Alexandra Wandel and Martin Essl hand over the award certificate to Chile's More Capable Programme.

Policies to improve access to work for people with disabilities awarded in Vienna

Hamburg, 27 February 2017 –  One billion people worldwide live with a disability and have limited access to healthcare, education and employment. To counter their exclusion from the labour market, the government and the private sector can play a vital role. From February 22-24, over 500 participants attended the annual Zero Project Conference at the United Nations Office in Vienna to celebrate the most innovative policies and practices that improve the access to vocational training and work for persons with disabilities.  Read more

Sixth Zero Project Conference will be held in Vienna

From 22-24th February 2017, together with the Essl Foundation and the European Foundation Centre, we convene the sixth Zero Project Conference at the United Nations Office in Vienna, Austria. The event is dedicated to celebrate and highlight 11 Innovative Policies and 56 Innovative Practices that have advanced disability-inclusive employment and vocational education and training from around the world. As in the past years, we expect more than 500 participants from more than 70 countries to join this international summit, which will consist of 35 events, workshops and panels, engaging close to 200 speakers. Read more

Zero Project launches call for nominations of Innovative Policies 2017

Work is essential for realizing other human rights and it forms an inseparable and inherent part of human dignity. Employment of persons with disabilities is about 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.

Hence, the Zero Project 2017 is focusing on Work, Employment, and Vocational Education and Training, and our call for nominating innovative policies has just been launched!

Any type of policy can be nominated, concerning:

  • any form of work (employment, own-use production work, volunteer work, trainee work),
  • any status of employment (employees, employers, own-account workers, members of producers’ cooperatives, contributing family workers and other) and
  • all phases of employment (including recruitment, hiring and employment, advancement and conditions of work), including those innovations that facilitate the transition from segregated settings to forms of employment in the open labour market.
Consider, for instance, policies concerning:
  • non-discrimination,
  • the transition from school to work,
  • technical and vocational guidance,
  • placement services and assistance in finding, obtaining, maintaining and returning to employment,
  • vocational and continuing training, inclusive apprenticeships,
  • adaptations to the workplace, job design, tools, machinery and work organisation,
  • self-employment, entrepreneurship, cooperatives and starting one’s own business,
  • financial incentives and tax exemptions,
  • just and favourable working conditions,
  • career advancement,
  • part-time employment and other job arrangements,
  • supported employment,
  • coordination with other services (e.g. embedding employment specialists in clinical treatment teams),
  • peer support,
  • train-the trainer-programmes,
  • disability-inclusive social security or
  • certification of companies.

 

 

You know about an outstanding policy? Nominate it!

Submitting a nomination is easy:

Read the instructions first, complete the nomination form (available in several languages) and then send the nomination form to: i.heindorf@zeroproject.org by May 15, 2016 (23:59 CET).

If selected, the nomination will be included as an “Innovative Policy 2017” in the Zero Project Report and on our Website. Nominated organizations as well as their nominators will be invited to become part of the Zero Project expert network. Moreover, representatives of the most outstanding Innovative Policies will be invited to present at the Zero Project Conference in February 2017 in Vienna (Austria).

We are looking forward to receiving your nomination!

The Zero Project Team & Zero Project Partners

This article was originally published on zeroproject.org