BARRIERS WHICH INHIBIT THE TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL TO EMPLOYMENT FOR THE PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

1. BARRIERS WHICH INHIBIT THE TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL TO EMPLOYMENTFOR THE PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES Common barriers as a conclusion from a research among service providers for persons with disabilities

2. Statistics • Interviews of Service Providers form 8 countries

3. Staistics • Kind of the Service Provider

4. Statistics • Funding

5. Statistics • Type of services

6. Attitudes / perception / Awareness • No or little experiences of companies with PWD in work context • A great part of the people do not understand the term ‘disability’ and rather connect it with a psychic defect • Society is not sufficiently informed about the problems and needs of the PwD • In the case of people with a Mild Learning Disability, employers do not know what to expect. They are afraid to ask and perhaps seek guidance in directing students on work experience. They worry about Health & Safety issue. • The public don’t get an opportunity to build up a relationship with PwD. • Not enough cooperation (or lack of communication) between supporters (work-jobcoach-home). • Mostly PwD with an intellectual disability are classified based on their IQscore alone. However their emotional level of functioning (capacity to cope!) is equally important. • When a PwD can do the job and things are running, supporters tend to quit the support they need also on the long term. • Sudden lack of daily structures and goals to achieve when staying at home after leaving school. They can experience the benefits of plentiful time without demands. In comparison with friends/peers and through their influence can result into a negative attitude towards work • Not all employers are convinced that PwD can make a contribution to their company, organization and society. • Some supporters aren't used to an integrated approach. • Many service providers are used to look at what they can offer instead of focus on what is needed. • Supporters and parents of PwD sometimes focus more on rights in stead of duties. • Keeping PwD sheltered from the public is a barrier for them

7. Our recommendations • More input from family • Education, on–site visits for employers to see the child in a school setting • A different style of treatment and support at living location (home) and work. This means that within the training programs more focus is needed to the way of treatment and support in different environments. Also client future expectation must be a topic. If there is no consensus about that topic, caregivers do not agree about which direction to take in supporting the PwD. Different environments (work and ‘home’) should have one and the same focus in future expectations • The society must change its attitudes and prejudices towards the PwD and to accept their existence among it.Healthy people must help the integration of PwD. • There is still little acquaintance of society about the problems of the PwD. A media campaign is needed for changing the attitudes and for more active behaviour towards the integration of PwD. • More and stable money for institution doing this awareness counselling

8. Structural / administrative • Lack of unified politics about the PwD • Poorly developed politics about integration of PwD and bad conditions for life • A number of normative documents about the integration of PwD have been accepted, but the problem is on practical level at their applying

9. Our recommendations • Training and education resources • Training opportunities in the community • More policies and economic incentives need to be put in place to encourage employers to employ PwD. • It’s important to offer more flexible financial aid to employers • The legislation of each country must be directed to the integration of PwD and their socialization in the community • Need of environment in which the PwD is encouraged to work and not to be so focused on Social Welfare • The providers of services must focus overTraining in work and social skills, Sourcing employment, Providing ongoing support to employee and employer • It is necessary to develop a civil society, which is sensible to the needs and problems of PwD. Thus the strategy of the state and the politics for integration may happen.

10. Environmental / physical / Accessibility • A very limited access for PwD to schools, working place and bad architectural environment • The access to the institutions is one of the biggest barriers for PwD in each municipality. • Public Transport • There are never adequate servicesfor adapting working environment according to the needs of PwD • Legislation is in place regarding accessibility for pwd to buildings but this is not enforced effectively • The access to the outer environment is almost impossible. Somewhere installations have been made, but only formally, and it is impossible to be used. • To many people involved, it’s not clear which organization is responsible for the next step in the process to work • Often there is no support in the period after leaving school • In employment pressure to perform is often too high • A good match between the talents of the PwD and what's required for the job is very important. But sometimes a PwD or his school or personal network doesnt know these talents.

