofessional skills. The only young people supported in this area are those who want to study at universities. For themthere are specially designed support programmes.

Health and social care needs

Health and social care needs are covered by the Act of 27 August 1997 on Vocational and Social Rehabilitation andEmployment of People with Disabilities, which sets out the right of people with disabilities to access two forms ofsupport: occupational therapy and rehabilitation camps. Both are co-funded by PFRON. These forms of support areaimed at all people with disabilities, including young people. Through these services, a person with a disability canaccess the help of specialists (psychologist, counsellor or therapist) in order to improve their quality of life, their socialintegration and their development of social skills.

In addition, the Act on Social Welfare of 12 March 2004 supports the right of people with disabilities to enjoy the sameprivileges as other groups at risk of social exclusion. Under this Act, they are entitled to receive financial benefits andassistance from local authorities. Young people with disabilities are given special assistance to promote theirindependence and social inclusion. The support consists primarily of financial assistance that is given to people leavingeducational institutions and special education centres. This type of additional financial support is granted for one year.Young people can also get funding to help find or refurbish accommodation, and to continue learning. In addition, peoplewith disabilities are entitled to free assistance in finding employment.

People with disabilities have access to health services and social welfare to the same extent as people without disabilities.People at risk of social exclusion (including people with disabilities) can receive social assistance if they are unable towork and in need of support. People at risk of disabilities can benefit from medical rehabilitation, which is offered bythe national health fund and social security institutions, with the aim of improving health and encouraging a return toeconomic activity. People with disabilities may also participate in rehabilitation camps, which are co-funded by PFRON.

PFRON cooperates with local governments, providing financial aid to implement activities targeted at people withdisabilities to improve their physical well-being. In addition, efforts are made to develop their independence and socialskills.

More details on the legislation and programmes relevant to young people with health problems and disabilities areprovided in the annex.


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Social partner initiatives

In Poland, there is a need to develop and increase the concept of partnership between the government and the socialpartners to jointly promote employment of people with disabilities. Cooperation with social partners is mainly based onpublic consultations. During these meetings, local government representatives give the social partners an opportunity tosubmit their proposed changes to, and comments on, the strategy and plans for changes in policy for people withdisabilities. Typically, these are the only actions taken by social partners. Although representatives of some provincessaid that they sometimes managed to engage local representatives of the social partners in some projects, no furtherdetails were available.

The Polish Organisation of Disabled Persons’ Employers (POPON) represents the interests of employers of people withdisabilities, takes part in lobbying activities, and contributes to governmental consultations on employment, vocationalactivation and community integration. Established in 1995, it has nearly 600 member companies, including 8 companiesquoted on the stock exchange and 250 which are private sector employers in the open market. The members of POPONemploy over 65,000 people, 35,000 of them with disabilities. Most of POPON’s members are SMEs across production,trading and service sectors. POPON is one of the main Polish organisations uniting disabled people’s employers, and ithas nine branches located in cities across Poland. It publishes periodical magazines and information leaflets and operatestwo e-services, one for employers and one for people with disabilities. It has been actively engaged in campaigns tocreate positive images of disability in Poland.

Examples of some of the activities initiated by POPON include Icebreakers, a media campaign to promote positiveimages of people with disability at work, and Mediation Work for People with Disabilities, helping find jobs for thosewho find it difficult to reach employers on their own. The project profiled in Case Study 4 is a POPON initiative.

The organisation also carries out research and publishes reports. The conclusions of one survey were that neither publicattitudes nor those of employers were positive about the employment of disabled people. About 60% of employers in thesurvey had no idea of the potential of people with disabilities or of the legal issues related to employing them. Morerecently, POPON has published a report based on data from the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilitiesand the GUS, collected between 1993 and 2009 on the status of employment of people with disabilities in Poland.

Under the EQUAL initiative, a project was carried out entitled Union Promotion and Protection of Equality for DisabledPeople in Employment (ZORON). The aims of the project were to combat discrimination against disabled people bysimplifying the process of entering and re-entering the labour market for them, and to stimulate their employment amongparticipating employers and other companies. The companies targeted were those in the open labour market, 50 of thememploying more than 250 people. The project sought to engage their managements, employers’ unions and personnel,and to reach the long-term disabled unemployed. About 76,000 people worked in the participating organisations and4,000 employees also participated.

As part of the project, a survey was carried out by the Polish Society for Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons. It covered44 large, open-market employers from both the public and the private sectors, which employed about 48,000 people.Over 2,000 employees participated, 500 of whom were employees with disabilities. The project led to the establishmentof local units of ZORON in participating companies, staffed by well-trained, full-time trade union activists investigatingthe mechanisms, events and barriers that adversely affect the hiring of job seekers with disabilities. It also led to thecompilation of a Report on Equal Opportunities for Disabled People based on these investigations, which outlined thearchitectural barriers and negative attitudes of management and workers. A corporate programme for the promotion andprotection of employment and equal opportunities for people with disabilities was also based on the report.Subsequently, the ZORON activists coordinated measures intended to change co-workers’ attitudes.



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Case Study 1: Job Coach

Abstract

The Job Coach programme is run by the Wrocław Council of People with Disabilities and supports the employment ofpeople with disabilities by providing them with a participation mentor. The role of the mentor is to assist job seekers toenter the labour market, helping them to search for jobs and prepare for work, and offering assistance during the firstfew months of work, followed by consultation and advice in the later months. The mentor also supports the employers,helping to convince them that a worker with a disability can make a valuable contribution, demonstrating the benefits ofsuch employees, and teaching supervisors and co-workers how to deal with a colleague with a disability in everydaywork.

How the project started

The first projects, in which people with disabilities were supported in entering the labour market with the participationof coaches, began in the early years of the last decade. Previously, the preferred option for employment was in shelteredworkshops (this form of employment is still the most common). Currently, projects providing participation coaches ormentors for people with disabilities are cofunded by PFRON and are administered at provincial level. The WrocławCouncil for People with Disabilities project, Job Coach, began in 2003 and has funding from PFRON. PFRON’s websiteprovides is detailed guidance about what kind of projects can receive funding and the conditions for such support.

