Social Skills At The Centre Of InclusionFrom economic inclusion to social inclusion using social competences.

Karel Van IsackerPhoenixkm BVBA, Belgium, karel@phoenixkm.eu

EU28 wasteland when it comes to the employment of people with disabilities

•Estimated 80 million EU citizens have a disability▫characterised by low employment shares▫relatively high unemployment or

inactivity shares▫inactivity status ranges from 21% in

Austria to 78% in the United Kingdom

But does employability define inclusion?•There are also the values of dignity, autonomy

and equality that accompany inclusion.▫Key EU principles▫Supported also by the UN’s human rights treaty,

the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) to which the EU is a signatory.

▫They provide the core concepts of self-determination, participation and inclusion.

EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights

•Prohibits the discrimination on the ground of disability and recognises the right of disabled people to integration and inclusion

•BUT:▫segregating disabled people from society still occurs▫ inclusion has mainly been an employability driven

policy: sheltered employment, regulation and employment quota obligations, vocational training and rehabilitation programmes as well as labour market measures

Are people included because they are employed?•NO!▫They might still be below the poverty line.▫Associated impacts on health and social isolation▫Solutions tend to be primarily top-down, whereby

those who experience social exclusion have few active roles in determining the solutions.

When is there true inclusion?

•When also social inclusion is addressed.

• “Acceptance of the dominant societal values and lifestyle, leading to moralistic judgements if individuals reject the dominant norms.”

BlueAssist initiative in Flanders, Belgium

What does social exclusion stand for?

• In the past there was a massive denial of the essential humanity of people with disabilities

•Six common constructions, or ways of understanding and picturing disability.▫People with disabilities are different from fully human

people▫The successful "handicapped" person is superhuman▫The burden of disability is unending▫A disability is a sickness, something to be fixed▫People with disabilities are a menace to others▫People with disabilities, especially cognitive impairments,

are holy innocents

Segregation•A pervasive and entrenched segregation of

people with disabilities from community life took place, resulting in a profound social devaluation of people with disabilities.

•Be a full and valued member of family and society, have a full life in the community with the best prospects in life, at home, at school and at work.

Necessitates a different way of thinking

Social inclusion•Social inclusion is often seen as a remedy to

combat social exclusion, without defining social inclusion as a term in its own right.

• “Social inclusion must come down to somewhere to live, something to do, someone to love”▫Social inclusion should be interpreted in terms of

social and civic participation, including consumption, saving, production, political and social activity

Social inclusion vs. Economic inclusion•Social inclusion cannot be realised separately from

economic, social, political, neighbourhood and spatial, individual and group factors.

• The notion of social capital contributes considerably to social inclusion:▫human trust, mutuality and reciprocity and acting so that

people can benefit as individuals, groups and members in society

▫social networking (incl. interpersonal contacts) and the opportunity to build up personal and social potential, which are fundamentally important for both employment and community participation

Social inclusion is at the same time the “glue” and the end product•Process of:▫ensuring people have equal access to the benefits and

services enjoyed by other members of the community in order that they are not excluded;

▫supporting people in accessing resources and developing capacity building skills so they may remain connected to the community in difficult times;

▫developing people’s opportunities through their experiences of family and community;

▫ensuring individuals can identify their needs, give feedback on their environment, and influence and take charge of their futures.

Barriers to social inclusion

•Social inclusion and exclusion are often measured by mixing indicators taken from secondary data sources, such as the ones used by the OECD in its report ”transforming disability into ability”.

•Another approach could be to study them through the lens and experiences of people with disabilities, using qualitative user surveys.

•Very little research has been done.

Barriers to social inclusion• From the perspective of people with intellectual

disabilities (UK study):▫ lack of necessary knowledge and skills; role of support

staff and service mangers; location of house; and community factors such as lack of amenities and attitudes

▫Participants were able to identify a range of solutions for these barriers. Most of their proposals were in line with the aims of current government policy and good practice. individuals could contribute to the planning of local

services for themselves and others.

Barriers to social inclusion• UK survey of the stigma, taboos and discrimination experienced by

people with mental health problems:▫ (69%) of people had been put off applying for jobs for fear of unfair

treatment;▫ half (50%) of people felt unfairly treated by general health care services; ▫ almost half (47%) of the people had been abused or harassed in public,

and some (14%) had been physically attacked;▫ almost half (45%) of people thought that discrimination had increased in

the last 5 years compared with 18% who thought it had decreased;▫ a third of people (34%) said they had been dismissed or forced to

resign from jobs;▫ a third (33%) complained that their general practitioner had treated

them unfairly;▫ …

Barriers to social inclusion

•A recent study found that 9 out of 10 people in Britain have never had a disabled person in their house for a social occasion!

Barriers to social inclusion•Social inclusion means to people with a learning

disability:▫ talking to people, being and feeling accepted,

involvement in the community, and being able to grasp offered opportunities are commented on and assessed.

▫Main barriers: abilities and skills e.g. poor knowledge of the area; staff and management e.g. not allowed to go out alone; the community e.g. name calling and bullying; the home / scheme e.g. few community facilities nearby.

Overcoming barriers to social inclusion•Suggested solutions for persons with a learning

disability▫Personal Ability and Skills

Access to appropriate skills training (literacy /numeracy/ budgeting/ independent travel).

Getting to know the neighbourhood. Encouragement from staff to socialise. Information, access and encouragement towards a

healthy lifestyle.

Overcoming barriers to social inclusion•Suggested solutions for persons with a learning

disability▫The community

Education of the community – schools etc. Accessible information provided on activities / events Make links with community through Open Days in

services More advocates and volunteers to accompany

individuals Increased use of existing (mainstream) facilities and

activities

Social competences

•A prerequisite to be able to function in society and take up the social inclusion at its full extent.▫“Complex, multidimensional concept consisting of

social, emotional, cognitive, and behavioural skills, as well as motivational and expectancy sets needed for successful social adaptation. Social competence also reflects having an ability to take another's perspective concerning a situation, learn from past experiences, and apply that learning to the changes in social interactions.”

Social competences deficits• Social competence deficits have become a defining

characteristic of individuals with specific learning disability that create a barrier towards their social inclusion.▫ skill deficit (refers to those instances when an individual has

never learned the required social or cognitive skill to use in a particular social situation)

▫ performance deficit ( refers to those instances when an individual has learned a social skill but fails to perform in the appropriate situation)

▫ self-control deficit (refers to those instances when an individual’s lack of self-control results in negative behaviours, which interfere with both acquiring and performing appropriate social skills).

Acquiring social competences• SGSCC - Serious Games for Social & Creativity Competence

(http://games4competence.eu/)• Addresses an array of aspects of social competence that support social

inclusion▫ Skill to build up peer relations;▫ The concept of the “self” whereby the individual supported in having similar

levels of self-concept, or feelings of self-worth and -esteem in different areas (work, social life);

▫ The social skills that include the skills to interact with others such as outgoing, initiating, and cooperating behaviour;

▫ The social perceptions whereby social cues from others are correctly interpreted to avoid the display of inappropriate or unexpected behaviour; and finally the attributions that refer to the individual's ideas concerning the cause of events ( their successes and failures may be attributed to factors such as luck or others' efforts rather than to their own efforts (e.g. working hard).

Thank you.