11. Our recommendations • Family involvement would help • Adaptation of workplaces and buildings in general to fulfill the needs of persons with disabilities. • Awareness raising and court action for violating accessibility legislation

12. Education / training /including informal learning • Training towards employment needs to begin in school. • The poor qualification of PwD is also a barrier on the market of labour. • After leaving school people don’t know how to and where to find support if leaving school did not result in finding a job • Mostly the way educational programs are designed; the emphasis is on gaining knowledge and skills, whereas the workenvironment asks for skills beyond those learned at school, such as: social skills, adaptation, start work on time, and taking initiatives • Lack of support by proven method and thus specific goals at dag care/activity centre. Therefore it is ‘sufficient’ when PwD are doing okay, even when there is no progress. This also inhibits the process of employment in the future • A scholar with disability is vulnerable, sometimes there's a lack of understanding of teachers, other children and their parents. • Segregation of children in special schools makes full participation and functioning in a regular job difficult. • PwD have access to professional training, but this depends on financial resources. • One of the Main barrier is not the disability itself but when it comes to an additional lack of competencies (e.g. soft skills such as flexibility, politeness, virtue in work…) problems arise • Lack of funding, therefore not enough one to one education /training /, which people with intellectual disability need to prepare them for employment. • there are nosufficient opportunities for inclusion of PwD in specialized/ vocational/ informal training courses

13. Our recommendations • more input/mentoring is required from employer • Parental support for career development • Regular professional training and informal training • Granting of regular professional training on place is necessary • It is necessary PwD to receive adequate professional training, which to respond to the possibilities for realization in the labor market. Still PwD can not receive such training, because it is related with financing. • The direction of work must be towards improving the quality of education, given to the children with disabilities in school. A possibility for profiled specialties must be given, which to enable the children in their future searching and finding work. • More resources and volunteers needed to achieve more active involvement. • Finding employment tailored to the needs and interest to the person. • Finding employment tailored to the needs and interest to the person.

14. Resources / Opportunities • Insufficient acquaintance and lack of practical possibilities for PwD for receiving additional financing out of the state aids • Very feeble information about possibilities for financing • Internships for PwD need to be subsidized as this would encourage employers to employ PwD • Negative state of economy means less opportunities for apprenticehips • For PWD with low or no graduation it’s very hard to find a possibility for internships • Sufficient financial recourses are not granted • PwD who start in an activity center are supposed (when reached a certain level) to proceed to employment. This is often not the case. There is no flow of PwD through the different levels of employment/day care • Not enough possibilities for traveling to work: public transport isn't always accessible and individual (support with) traveling is expensive.

15. Our recommendations • More focus on future career at school stage • More work experience in the community at school stage • Internships • Personnel and preparationare needed to support the transition from education to employment • Subsidization of employers for a one year post vocational training programme would help

16. Accessibility • People are not informed about the financial possibilities for support, they can receive • Lack of support by society and in family • PwD do not always have opportunity to choose social services tailored to them, there is not a large choice and sometimes they have to take what they get. • There is a lack of opportunities due to lack of funding and lack of education of the public with regards to needs of PwD • Information access • literacy difficulties • Lack of confidence • Lack of support outside office hours ad at weekends • PwD can not move freely on the streets; their access to public buildings and cultural events is difficult • Not enough (qualified) support and individual coaching at the workplace

17. Our recommendations • More support in the community • Attendance through the transition and at the work process is very important for the employers and makes it easier for PWD to join the labour market.

18. Състоянието на икономиката • PwD have very low standards of life, labor realization and low fees • Shortage of appropriate work experience and employment sites. • The financial and economic crisis cuts everything, social work, time, personnel etc. • Negative state of economy means less possibilities for internships • Frequent changes in legislation • The employment of PwD is difficult. There is no clear legal frame for its realization • Lack of tolerance to PwD • Jobs that were paid in the past are now often a part of other jobs. Where in the past one person did all the copywork, now every employer does his own. • Due to higher pressure to perform (more efficient/multitasking), people are less patient and busy. They have little time to support • PwD are dependent of the choices of governments and service providers in times of recession

19. Our recommendations • Due to the state of the economy at present there are very few jobs available to all, making it more difficult for PwD to find employment. • - More support staff recruited from community schemes to help PwD access community supports outside of office hours. • Work experience programmes, incentives to employers. • Guidance teacher, 1 to 1 consultation. Visits to new training place • At the financial part, the network needs to be activated. Because of cutbacks in state funding (for example cutbacks in travel costs funded by the state), network must be prepared and informed about their responsibilities and tasks • Maybe start thinking about a new financial aid like reducing tax on wages • Offering an attendance longer than the financial aid is served

20. Thank you for your attention!