Aims and objectives

The aim of the project is to help people with disabilities gain their first occupational experience which, it is hoped, willhelp them find employment on the open labour market, facilitate vocational integration, and make it possible for themto achieve earnings comparable to those without disabilities.

The primary objectives of the initiative are:

n the integration of people with disabilities into the labour market by providing support and interventions;

n the provision of opportunities to gain practical first-hand occupational experience with the support and advice of apersonal mentor;

n the enhancement of beneficiaries’ independence and practical skills;

n demonstrating to employers that a person with a disability can be a useful worker.

Intended beneficiaries

People with disabilities aged 25–30 with moderate or severe levels of mental and intellectual disability from LowerSilesia province.

Activities and processes

Every participant works with two alternating mentors whose duties include:

n finding job offers for participants with disabilities;

n maintaining contact with employers;

n helping participants with formalities such as filling in forms and going through induction training;

Case studies


2

16

n defining the scope of participants’ duties and monitoring their working conditions;

n taking care of disabled employees during any vocational training, such as showing them how to fulfil a specific role, andproviding psychological support to help them cope with difficult situations and develop the necessary social skills.

The mentor’s support and care lasts only for a certain period of time. Later, participants may consult them about certainproblems, but the mentors no longer go to their workplaces; participants must learn to manage on their own.

Relationships with other service suppliers

The participating organisations run several assistance projects at the same time alongside this one in an attempt to offersupport to the widest possible group of beneficiaries. Cooperation with special schools entails simply sending theminformation about possible support from the council.

Role of social partners

Cooperation with labour market institutions rarely takes place. Mentors have described in interviews how they diagnosethe individual needs of people with disabilities and choose a place of employment for them. They must then convincethe selected employer to agree to hire people with disabilities under the project. The council brings together more than50 disability and family organisations from Lower Silesia province, but only the mentor has contact with the selectedcompany, not the council itself. The project cooperates with different employers, but only individually.

Inputs

The programme funds eight mentors. The number of participants to be supported by the scheme could be higher, butbecause of a limited budget they cannot hire more mentors. Most people are supported in the first stage of employment,working under the supervision of a mentor, or during the second stage when they work while in contact with the mentor.About one-third of this support is given during professional training or while looking for a new employer.

Outputs and evaluation

Reports for the years 2008 and 2009 show that in both years, support was given to about 80 people with varying degreesof disability. About 15% of participants (at least a dozen people per year) managed to find continuous employment onthe open labour market. Around 75% of people with disabilities involved in the project had an employment contract,either part time or full time, while others had fixed-term contract work. It is not possible to be sure how many peoplewith disabilities will keep a job after the project has ended, but it is expected that at least 25% will retain their jobs.

Projects are implemented by various organisations and usually last up to two years. Currently, all projects of this typefinish at the end of 2010, when the current period of funding from PFRON ends. For this reason, none of the institutionswished to give further details on the effects of the project or the number of users. Such information will be available aftercompletion of the projects, and reports have been submitted to PFRON.

Although the project began in 2003, no data were collected in the early stages on the numbers of people who gainedpermanent employment through this form of assistance.

It is important to note that this is only one of many such projects implemented throughout the country. It is uniquebecause its beneficiaries are specifically young people with disabilities, and other projects are aimed at disabled peopleof all ages. However, there is some information to show whether the implementation of such projects will lead topermanent employment for participants. There is anecdotal evidence that employers are rather reluctant to hire disabledworkers after the end of their participation in the project, because they feel that they do not have enough knowledgeabout the management of people with disabilities once the mentor is no longer involved. Employers are also concernedabout frequent changes in the law (the Act of 27 August 1997 on Vocational and Social Rehabilitation and Employmentof People with disabilities).



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The project’s management has pointed out that this type of support is very useful and necessary, and that it has continuedwith the project even though it is not easy to demonstrate any financial benefit from it. The management also had variousproblems during its implementation, but regard it as a successful project.

Good practice in active inclusion

Projects providing participation mentors for people with disabilities are still something new in Poland. They are worthpromoting because they demonstrate that a person with a disability can work on the open labour market. Although such projectsare becoming more popular, their numbers are still low and the number of people who benefit from them are usually small.

It is difficult for people with disabilities to find a job or to convince potential employers to employ them. Their attemptsare also hindered by their lack of well-developed social competences such as communication and negotiation skills.

Employers are often unaware of the advantages connected with employing disabled workers, such as obtaining financialsupport from PFRON, gaining young and committed workers, and lowering training costs since no internal supervisoris required, as the mentor observes how the worker adapts to the working conditions.

Employers fear employing disabled individuals because they do not know how to deal with them. It is important to givedisabled employees a chance because, provided with sufficient training, they can become valuable and competentworkers. Moreover, employers do not have to pay for the training.

People with disabilities are especially useful in simple jobs that do not require a high level of qualifications. Employingpeople with disabilities may decrease the shortage of workers eager to perform such jobs.

Contact details

Wrocław Council of People with DisabilitiesTel.: +48 71 3441734Website: http://www.wson.wroc.pl.


Content

Skill-building (including VET and further education) √

Job placement (e.g. supported employment) √

Self-employment

Activation √

Condition relevant (including mental health difficulties)

Other:

Approach

Proactive: reaching out to the target groups √

Focus on an individual pathways approach (open employment as the goal) √

Targeting the individual and the community (including parents and employers) √

Empowerment processes (e.g. decision-making, self-advocacy) √

Partnership, networking and links (to other agencies and private companies) that assist in achieving the goals

Links to national policy or programmes √

Training and support for staff √

Social partner involvement

Monitoring and measurement (i.e. data on output, impact or cost effectiveness and individual benefits)

Regional or local sphere of activity √

De-institutionalised and community focused √

http://www.wson.wroc.pl

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Case Study 2: Employment Agency for People with Disabilities

Abstract

The Employment Agency for People with Disabilities is aimed specifically at people with disabilities, where the issuesand challenges of the target group are well understood, staff are well trained and experienced, and people withdisabilities receive effective support in finding work. The project offers services to any person with a disability whoseeks assistance, regardless of age, type of disability or gender. The agency provides a number of basic services,including: job-search assistance; advice on training courses; job placement advice and support; meetings between jobseekers with disabilities and prospective employers; and careers counselling and individual career action plans.Beneficiaries can also get psychological and legal advice, guidance on vocational rehabilitation, and access tovolunteering opportunities. The majority of clients live in the Lublin province. The majority of beneficiaries have mildto moderate impairments and the capacity to be self-activating.


