Best Practice
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Profile: Software engineer, R. Selvakumar, Chennai, India
R. Selvakumar is a 24 year old Data Engineer from the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. He contacted the SDnet Discussion Forum to share some of his experiences with European readers. Having had polio as a child, his path through school and higher education was difficult but he was assisted by his resourceful parents.
Two years ago he joined the equal opportunity employer, Laser Soft Info Systems, Chennai. Selvakumar is invited as a speaker at the "EuroIndia 2004 Cooperation Forum on the Information Society" in New Delhi, (24 - 26 March 2004).
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Company-wide agreement to promote the employment of handicapped workers at the SNCF (French Railway Board)
Since 1992, the employment of handicapped workers and the rehabilitation of employees who have become unfit during their career have been covered by agreements between senior management and all the trade union organisations in the enterprise.
Conducted by a Central Task Force, this action testifies to the enterprise's commitment to the integration of handicapped people. Since its launching, it has permitted the hiring of 455 handicapped workers and the retention and/or rehabilitation of 2391 employees who had become unfit.
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The WAVE project - Sweden
The Misa WAVE Project is part of a trans-national project, involving agencies from Sweden, Ireland, France, and the Netherlands. The initiative, whose theme was 'Employment and Job Retention, catered specifically for adults of working age with an acquired brain injury (excluding dementia and congenital brain injury). The EU's Employment Community Initiative - Horizon (Disabled) 1995-1997 part funded the project. Although the method of service delivery varied between the project partners, the principles governing delivery were based on the 'Model of Supported Employment'. Inevitably such support involves liaison with the employer and assistance in addressing OHS issues which arise from the retention of an employee with additional needs and for whom special provision may need to be made. However, the primary focus of this initiative is on employability, specifically retention; whatever links to OHS exist are implicit.
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Access to Work - United Kingdom
'Access to Work' is a UK-wide, government operated programme which provides practical support to disabled people who are seeking work, including funding of adaptations and purchase of special equipment, based on the established needs of the individual applicants. The target groups of this initiative are unemployed disabled people and employed disabled people at risk of becoming unemployed. The programme aims to enable them to compete on an equal footing with their non-disabled colleagues. It has been in operation since 1994 and was modified in 1996 to incorporate a requirement for an employer's contribution to the cost involved. The UK Government, specifically the Employment Service within the Department for Education and Employment is the lead group and there are numerous other stakeholders (based on a broad definition of this term) who benefit from or contribute to the success of the programme.
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Brainwave - The Irish Epilepsy Association - Ireland
The Irish Epilepsy Association Brainwave was founded in 1967. It is a members' organisation for people with epilepsy. It provides information, advice, counselling, aids, training and advocacy services. It is in regular contact with about 7,000 individuals in Ireland. Initial services are provided to any person with epilepsy regardless of membership of the association. These service aim at inter alia - pre employment training to enable young people with epilepsy (PWEs) into employment, information and training for employers and fellow employees which leads to PWEs being accepted in, and remain in, the workplace.
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"Passerelles 09" - programme in the Ariege department of France to encourage the integration of handicapped workers
Since 1992, the Ariege-Pyrenees Employers' Union has initiated, in the Ariege department, an action entitled "Passerelles 09" ("Footbridges 09"), to encourage the integration or rehabilitation of handicapped workers.
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Arbeitsassistenz - Work Assistance Programme - Austria
Work assistance is an initiative which has been systematically carried out since 1996, and has the task of integrating people with specific disabilities and illnesses into the labour market and ensuring their retention at their place of work. In Upper Austria work assistance is carried out by four institutions: pro mente, for those who suffer from mental or psychosocial disabilities, the Clinic for the Deaf, for those who are deaf or whose hearing is over 50 percent impaired, Verein Miteinander (Together Association), for mentally, physically or multiply handicapped people, and also the Association for the Rehabilitation and Integration of the Blind and Visually Impaired (RISS) for persons suffering from visual impairment or blindness occurring later in life. OSH services play a subsidiary role in the programme.
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Building a World Fit for People: Designers with Disabilities at Work
We are pleased to introduce you to a valuable new resource, Building a World Fit for People: Designers with Disabilities at Work, a book that describes the career development of 21 designers with disabilities from around the world. The book was written and published by Adaptive Environments and funded by NEC Foundation of America. Based on the initial research funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the book highlights the major influences that shaped each person's professional choices. For more details on the book and the authors, see the Press Kit at www.AdaptiveEnvironments.org/accessdesign.
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Seminar Addresses the Needs of the Seriously Injured
Axa Insurance and Workforce Plus held a seminar on Monday 25th March, 2002 that discussed the benefits of rehabilitation services to seriously injured claimants. The seminar brought together a group of legal experts who deal with claims of this type.
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Highlights of the European Social Inclusion Report
A number of best practices have been identified for reducing social exclusion in general and for enhancing inclusion of disabled people in the labour market. Some of these practices, listed below, are highlighted in the European Social Inclusion Report (2001)
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Rehab Group
Over the last two decades the Rehab Group has been transformed into one of Europe's biggest and most influential providers of services for people with disabilities. Each year more than 30,000 clients avail of the world-class programmes that have been developed by the organisation across Ireland and the UK.See Rehab Group's Profile.
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