Opportunities and Challenges for Employability Madan M. Kundu, Ph.D., CRC, FNRCA, NCC, LRC Chair, Work and Employment Commission, Rehabilitation International and Professor and Chair Department of Rehabilitation and Disability Studies Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.A.

EMPLOYABILITY

Employability Employability is the capacity of an individual to function in a particular occupation or work situation. General Employability Skills Specific Employability Skills

General Employability Skills Refers to: - Grooming and Hygiene - Attendance - Punctuality - Safety Consciousness - Frustration Tolerance - Work Stamina - Relationships with Co-workers, - Relationship with Supervisors, - Production Rate : Quality : Quantity These skills are not job specific. These behaviors, also known as General Work Personality, are said to be required in every job. Client behavior in these skills areas is important for predicting job maintenance behavior.

Specific Employability skills Refers to intelligence, aptitudes, achievement, temperament, and physical capacity. These are known as maximum behavior. Typically measured by intelligence and achievement tests. Physical capacity can be evaluated through job analysis, occupational therapy evaluation, and medical examination. These behaviors can also be measured by non- test techniques, such as interviews and simulated or actual work tasks.

Placeability Placeability is the capacity of an individual, with his/her particular assets and liabilities, to become employed given the options of the current job market (obtain a job) and retain the job. It has little to do with the person’s ability to perform a job.

OPPORTUNITIES

Opportunities: Global The United Nations Convention on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) ILO Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Convention No. 159) - ILO, 1983 International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) - WHO, 2001

UNCRPD Convention 153 Signatories out of Countries Ratified the Convention Optional Protocol 90 Signatories 63 Countries Ratified

Opportunities: National, State, and Local Federal Laws - Labor Laws - Social Security Laws - Workers Compensation Law - Disability Related Laws - Return to Work Provisions State Laws Local Rules and Regulations

Challenges

WORLD REPORT ON DISABILITY Total Population = 7 Billion People with Disabilities = 1 Billion PWD in any country = about 15% About 20% of world’s poorest people has some form of disabling condition. (WHO, 2011)

Causes of Disabilities – Emergence of new diseases and other causes of impairment, such as HIV/AIDS, stress, and alcohol and drug abuse. – Increasing life span and numbers of elderly persons. – Projected increases in the number of children with disabilities, over the next 30 years, specifically in the developing countries, due to malnutrition, diseases, child labor, and other causes. – Armed conflict and violence. For every child killed in warfare, three are injured and acquire a permanent form of disability. In some countries, up to a quarter of disabilities result from injuries and violence.

2 MAJOR CHALLENGES #1.High unemployment rate of PWD – Inadequate provision of vocational rehabilitation and job placement services to persons with disabilities. Vocational and psychological assessment Skills building and academic support Job development and placement Employer consultation Post-closure extended services to persons with disabilities and employers #2.Professional Preparation of Vocational Rehabilitation Service Providers

Employment: Necessary and Possible Almost all jobs can be performed by someone with a disability, and given the right environment, most people with disabilities can be productive. In Article 27 the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) “recognizes the right of persons with disabilities to work, on an equal basis with others; this includes the opportunity to gain a living by work freely chosen or accepted in a labour market and work environment that is open, inclusive and accessible to persons with disabilities.” Factors impacting labor market participation of persons with disabilities: – productivity differentials – discrimination and prejudice – disincentives created by disability benefit systems

Health Condition (disorder/disease) Interaction of Concepts ICF 2001 Environmental Factors Personal Factors Body function & structure (Impairment) Activities(Limitation)Participation(Restriction)

17 The World Health Organization ICF Model Diagram Body Function & Structure (Impairment) Activities (Limitation) Environmental Factors Personal Factors Participation (Restriction) Physical Environment Social Environment

18 VocationalAvocational WorkLife Activity VOCATIONAL EXPLORATION  Counseling/Involve  Skills/Explore EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY  Academic  Technical HOME MANAGEMENT  Laundry  Meal Preparation  Shopping  Home Management  Parenting  Finance Management  Contact with Others LEISURE MANAGEMENT  Participation TRANSPORTATION  Driver Training  Driving  Resource Use HEALTH MANAGEMENT  Self Health  Skills REHABILITATION OUTCOME

Vocational Rehabilitation and Support Services for Persons with Disabilities Why should we emphasize “work” in rehabilitation? Work is considered essential and therapeutic for both the physiological survival and psychological well-being of people in contemporary societies. – Gainful employment – Career building prospects

VR Services Vocational Assessment Evaluation Work Adjustment Assistive Technology Counseling and Guidance Vocational Decision Making and identify intervention needs, resulting in optimal outcome of Career Development

Transition Services Transition from school – Employment Transition from school – Post-Secondary Institution – Employment Career Building