In Poland, employment services are divided into public and non-public services. Public employment services officesoften have no job offers for people with disabilities, and little attention is paid to the specific needs of people withdisabilities.

People with disabilities have difficulty accessing employment in the open labour market. Although it is mandated by lawthat people with disabilities have the right to the same employment services as the rest of the population, publicemployment offices usually have very little to offer a job seeker with a disability. Furthermore, many people withdisabilities are not always very clear about their strengths and needs and, as a result, are also discouraged from job-seeking. Many employment service officials do not have enough time or knowledge to properly respond to the needs ofjob seekers with disabilities.

The Employment Agency for People with Disabilities was founded in 2004 by the Fuga Mundi Foundation to tacklesome of these problems. This organisation resources numerous projects for people with disabilities. In addition toemployment agency functions, it provides training and workshops, organises meetings to enhance the social integrationof people with disabilities, runs projects involving personal assistants for people with disabilities, and mounts campaignsto promote their employment and activation in the labour market. Currently the agency’s services are local to the region,but there are plans in the future to expand to the whole country to meet Poland’s national need for such services.

Aims and objectives

The main aim of the agency is to help job seekers with disabilities to find employment on the open labour market. Themethods used include:

n providing a range of support services in the job-search process;

n matching people to work in the open labour market for which they have appropriate skills and knowledge;

n providing advice and guidance on training and professional courses to increase their skills;

n offering careers counselling and creating an individual action plan;

n ensuring that the beneficiaries are more active and have an improved quality of life.


The majority of clients live in the Lublin province because this is where the Fuga Mundi Foundation was established.The project offers services to any person with a disability who seeks assistance. All beneficiaries are unemployed and



19


job seekers, regardless of age, type of disability or gender. Once a person has registered with the agency, they areconsidered to be a client. Since participants are largely self-referring, it is fair to assume that the majority of them havemild to moderate impairments and the capacity to be self-activating.

Young people are only one of the groups that use this service, but it is also important for them because it gives themeasier access to jobs, and professional help in matching a job to their needs.


The services of the agency are offered free of charge. It provides a number of basic services including:

n job-search assistance;

n advice on training courses to improve qualifications;

n job-placement advice and support;

n arranging meetings between job seekers with disabilities and employers;

n careers counselling, creating individual career paths and individual action plans.

In addition to basic services in the labour market, the agency also provides:

n psychological and legal advice;

n guidance on vocational rehabilitation and career development;

n volunteering opportunities as a way of acquiring initial work experience.


Relationships with other service providers consist of exchanging information on job vacancies in order to find a broadvariety of employment opportunities for the clients to choose from.

Beneficiaries are sometimes referred to vocational training, which is usually procured in local training institutions. Thetraining providers are selected on the basis of the range of options they can offer and their ability to match the needs ofbeneficiaries. The aim is to enhance or add to qualifications to enhance employability. Training is tailored to the needsof each individual. About 20% of the beneficiaries usually receive this form of support.

Role of social partners

The agency does not cooperate with employers’ organisations or trade unions. Contact with employers relates to specificjob offers and ends when the company finds an employee. The agency is one of several such units in the country, but itworks independently, as most agencies only work locally. No joint initiatives have been implemented.

Connection to policy or legislation

Fuga Mundi Foundation has relevant certificates in accordance with the Act of 20 April 2004 on Promotion ofEmployment and Labour Market Institutions. The agency is managed in compliance with the provisions contained in theAct. It also has an obligation to submit a written report of its activities for each year.

Inputs

Agency staff consists of psychologists, lawyers, educational trainers, career counsellors, therapists and specialists inprofessional development. The foundation also employs volunteers who provide support to people with disabilitiesalthough the number of volunteers is decreasing year on year.


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In the period from April 2008 to December 2008, 517 job seekers with disabilities (261 women and 256 men) used thesupport of the agency. While 168 received a job offer which interested them, only 55 (10.7%) ended up getting a jobafter a meeting and an interview with the employer. In a separate programme between July 2008 and March 2009, 400people used the services of the agency, of which 44 (11%) received individual action plans, 114 had a meeting withemployers and 49 (12.25%) got a job. A quarter of the beneficiaries took advantage of training.

In the period from May to November 2010, nearly 400 people used the agency’s services and approximately 10% ofthem found employment.

In the context of the Polish labour market, which is unfriendly to people with disabilities and has a very low employmentrate of people with disabilities (14%), and where there are few attractive job offers for people with disabilities, thesefigures are relatively positive.


The agency makes it easier for people with disabilities to take advantage of job-placement services. In addition, availableoffers are collected from employers who are prepared to hire people with disabilities. Agency staff are properly trainedto work with people with disabilities, spend more time with them, and have more knowledge about the functioning andneeds of disabled workers than the public employment services staff. Beneficiaries are thus more active and willing toseek work, even if it takes a long time. Individual attention provides better support for the needs of the group.

Contact details

Fuga Mundi FoundationŁukasz PuchałaTel.: +48 81 5348290Website: http://www.ffm.pl.



Content



Self-employment

Activation √

Condition relevant (including mental health difficulties)

Other:

Approach





Partnership, networking and links (to other agencies and private companies) that assist in achieving the goals √

Links to national policy or programmes

Training and support for staff

Social partner involvement √

Monitoring and measurement (i.e. data on output, impact or cost effectiveness and individual benefits) √


De-institutionalised and community focused

http://www.ffm.pl

21


Case Study 3: Education for telework

Abstract

This project, which trains participants in skills suitable for teleworking, is aimed at placing people with physicaldisabilities (and particularly young people) in the open labour market. It provides training specifically for people withphysical disabilities who have a greater chance of finding employment on the open labour market in Poland than thosewith other kinds of disabilities. People with physical disabilities are often unaware that telework may meet their needs,but they have difficulty gaining ICT skills and qualifications, finding properly equipped and accessible classrooms, andfinancing the appropriate training, which typically is not state-funded. The activities of the project include looking intocourses needed to train people in sought-after skills (through discussions with local entrepreneurs); training on ICT skillsin the workplace; promoting telework and technology-based work; providing physical rehabilitation and assistance inoccupational and social integration; and facilitating access to aids and adaptations. After training, beneficiaries areexpected to look for employment themselves.


