1. Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of People with Disabilities: From Principles to Practice
Debra Perry
Senior Specialist in Vocational Rehabilitation
International Labour Office (ILO)

2. Topics / Activities Challenges and Barriers International Standards
ILO Conventions and Recommendations
Current Trends
Examples of Good Practice

3. The Challenge 600 million disabled people worldwide
370 million in Asia
386 million of working-age worldwide
238 million in Asia
Most live in rural areas
Unemployment rates are double that of the general population and as high as 80 percent
Disability and poverty are linked
The socioeconomic costs are high

4. Barriers to Employment
Negative attitudes
Lack of policy support
Unequal access to education and training
Low self-esteem, overprotective families
Inaccessible buildings and transport
Lack of assistive devices, support services, information

5. Workers with Disabilities
Are capable and talented
Can work and perform on par with their peers (Dupont Study (U.S.), Lou Harris poll (U.S.), Marriot (U.S.), Centrica (UK), Tricon Restaurants (Australia)
Have greater job retention

6. The Response: Promote Full Participation
International Declarations, Standards etc.
Regional Decade of Disabled Persons
National Legislation and Policies
Service Delivery Systems and Programs
Self-Help and Advocacy Groups
Promoting Awareness

7. Timeline 1955 ILO VR Recommendation No. 99
1971 UN Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons
1975 UN Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons
1981 UN International Year of Disabled Persons
1982 UN World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled Persons
UN Decade of Disabled Persons
1983 ILO VR (Disabled) Convention No. 159
1983 ILO VR (Disabled) Recommendation No. 168
1993 UN Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities
Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons

8. The ILO and People with Disabilities
Decent work for all - non-discrimination
Equality of opportunity
Equality of treatment
Mainstreaming in training and employment
Choice
Special measures
Community participation
Tripartite consultations
Involvement of disabled persons and NGOs

9. Basic Definitions: ILO Instruments
Disabled Person: An individual whose prospects of securing and retaining suitable employment are substantially reduced as a result of physical or mental impairment (introduced in R 99).
Vocational Rehabilitation: That part of the continuous and coordinated process of rehabilitation which involves the provision of those vocational services, e.g. vocational guidance, vocational training and selective placement, designed to enable a disabled person to secure and retain suitable employment (introduced in R 99).

10. Recommendation No. 99 (1955) Covers all disabled people
Identifies vocational guidance, training and placement principles
Recommends approaches to implementing principles

11. R99: Highlights Use existing services
Enable disabled people to use services
Include employers and trade unions
Foster cooperation between medical and VR
Expand vocational opportunities
Establish sheltered workshops/homebound
Develop services for children and youth

12. Convention No. 159 (1983) Purpose of Vocational Rehabilitation
Equity issues
Policy and Action

13. Purpose of Vocational Rehabilitation
To enable a disabled person to secure, retain and advance in suitable employment and thereby to further such person’s integration or reintegration into society (introduced in C 159 and R 168)

14. Equity Services in urban and rural areas
Serve all types of disabled persons
Equity
Among disabled and other workers
Special positive measures okay
Between disabled women and men

15. Convention No. 159 POLICY National VR
Input from employers, labor unions, and people with disabilities
Fosters open employment
ACTION
Includes the delivery and evaluation of VR services
Has provisions for competent personnel and staff training

16. R168: Highlights Expands VR principles
Suggests measures to increase employment opportunities
Encourages full community participation
Provides approaches to equalize rural and urban services
Identifies strategies for VR staff development
Specifies mechanisms for engaging workers’, employers’ and disabled persons’ organizations

17. R168: Create Job Opportunities

18. R168: Reduce Barriers to Employment

19. ILO Disability Programme
Policy Advice
Technical Cooperation Activities
Research Projects
Others:
Code of Practice on Disability
GLADNET - Global Applied Disability and Information Network on Employment

20. Asia Pacific Decade Target Areas
1. National coordination
2. Legislation
3. Information, 4. Public awareness
5. Accessibility and Communication
6. Education
7. Training and Employment
8. Prevention of causes of disability
9. Rehabilitation
10. Assistive devices
11. Self-help organizations
12. Regional cooperation

21. Training and Employment Targets

22. Trends Affecting Vocational Rehabilitation
From Charity to Civil Rights
From the Industrial to the Knowledge Economy
From Centralized to Community -based Services

23. Charity Civil Rights The disability movement
Inclusion of all disability groups
Medical to social model of disability
Costs of the welfare state
The business argument

24. Implications
Disabled people involved in planning, services, and evaluation
Mainstream services inclusive
Services more innovative and effective
All types of disabled persons served
Multisectoral approaches

25. Industrial Knowledge Economy
New focus on information and technology
Globalization
ICT and new work tools
Businesses must be leaner, meaner and smarter
Fast-paced, changing, more competitive workplace
Threats and opportunities for disabled persons

26. Implications Training must address new technology
Training must be flexible
English language important
New work structures (e.g. teleworking)
Life-long learning important
Must meet employer needs

27. Centralized Community
More attention, autonomy to communities
Fewer resources and weaker infrastructures
Different needs and standards
Greater reliance on informal sector and self-employment for jobs
More family and community involvement

28. Implications Standard VR practices may not apply
Each community has different resources and needs
Community based services must reflect them
All resources should be tapped
Services and staff must be flexible and diverse
Expand concept of employment (e.g. self-employment, cooperative)
Poverty alleviation and income generation programs should include disabled people
Full community participation