Blended Mobility 5: BELGIUM – Brussels (13-17/09/2022)

The social care and employment sector in Belgium: Flanders and Brussels

  People with Intellectual disability Community Service provider

 

Whats the added value? The visibility  and the inclusion of the disability person in the laboral  labor  market  and in the social activities

 

– people with disabilities can regularly perform their work and contribute to the community

– work leads to autonomy and independence

– personal satisfaction

– feeling gratified

 

– A follow-up really centered on the person more than on the handicap (AMAB= adapted company). The company adapts to the person

– Job coaching, pushing towards autonomy especially for travel

– Adaptation of positions

– No relocation of the “client” = person with a disability, since he can remain living in the same structure all his life

– Pride in transmitting its knowledge = the PH transmits its knowledge to newcomers

– Time allotted to the PH for setting up the post

 

–       People with disabilities (even if not getting paid) feel strong and proud for themselves.

–       Our users saw other PWID to live alone in Supported living  houses

Our users saw other PwD to work and listened their personal stories and needs.

 

Offer the chance to  the community  to know what  people of disability can do

Also  contribute to bring the opportunity to offer them a job

 

– passion

– experience

– emotions

– joy

– serenity

 

– More partnership with other structures (insertion +++)- Groot eiland (integration worksite): No distinction between people whether they are disabled or not, and favoring short circuits, respect for the environment- Auditory and visual accessibility of the city (Braille in the metro, audible pedestrian lights)- A lot of openness to the outside

–       The community get to know more and more people with disabilities, something that strengthen their positive view for this category of people.

Through volunteering PwD become active citizens and the allowance returns to community

The client is in the spotlight

Professional  educators

Good facilities( comfortable, nice music, luminous installations )

 

 

– exchange of ideas and experiences

– joy

– diversity

– motivation in doing our job

 

– VOP (budget allocated to companies wishing to employ PHs)- Job coaching

–       Service Providers feel nice while providing their services.

–       They are always available for their users.

–       They have the opportunity to know the user’s needs better.

 

What are the key factors to success? Motivation

Constancy

 

– disseminating successful experiences in the field of work for people with disabilities

– budget, economic resources

– support network (friends, family)

 

– Concept of customer rather than user. It is the “client” person who is at the center of the process = self-determination- The backpack allows you to choose what you want to do and the desired pace- Job coaching allows the person to get as close as possible to their project

–       There is a minimum wage for all, including people with disabilities (this is not always good since there is no need to find employment).

–       In the working place, the employer respects the pace/rhythm/style of work of PwD.

 

Offer opportunities

Interest in other groups

The commitment of the administration

 

– culture of coexistence

– culture of disability, knowledge, dissemination

– knowing how to communicate

 

– Social places (bookstore) that promote the integration of people with disabilities- With job coaching, the partnership is more advanced and the integration of disabled people more important

The result of their work has a standard quality so they develop standard cooperation

To  be well prepared and help them to grow

The  technology to help people not to replace them

Planet + people +profit

 

– resources (economic, human)

– adequate and continuous training

– exchange of experience

 

-In adapted companies there is access to social workers and occupational therapists (amab) and job coaching• Unpaid position can encourage companies to take PH

 

Which barriers do we identify? get out of the comfort zone that the subsidy allows them

self-esteem

 

– opportunities to gain work experience, not just internships

 

– It is the structure that hosts the volunteer that benefits from added value more than the volunteer himself- Lack of recognition that the work done is not valued- Waiting period for obtaining the “backpack” aid in order to be able to access an unpaid job- Unpaid volunteering- Volunteering does not encourage the person to do paid work- No work clothes identified for employees on benefits (AMAB), no prevention and safety measures in place in companies-       They don’t receive the allowance once they find employment.

 

The stigma

 

lack of knowledge of capabilities

 

– lack of networking and communication between all organizations involved in the employment of disabled people

 

– Lack of accessibility for people with reduced mobility- Old town with historic building, complicates the movement of disabled people- There does not seem to be any communication around the work of PHs.- Poor/rich discrimination

–       There are no quota systems in the enterprises for hiring people with disabilities.

There is a lot of bureaucracy in the evaluation of disability and the financial support they should receive.

the facilities are far from the community

 

– lack of purely social training for organizations employing people with disabilities

 

– No quota imposed for the use of TH in companies- No benefits for the company to hire PHs

–       No many possibilities to find employment for people with disabilities in the Open Labor Market.

–       The organizations many times receive the person with disability regarding his/her ‘’backpack’’ money and not always their needs.

 

How to reduce the identified barriers? give resources and support

training to improve well-being (yoga,…)

 

– more work experience leading to employment (not only fixed-term traineeships)

– increase the number of mandatory hiring quotas for companies (according to Italian law)

 

– Benefit from a bonus in volunteer missions in order to have a valuation of his mission- sale or exhibition of the work carried out- Mandatory personal protective equipment to be put in place- Promote bridges between paid and unpaid work

–       People with disabilities need more active labor policies.

 

bringing people closer to the community.

carry out activities of social value (bookstore,…)

 

– network projects, directed by a single body (e.g. public body) in co-design with third sector bodies

– small-scale projects

 

– Put means in place to reduce waiting times to obtain “backpack” assistance- Reduce the gap between wages for a TH paid work employee (1700 euros gross) and the average Belgian salary (2300 euros gross)

 

 

bring the facilities closer to the community

 

– more resources dedicated to training

– broadened training (not only to educational figures but to everyone, e.g. administrators, planners, …)

 

– Imposing quotas and setting up sanctions in case of non-compliance

–       People with disabilities need more active labor policies.

–       Raise-awareness campaigns in order for PwD to find employment in the Open Labor Market and facilitate the better integration into the society.

 

Read the full final report: Brussels Final Report