The initiator and implementer of this project is the Foundation for Active Rehabilitation, which has been in operationsince 1988. Its founders realised that the people with physical disabilities wanted to enter or return to work, but theyusually did not know how to do it. Over the last 12 years, the foundation has implemented a range of measures aimed atthe activation of this group. In the early 2000s, it was noted that one employment possibility for this group wasteleworking. The initiative was aimed at people who faced challenges in performing work with high physical demandsbecause of their functional limitations, but who could work without problems using modern technology (ICT). However,it was observed that without proper training, these people would not be able to work in ICT-related occupations. The firstproject of this kind was established in 2003, with the aim of training a group of people with physical disabilities in theuse of ICT. A series of three-week courses were organised, during which people with disabilities acquired newqualifications, both theoretical and practical. Participants could, without any time limitations, use rooms equipped withcomputers and the internet. These rooms were also adapted to accommodate people in wheelchairs. The project wasreceived with great interest and was deemed very successful.

Aims and objectives

This project is aimed at placing people with physical disabilities, and particularly young people, in the open labourmarket. Currently it is in its second phase of implementation, which shows that such support is needed.

Upgrading skills and promoting the idea of teleworking enables people with disabilities to find employment in the openmarket. Much, however, still depends on the willingness of employers to employ people with disabilities.

The aims of the project are to:

n assist people with physical disabilities to enter the labour market through continuing education;

n enhance their ICT-related knowledge and skills;

n provide the opportunity to gain occupational qualifications in this field;

n prepare people to become employed through teleworking.


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The target group for the project includes:

n people with physical disabilities, particularly people with spinal cord damage, and especially those from rural areasand small towns;

n young people who have just entered the labour market.

The target groups are drawn from across the country, because the foundation has centres in each province.


Activities undertaken include:

n surveying which courses are needed to increase skills in a given area through discussions with local entrepreneurs;

n providing ICT skills courses;

n promoting telework and technology-based work and other courses;

n providing physical rehabilitation (methods of reducing muscular fatigue caused by working with computers);

n providing assistance in occupational and social integration;

n facilitating access to equipment for rehabilitation, or items needed for everyday use, such as a wheelchair).

After training, beneficiaries often remain in contact with the foundation, but they are expected to look for employmentthemselves. Usually they try to find work using public employment services. Some participants have attempted to starttheir own businesses. The regional units of the foundation can provide them with useful addresses such as publicemployment services and employment agencies for people with disabilities. The project’s website also provides usefulinformation about the labour market.


The foundation is involved in projects with other NGOs aimed at helping people with disabilities. These projects arecofinanced by the European Social Fund (ESF). Their purpose is to help people with disabilities find employment, andinvolve career counselling, creating individual career plans, training, job placement, workshops for people withdisabilities and their families, and the promotion of employment of people with disabilities. Information is providedmainly through the foundation’s website. The foundation does not directly contact employers or the public employmentservices. It also is not an educational establishment; it just organises courses and rents rooms in schools or learningcentres to hold classes. Costs are partially covered by grants from the ESF or PFRON, and to a small extent, from thefoundation’s own resources.

Role of the social partners

The foundation has no direct links with social partners. However, it collects data from local employers regarding thedemand for workers with specific qualifications in the region. Based on these data, courses are revised to take accountof those skills that employers consider most useful.



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The activities of the foundation are part of a stream of activities advocated by legislation (such as the Act of 27 August1997 on Vocational and Social Rehabilitation and Employment of People with Disabilities; the Regulation of theMinistry of National Education of 15 June 2009 on lifelong learning education institutions, on public professionaleducation institutions, and on practical training and professional development). This makes it possible to use fundingfrom PFRON. It is an NGO, so it operates independently of government. Like any foundation, it is required to submitannual declarations on its functioning.


Although concrete results for the project are not available, comments on the forum on the project’s website are verypositive about how useful the project has been. However, references to whether the courses assisted participants to geta job are rare.

The training offered by the foundation has been met with varying levels of interest in the different provinces. During theyear, the courses are organised in groups, which consist of about 16 people per course. The number of times per yearthat courses are organised depends on the number of people who are interested.

After the course, participants are in contact with the foundation, so it receives some feedback about what they do next.Based on the results of a course and feedback from participants, action is taken to improve the course so that it’s moretailored to the needs of employers.


ICT has become a front-line tool in most companies in both production and administration. From the perspective ofpeople with mobility impairments and physical disabilities, this has the advantage that some kinds of ICT work can becarried out in the person’s own home through teleworking. The project combines ICT training with opportunities toparticipate in physical rehabilitation and social skills development.

The activities carried out by the foundation and the training offered to people with physical disabilities demonstrates thatthey can successfully operate in the open labour market. They only need more support in the beginning so that they cangradually gain independence. With the acquisition of professional qualifications, they can find employment and have anenhanced quality of life. This project is especially valuable for young people.

Contact details

Foundation for Active RehabilitationTel.: +48 22 6518802http://www.far.org.pl


Content


Job placement (e.g. supported employment)

Self-employment

Activation √

Condition relevant (including mental health difficulties) √

Other:

http://www.far.org.pl

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Case Study 4: Doors to the Labour Market for People with Disabilities

Abstract

The Doors to the Labour Market for People with Disabilities project provides job placement services for people withdisabilities to enter mainstream employment. The project is run by the Polish Organisation of Employers of People withDisabilities (POPON), which is a representative body for employers of people with disabilities, and includes both‘sheltered’ workplaces and employers from the open labour market. The organisation carries out extensive activities tosupport those with disabilities entering the labour market, and also provides information and support to potentialemployers. The project also promotes individual development to increase independence and self-esteem. Participantsreceive individual career counselling, group work and help with making contacts with employers. Participants areprepared for employment in both the sheltered and open labour market sectors.