Life Stage Development Health Education Employment

Individual Agency Group Collaboration Outcome

PLACEMENT APPROACHES VR Intervention Strategies: 1. Person Centered Placement 2. Selective Placement 3. Supported Employment 4. Projects with Industry 5. Self-Employment/Business Entrepreneurship 6. Supply-side VS Demand-side Placement 7. A Systems Approach to Placement (SAP): A Holistic Model

SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF SAP

SAP : 2 INSTRUMENTS Diagnostic and Therapeutic SELF-ASSESSMENT FOR STUDENTS AND COUNSELORS - For Rehabilitation Professionals INTAKE ASSESSMENT AND OUTCOME EVALUATION - For Persons with disabilities

27 Target Work Behaviors Vocational Interests and Needs General Work Personality Psychological, Social, and Environmental Behaviors Placeability Specific Work Personality Persons with Disabilities

Job Satisfaction and Satisfactoriness Job satisfaction factors: Needs and Values Personality and Interests. Job satisfactoriness factors: General Employability Specific Employability Placeability

The Modified Minnesota Theory of Work Adjustment Job Satisfaction (Need-reinforcers correspondence) Job Satisfactoriness (Ability-requirements correspondence) Job Tenure Fire Discordance Quit Discordance Correspondence

Drivers of Market Changes Globalization of markets Technological change Changing customer-driven demands Changing patterns of trade Changing demographic trends Public policy Changing skill requirements and requisite job tasks within occupations

Challenges Professional Preparation of Personnel who serve People with Disabilities (PWD): Rehabilitation Counselors Case Managers Disability Managers Job Placement Specialists Supported Employment Specialists Job Coaches Assistive Technologists Orientation and Mobility Instructors ………………. -To enhance Employability and Placeability skills for PWD -To enhance Employment Outcomes -To enhance Quality and Life

Challenges Developing Academic and Professional Preparation Programs in colleges and universities: Certificate Diploma Bachelor’s Degree Master’s Degree Ph.D. Degree Establishment of Office of Disability Services in post-secondary institutions Evidence Based Research Infrastructure

Training Standards for Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Professionals There is a positive correlation between level of professional preparation of the VR practitioner and quality of VR outcome/degree of client satisfaction with services. – Development of academic degree granting programs at B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. levels. Accreditation: The goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by programs and institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality. – Accrediting agencies, develop evaluation criteria and conduct evaluations to assess whether or not those criteria are met. Institutions and/or programs that request an agency's evaluation and that meet an agency's criteria are then "accredited" by that agency.

Curriculum Standards: BS in Rehabilitation Services Overview of Types of Disabilities – Physical, intellectual, cognitive, mental illness, addiction, sensory loss, chemical sensitivities, and other disabling conditions. – Strengths and weaknesses of the diagnostic process – Individualized response and impact (disability vs. impairment) Theoretical Models of Disability – Ecological – Independent living model – Medical model – Social construction – Social justice Disability Definitions and their Impact – Legal – Public service delivery system – Personal – Cultural Environmental – Architectural Requirements and Barriers – Adaptive Technologies – Support systems (e.g., Interpreters, Readers, Guides, Personal Assistants)

Curriculum Standards: BS in Rehabilitation Services Living with a Disability – Who lives, who dies, and who pays for disability – Impact on individual, family, and society – Wellness and health models of disabilities – Current/future trends and issues Attitudinal Barriers to People with Disabilities Systemic Challenges and Economic Disadvantages caused by Disability Cultural Responses to Disability – Dominant Culture: Individual, Family, and Society – Multicultural Responses (e.g., racial, ethnic, spiritual, age, gender, sexual orientation, and combinations of cultures or orientations) – Disability Culture Employment : Economic Importance Cultural Importance Personal Significance Systemic Facilitators and Barriers Effects of Trauma Resilience theories Living, Learning, Working, Playing, and Socializing with a Disability

General Curriculum Requirements: M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling Professional Identity and Ethical Behavior Psychosocial Aspects of Disability and Cultural Diversity Human Growth and Development Counseling Theories and Techniques Group Work and Family Dynamics Rehabilitation Assessment and Evaluation Research and Program Evaluation Medical, Functional, and Environmental Aspects of Disability Rehabilitation Services, Case Management, and Related Services Employment and Career Development Theories Clinical Experience (A total of 700 supervised clock hours)

Certification and Licensure Professional Certification - National Level Professional Licensure - State Level Renewal - periodically by earning Continuing Education Units as evidence of continued learning - to assure qualification to perform a job or task. For example, in the U.S.A.: Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) Licensed Rehabilitation Counselor (LRC) Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)

38 Better Rehabilitation Outcomes Better Employability

RI has 7 Commissions and a network of experts in about 100 countries RI can assist in meeting the challenges of implementing CRPD by providing: Technical Assistance Consultation Education Training Monitoring