Bildung inklusiver Indikatoren für Beschäftigung

Dieser Beitrag ist aus pragmatischen Gründen im Rahmen einer Studie auf Englisch.

Creation of inclusive indicators for employment

The UN CRPD marks a major shift in international law for persons with disabilities. It promotes a rights-based approach and a social model approach for the inclusion of persons with disabilities. Still it stays at a rather abstract level and has to be translated into practical tools. This short essay tries to explain how to create indicators for the area of employment in the context of international cooperation.
One way to “translate” the UN CRPD into indicators building on a rights based approach. Indicators are a way to describe certain characteristics in the social environment to make them measurable. In a certain way they define the characteristics of how it can be detected and measured.

Main objective of employment

The UN CRPD demands that persons with disabilities are included in all areas of social life. Employment is a major element in the participation and inclusion in social life. The UN CRPD demand that legal instruments and measures should have the main objectives of instruments and measures shall be to

  • enable and promote the full inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of social life and to help them to sustain a life in dignity and that (Article 3 of the UN CRPD)
  • Opportunities for employment should ideally be created in an open, accessible and inclusive labour market (Article 27 UN CRPD).

Practical indicators of vocational rehabilitation measures and legal instruments

Based on these objectives vocational rehabilitation measures and legal instruments promoting the professional inclusion of persons with disabilities should be:

  1. All persons have equal opportunities and are not discriminated against (Article 3 UN CRPD)
    Equality of opportunities and non-discrimination are basic human rights. Within the labour market this is often not yet achieved for persons with disabilities. Legal instruments and vocational rehabilitation measures shall therefore promote these principles and provide pathways for persons with disabilities.
    Sub-Indicators for this criterion can be existing legal frameworks, monitoring mechanisms or the promotion of measures for persons with disabilities.
  2. Empowering persons with disabilities to reach individual autonomy and independence (Article 3 UN CRPD)
    Stated in the Preamble of the UN CRPD individual autonomy and independence is of major importance. Within the context of the labour market this is a major challenge for them. Due to social factors and the interaction with individual impairments barriers are created hindering the individual autonomy. Legal instruments and measures therefore shall support the development of individual autonomy and independence to the biggest extent possible.
    Sub-Indicators for this criterion can be that individual needs of persons with disabilities are turned into achievable or measurable results within their social context supported through legal or policy frameworks as well as guidance for their implementation.
  3. Implementing a twin track approach
    Although not demanded by the UN CRPD the twin track approach has been adopted by different international organisations as a tool to achieve the inclusion of persons with disabilities. Taking into account the interaction between the individual and the social environment legal instruments and measures should effect both in a positive way. At individual level the person should obtain reasonable accommodation and support. At social level disability should be mainstreamed that all stakeholders are prepared to provide an environment that is barrier-free, inclusive and allows the participation of persons with disabilities. This can be best reached through an integrated approach that involves all stakeholders at community level concerned with the employment of persons with disabilities.
    A sub-indicator for this criterion that all stakeholders create integrated and coordinated meas-ures and activities.
  4. Operating efficiency
    A second indicator lying outside the UN CRPD can help to ensure the sustainability of vocational rehabilitation measures and legal instruments. They should respect operating efficiency. Otherwise they can be endangered due to the scarcity of resources in low-income countries.
    Sub-Indicators for this criterion can be the precautious use of resources to implement the instrument or measure, the benefit that employers can perceive or the prospected sustaining of livelihood of the person with disability.

Conclusions

The UN CRPD can be used to create indicators for measuring the inclusiveness of vocational rehabilitation measures. By doing this the UN CRPD can turn into a tool for designing measures, to support policy makers and to monitor the efficiency of these measures.

So long….