The project is one of the initiatives undertaken by POPON. It was established in 1995, and its main aim is supportingemployers who employ (or are interested in employing) people with disabilities, as well as establishing andstrengthening contacts between these companies, local authorities and organisations working for people with disabilities.It recognised that it was necessary to provide support directly to people with disabilities who were seeking work. Forthis reason, members of the organisation began to implement projects that addressed job seekers in the open labourmarket. Doors to the Labour Market for People with Disabilities is one of POPON’s projects. It is funded largely byPFRON, so when funding from this source ends, it is uncertain whether the project will continue to exist. Assistanceavailable to people with disabilities in the project is free and employers do not pay for placements, so the only source ofincome for the project are external grants, which are dependent on national support policies for people with disabilities.

Aims and objectives

The project aims include:

n providing job-placement and employment support for people with disabilities;

n promoting individual development and enhancing independence and self-esteem;

n helping people to solve everyday problems.



Approach





Partnership, networking and links (to other agencies and private companies) that assist in achieving the goals


Training and support for staff

Social partner involvement

Monitoring and measurement (i.e. data on output, impact or cost effectiveness and individual benefits)


De-institutionalised and community focused

25



The project provides comprehensive support in finding employment for people with disabilities. Participants can benefitfrom expert advice, training workshops, individual action plans and, on completion of the scheme, they can choose a jobwhich interests them. Although the project addresses all people with disabilities, regardless of age or kind of disability,it is an interesting opportunity for young people with disabilities. In Poland there are few projects in which the assistanceoffered is so complex.

Due to significant differences in age and type of disability of the beneficiaries, group workshops are not designedspecifically for young people, and there are times when of a dozen people attending the unit, only a few are young.Participants have a range of disabilities, both physical and mental, so workshop groups are subdivided on the basis ofthe degree of disability and not on the basis of age. Among the participants, there are generally more men than women,but the proportions do not vary greatly, usually being close to half and half.


The project does not aim solely at job placement and support for people with disabilities who want to find employment.It also aims to promote individual development to increase independence and self-esteem. During a consultation with apsychologist and during the group workshops, a person with a disability can obtain advice and assistance not only forentering the labour market, but also for solving everyday problems. Particular emphasis is placed on individual workwith young people, because they have just entered the labour market and if they manage to find work in the open marketquickly, they are more likely to stay in the open market.

The project is implemented in nine units throughout the country. Each branch is a separate organisational unit operatingin the local community, working with both employers and prospective employees. Any person with a disability whowishes to participate in the project is covered by comprehensive support from professionals such as psychologists, careercounsellors and employment agents.

First, there are individual consultations with a career counsellor and a psychologist, then the participants take part ingroup workshops aimed at facilitating their entry into the labour market. During the workshop, participants practiceinterview skills, study the preparation of job application documents, learn ways of browsing through adverts, anddevelop job-search skills. The workshops also develop the soft skills of participants (communication skills, self-development) and transferable knowledge that is needed on the labour market (labour law, privileges of disabledemployees).

Then, together with a psychologist, participants develop individual action plans and work with a counsellor on adatabase, looking for jobs which interest them. Job offers are derived from many sources: county employment offices,employment agencies, newspapers and internet portals specialising in job placement. Some offers come from companiesthat are members of POPON, others from direct contact with companies that wish to work with the people withdisabilities. Labour organisations participate by trying to convince the selected firm that the employment of a personwith a disability, even if only for a trial period, will be beneficial to the company. Job offers usually come both from theopen and sheltered labour market.

After selecting an offer, the job seeker establishes contact with the employer and receives support during the preparationsfor an interview. The employment agent contacts the employer and negotiates details of the job offer, but the person witha disability participates in a meeting with the employer independently as well. After this meeting, the job seeker shouldconfirm whether they have been employed or not, but many people do not do this. Usually each person participates inseveral interviews with different potential employers.


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Relationships with other service providers

The project is implemented by POPON, which cooperates with other service providers (for instance, public employmentservices or employment agencies). Cooperation involves the exchange of information on job offers, as well as theorganisation of labour exchanges and a jobs fair at which there are numerous employers in need of workers, and wherepeople with disabilities can present their applications. This cooperation is not based on any formal agreement. POPONdoes not cooperate with schools or lifelong learning institutions.


POPON is obliged to make an annual report on its activities and an annual financial statement. Both of these documentsare forwarded to members of the organisation and are not made public. This project is co-funded by PFRON, and itcontrols how POPON can use the funds it allocates.

Inputs

The project is implemented in nine units located in major Polish cities. The total number of staff in each unit is betweenfive and seven people. In addition, in some units there are volunteers and interns. In each unit the staff consists of:

n a branch manager, who communicates with the organisation and manages the unit;

n a psychologist;

n a careers counsellor;

n an employment agent.

In some units an office worker is also employed.

The professional qualifications of the staff are enhanced through participation in internal training and courses relating toworking effectively with people with disabilities, and understanding the rights of this group, both generally and in thelabour market.


Because participants are not required to report whether they were employed after interview, it is not possible todetermine specific outcomes of the project. Many participants do not get in touch for some time after an interview withan employer, and then often only because they are returning some time later in order to search for a new job.

Nevertheless, it is possible to estimate the project’s success on the basis of national results. On average, one local unitprovides services to about 400–500 people a year, of which about 100–150 people have found employment. Thisrepresents a range of between 25 and 35% across the nine units and about 1,000 people nationally. Some of theseplacements are in the open labour market. However, it is difficult to determine how large this group is because the datacollection differs between units. The number of people who participate in the project increases during the spring monthsand decreases in the winter.


This project is interesting not least because it is implemented by employers from the open labour market as well asproviders of sheltered employment. On the one hand, the services offered are individualised to the needs of theparticipants, and the goals include not only placement in employment but the development of independence and self-esteem. On the other hand, job offers are based on surveys of demand in the local labour market carried out withemployers, and people are matched to the most suitable job option.



27


Partnership with other service providers including public employment services, NGO employment agencies and localemployers is integral to the success of the project.

Contact details

Anna WęgrzynowiczPolish Organisation of Employers of People with DisabilitiesTel.: +48 22 620 32 02Website: http://www.popon.pl


Content

Skill-building (including VET and further education)


Self-employment

Activation √

Condition relevant (including mental health difficulties) √

Other:

Approach

Proactive: reaching out to the target groups




Partnership, networking and links (to other agencies and private companies) that assist in achieving the goals √


Training and support for staff √

Social partner involvement √

Monitoring and measurement (i.e. data on output, impact or cost effectiveness and individual benefits) √


De-institutionalised and community focused √

http://www.popon.pl

29

Future policy directions and plans

An assessment of the social protection and social inclusion approach adopted by the Polish government in the2008–2010 National Reform Programme (NRP) came to the conclusion that there was little evidence to suggest thatPoland had adopted an active inclusion approach. A major initiative to modernise the social protection system wasplanned, the primary aim of which was to discourage people with disabilities from applying for a disability pension. Itcarried the risk of reduced social protection and an increased risk of poverty for people with disabilities and theirfamilies. The reform of labour market services focused solely on older people and youth, and did nothing to address theproblems of people who were unemployed and inactive through health problems or disabilities.

In the preparation of this report the NRP was reviewed. On the basis of this review, it is possible to conclude that froma social policy perspective, people with disabilities are hidden citizens, except where the disability pension scheme isconcerned. Submeasure 3.2 requires public employment services to focus on professional activation of people at risk ofunemployment and social exclusion, but there are no specific references to people with disabilities. In contrast, there arespecific references to supporting the employment of people aged over 50, improving the situation of young people whoare either returning to the labour market or entering it for the first time, and giving equal employment opportunities toboth women and men with a view to reconciling career and family life.

Given that the national report Poland 2030 – Developmental Challenges (Chancellery of the Prime Minister, 2009) setsa target that by 2030 the employment rate for people with disabilities should increase to 40% and that employmentindicators for both the open and sheltered labour market should converge, it is surprising that there is not a greater focuson the active inclusion of people with disabilities in the NRP. The target seems to be very optimistic given the startingpoint, the need for complex changes in the entire policy framework of disability in Poland, and the slow progress andtransformation on these issues to date.

In the future, there will be two significant changes. The first of these relates to benefits for people with disabilities. Theywill be able to earn extra money without losing their pension rights, whereas previously they could only earn a certainamount before losing their right to the pension. However, many people with disabilities found it difficult to calculate thisamount, and some avoided seeking employment in order not to risk losing this source of income. The second changeconcerns the functioning of PFRON. For some time, there was talk about decommissioning PFRON, because it wasundermined by a lack of financial liquidity necessary to fund the current programmes. The fund has now been retained,although some local governments will take over some of its functions. PFRON will be tasked with collecting premiumsfrom companies, coordinating the payment of grants, and implementing programmes with national coverage. Anotherimportant change will be a change in the subsidy that employers receive. Those who employ people with slight ormoderate disabilities will receive less money, while those who employ people with severe disabilities will receive moremoney.

Conclusions and key messages

The employment rate of people with disabilities in Poland is the lowest in the EU, and the vast majority of those inemployment work in sheltered settings. Poland lacks a comprehensive policy of support to help young people withdisabilities to enter the labour market. It is necessary to establish a network of links between education and the labourmarket. Young people with disabilities should be prepared at school for entry into the labour market, but this does nothappen.

Conclusions


3

30

The biggest problem, however, is stereotypical thinking about people with disabilities, who are often considered unableto work, or able to work only in a sheltered labour market because they require constant monitoring and assistance. It iscommonly believed that people with disabilities are only suitable for simple work that does not require specialisedtraining or skills. Employers often fear that the employment of a person with a disability will be too expensive for themand bring them fewer benefits than costs. There is a lack of comprehensive and efficient career counselling for peoplewith disabilities. Social partners are not usually involved in the process of facilitating their entry to the open labourmarket. The only exceptions are POPON and ZORON, but this is not enough to guarantee people with disabilitiesappropriate support.

One of the biggest problems is also the high number of people with disabilities who are economically inactive in eachage group. They have no motivation to search for a job, even though their income is restricted. Their potential is wasted,and for that reason it is necessary to activate them and help them overcome psychological barriers. Participation inprojects could be their chance to enter and work on the open labour market. It is important to ensure the availability ofmore complex support specifically for young unemployed people with disabilities. It is necessary to promote goodpractice in this field and create projects which will involve a few local partners. Such partnerships will be profitable foreach partner. The role of PFRON has been very important, and it is reassuring that it has received continuation funding.The case studies profiled in this report are a testament to the way in which its funding of projects has stimulatedinnovation and creativity, particularly in the NGO sector.

The government’s policy towards people with disabilities (including youth) is rapidly changing and is constantly beingtransformed. For this reason, employers have claimed that the state policy in promoting the employment of people withdisabilities is unstable, unpredictable and unclear. In addition, rather than public institutions setting a good example forthe private sector, they themselves have often not implemented the mandated policies towards people with disabilitiesin the labour market, often, for instance, avoiding hiring people with disabilities.



31

Chancellery of the Prime Minister (2009), Poland 2030. Developmental challenges, Warsaw, 2009.

EKON (2011), ‘Achievements’, available athttp://www.ekon.org.pl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=104&Itemid=41.

Kurzynowski, A. (2006), Cooperation of social services on behalf of social reintegration in Poland, Warsaw School ofEconomics, available at: http://www.peer-review-social-inclusion.eu/peer-reviews/2006/financial-coordination-within-the-field-of-rehabilitation.

Wapiennik, E. (2008), Report on the employment of people with disabilities in European countries, Academic Networkof European Disability Experts (ANED).

Wóycicka, I. (2008) Poland. Assessment of the 2008–2010 National Reform Programmes for Growth and Jobs from asocial inclusion perspective: the extent of synergies between growth and jobs policies and social inclusion policies, Peerreview in Social Protection and Social Inclusion and Assessment in Social Inclusion, European Commission, DGEmployment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, available at: http://www.peer-review-social-inclusion.eu/network-of-independent-experts/2008/second-semester-2008.

Bibliography


http://www.ekon.org.pl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=104&Itemid=41

http://www.peer-review-social-inclusion.eu/peer-reviews/2006/financial-coordination-within-the-field-of-rehabilitation

http://www.peer-review-social-inclusion.eu/network-of-independent-experts/2008/second-semester-2008

33

Legislation and programmes

A1: Policy and legal framework for young people with disabilities or health problems

Annex


Policy areaTitle of

legislation ReferenceResponsible

authority PurposeIntended

beneficiaries Short description

Supportforadequateincome

Act of 27 June2003 on SocialPensions

http://www.infor.pl/dziennik-ustaw,rok,2003,nr,135,poz,1268,ujednolicony,ustawa-o-rencie-socjalnej.html

Parliament Incomesupport

Young people,income-restricted

Provides financial resources forindividuals who become unable towork before age 18 or during theirstudies. To qualify, an applicationmust be made for a certificate ofdisability, which determines thedegree of disability. The certificate isthe basis for calculating the benefit.

Act of 12December1998 onPensions fromthe SocialSecurity Fund

http://www.legeo.pl/prawo/dziennik-ustaw-2009/153/1227/


Young people,developmentaldisability,acquireddisability or illhealth

Unemployed

Income-restricted

Applies to retired individuals andpeople of all ages who have worked,but have lost the ability to work.These people can get financial supportdependent on the degree of disability(severe, moderate or minor) and howlong they have worked. Young peoplebeginning work have to paycompulsory insurance contributionsand therefore may receive a pension ifthey become physically disabled orincapacitated through illness.

Act of 12March 2004on SocialWelfare

http://isip.sejm.gov.pl/DetailsServlet?id=WDU20040640593


Young people,income-restricted,

All groups atrisk of socialexclusion(includingpeople withdisabilities)

Defines the duties of the state in thefollowing areas: social work, types ofsupport for economically excludedsocial groups (such as disabledpeople), support distribution,organising social work. The aim is toguarantee support for groups at risk ofsocial exclusion (including peoplewith disabilities). It determines who iseligible for social support, includingfinancial benefits. Defines theprinciples and procedures of grantingsupport and who is responsible foreach task (public administration,municipalities, counties, provinces).

Labourmarketinclusion

Act of 20April 2004 onthe PromotionofEmploymentand LabourMarketInstitutions

http://www.bip.pup.powiatmysliborski.pl/strony/363.dhtml

Parliament Individualservices

Activation

Vocationaltraining

Subsidies

Personalsupport

Young people,developmentaldisability

Acquireddisability or illhealth

Unemployed

All types ofyoung disabled

Declares that young people withdisabilities (up to 25 years) should beable to use the same forms ofeconomic activation as those withoutdisabilities. Forms of support offeredto graduates (including disabledgraduates), the unemployed and jobseekers include internships,apprenticeships, vocational training,career counselling, and interventionjobs. All of these types of support arethought of as assistance in enteringthe open labour market. Internshipsand apprenticeships are thought of ashelping these young people acquirework experience. Career counsellingis one of form of assistance to helpidentify appropriate directions ofdevelopment for each person.

http://www.inf

http://www.leg

http://isip.sejm

http://www.bip

34



Policy areaTitle of




Labourmarketinclusion(cont’d)

Act of 27August 1997on Vocationaland SocialRehabilitationandEmploymentof People withDisabilities

http://www.niepelnosprawni.pl/ledge/x/1808

Parliament Activation

Vocationaltraining

Subsidies

Incentives

Personalsupport

Developmentaldisability


Unemployed

All types ofdisabledpeople

Concerns people with disabilities ingeneral, including young people. It isthe most important Act that regulatesthe situation of this group in thelabour market. It definesoccupational rehabilitation and itsgoals, the rights of disabledemployees, and the rights and dutiesof employers of disabled workers. Italso defines the principles governingPFRON. The Act brings togetherregulations that help disabled peopleto function in the labour market andguarantee them optimal livingconditions. It describes also theoperating principles of shelteredworkshops.

Access toqualityservices



Parliament Promotesupport

Promote andmaintainhealth



All types ofpeople withdisabilities

Gives people of all ages withdisabilities the right to use two formsof support: occupational therapy andrehabilitation camps. Both arecofunded by PFRON. During thesemeetings, participants can accessspecialists such as psychologists,counsellors and therapists. The aim isto improve the quality of life ofpeople with disabilities, aid theirsocial integration and develop theirsoft skills.


Act of 12March 2004on SocialWelfare

http://isip.sejm.gov.pl/DetailsServlet?id=WDU20040640593

Dept of SocialServices

Parliament

Individualservices

Activation

Incomesupport

Vocationaltraining

Subsidies

Personalsupport

Promote andmaintainhealth



Unemployed

Specialeducationalneeds

All groups atrisk of socialexclusion(includingdisabledpeople)

States that people with disabilities canenjoy the same privileges as othergroups at risk of social exclusion.They are entitled to receive financialbenefits and assistance from localauthorities. Young people withdisabilities are given specialassistance, primarily financial support,to encourage independence and socialinclusion. This type of additionalfinancial support is granted for oneyear. Young people can get fundingfor empowerment, including findingaccommodation and its refurbishment,and to continue learning. In addition,people with disabilities are entitled tofree assistance in finding employment.

Lifelonglearning



Parliament Activation

Vocationaltraining

Young people,developmentaldisability,


Unemployed

Allows people with disabilities toreceive funding for vocationaltraining, particularly graduates andunemployed. They must apply for thesubsidy to qualify.

http://www.nie

http://www.nie

http://isip.sejm

http://www.nie

35


Table A2: Programmes for young people with disabilities or health problems


Policyarea

Title ofprogramme

Type ofintervention

Eligibilitycriteria Funder Purpose

Serviceproviders Short description

Supportforadequateincome

The2008–2010NationalReformProgramme;Social Securityand SocialIntegration

Guidelinesinvolving:

Financialbenefit

Anti-poverty

Subsidy



Unemployed


Early school-leavers

Income-restricted

Contributorybenefits

Dept of SocialProtection/Social Security

Dept ofLabour

Specifies thekeyassumptions ofstate policytowards peoplewho could besociallyexcluded(includingdisabledpeople)

Governmentadministration

Does not set outspecific measures forsupport, but highlightsthe direction in whichpolicies directed atgroups at risk of socialexclusion should go.

Social pension Financialbenefit

Young peopleand adults whobecame unableto work beforeage 18 orduring theirstudies,developmentaldisability


Income-restricted


Incomesupport

State SocialInsuranceCompany

Financial resources forindividuals who areunable to work;financial assistancetargeted at thosedisabled from birth andthose who have lost theability to work at anearly age. For financialsupport they must applyfor a certificate ofdisability determiningthe degree of disability.The certificate is thebasis for calculating thebenefit.

Policy areaTitle of




Lifelonglearning(cont’d)

Regulation ofthe Ministry ofNationalEducation ofJune 15 2009,on lifelonglearning,educationinstitutions, onpublicprofessionaleducationinstitutions,and onpracticaltraining andprofessionaldevelopment

http://www.kuratorium.szczecin.pl/attachments/1218_Dz._U._Nr_99_poz._828.pdf

Dept ofNationalEducation

Activation

Vocationaltraining



Obliges training institutions to takeinto account the needs of people withdisabilities in their educationalprovision. However, the regulationdoes not give specific guidance onwhat should be done to appreciablyimprove the situation of this group.There is no other legislation dealingwith promoting access to educationfor both adults and young people.

http://www.kur

36



Policyarea

Title ofprogramme

Type ofintervention



Inclusivelabourmarket

Advantagesfor employershiring peoplewithdisabilities

Financialbenefit

Flexicurity

Subsidy

Young people,developmentaldisabilityAcquireddisability or illhealth

PFRON Promoteemployment ofpeople withdisabilities

PFRON Employers who employpeople with disabilitiescan receive supplementalfunding of their salaries,reimbursement of thecost of workplaceaccommodation, grantsfor training, and costs ofemploying assistantsincluding, in the case ofsupported employment, amentor. Moreover, aportion of social securitycontributions and thecosts of employingpeople with disabilities isfunded by PFRON. Thismeasure supports theemployment of disabledpeople of any age.

ProgrammeJunior

Active labourmarket

Socialinclusionservices

Vocationaltraining

Transitionfrom school towork



Unemployed


Dept ofLabour

PFRON

Promotevocationaltraining andinternships

Localgovernment/municipality

Funds placements forpeople with disabilities.The programme isaimed at graduates andthose with disabilitiesunder 25 years of age. Itcan benefit bothdisabled graduates ‒who receive a stipendduring their internshipand are able to get theirfirst professionalexperience ‒ as well asemployers, who mayreceive financialbonuses for providingsuch internships.

Financialresources tostart a business

Financialbenefit

Active labourmarket



Unemployed

Dept ofLabour

PFRON

Promote self-employment ofpeople withdisabilities


PFRON

Enables people withdisabilities to apply for aloan or a grant to starttheir own business fromtwo sources: the publicemployment services orPFRON. The amount ofloans granted by PFRONmay not be higher thanthat specified in theregulations, but therepayment is on easyterms. In addition, forsome time PFRON hasalso funded pensioninsurance premiums forpeople with disabilitieswho started their ownbusiness. They cannotbenefit from twosubsidies at the sametime from the publicemployment services andPFRON. Financialsupport must be repaid ifthe company ceasestrading within 24 months.

37



Policyarea

Title ofprogramme

Type ofintervention




Computer forthe homeprogramme

Financialbenefit

General healthservices

Social services


Acquireddisability or illhealth.

Dept ofEducation

PFRON

To facilitatethe dailyfunctioning ofpeople withdisabilities insociety and toenable them toparticipateactively in thelabour market


PFRON

Offers grants topurchase computerhardware and softwarefor people withdisabilities, includingthe purchase ofspecialist equipment forpeople who are blind ordeaf.

2008–2010NationalProgramme;Social Securityand SocialIntegration

Guidelinesinvolving:


Social services

Formallearning

Informallearning



Unemployed


Early school-leavers

Income-restricted,

Contributorybenefit


Dept ofLabour

Specifies thekeyassumptions ofstate policytowards peoplewho could besociallyexcluded,includingpeople withdisabilities

Governmentadministration

Describes support fordifferent groups at riskof social exclusion;does not specify anymeasures of support,but points out the mostimportant direction forpolicies aimed athelping groups at riskof social exclusion.

ProgrammePartner


Mental healthservices

Social services



Unemployed



Unemployed

Improve thequality of lifefor peoplewithdisabilities inevery aspect oftheir lives

Private, not forprofit

Support is offered forproviding access tofacilities necessary foreveryday life andprofessional activities.The aim is to improvethe quality of life forpeople with disabilitiesin every aspect of theirlives, facilitating theiraccess to education andemployment.

38



Policyarea

Title ofprogramme

Type ofintervention



Lifelonglearning

ProgrammeStudent

Formallearning




Dept ofEducation

PFRON

Support forstudents withdisability

Universities Enables people withdisabilities to make useof support available tothem for studying atuniversities. These aremainly financial grants,but also includeguidance andcounselling. It alsoallows for the equippingof facilities used bypeople with disabilities,such as libraries orlecture halls in order toaccommodate them.Transportation to theuniversity is alsoreimbursed and helpcan be given withaccommodation, feesand other costsassociated witheducation such asbuying equipment.Financial support is alsoprovided for improvingphysical andpsychological well-being, for field trips andfor social integration.The programme aims tofacilitate the acquisitionof higher education tohelp them find work onthe open market.

ProgrammePartner

Informallearning



Unemployed

PFRON Support forlifelonglearning,facilities inaccess toeducation

Private not forprofit

Support for people withdisabilities in thisprogramme is aboutensuring theirrehabilitation andtraining, as well asproviding them withvocational courses. Inaddition, people withdisabilities receivepsychological and legalcounselling.

EF/11/35/EN 2

active inclusion of young people with disabilities or...

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