SPECIFICS IN TRANSITION OF STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES TO WORLD OF

WORKIN SLOVAKIA

WORLD STATISTICS15 % of world population are

people with disabilities (including children and youth)

They are in danger of social exclusion, poverty and abuse

They have to face insufficient conditions provided by social services; low education and unemployment

SITUATION IN SLOVAKIA Only 30% of all 240 000 disabled people are

employed – it represents 8,6% of all working population of Slovakia

7 out of 10 people with disability are unemployed and in danger of social exclusion

EDUCATION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES According to the statistics from 2014/2015

there were 35 000 children with disabilities educated at special schools or classes in Slovakia

Only 5% has finished higher education

LINK BETWEEN VOCATIONAL DEPARTMENTS AND DEMAND ON LABOUR MARKET

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION OF STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES According to the degree of intellectual disability, pupils after finishing compulsory schooling, which in Slovakia lasts for 10 years or until age of 16, pupils with intellectual disabilities can prepare for their profession:

1. at vocational schools – type of school, where educational programs provide training for the performance of less demanding work activities for mild intellectually disabled students or students with mild intellectual disability combined with other (sensory or physical) disability

2. at practical school – at this type of school the students will not master vocational apprenticeship. After graduating students do not receive a vocational certificate, but the certificate of completion of practical school with focus on help professions in particular fields under the supervision of a responsible person – it is for students with moderate intellectual disability who are not able to attend vocational schools

PROFILE OF PRACTICAL SCHOOLS – THEIR SPECIALISATION The profile of a practical school is determined by

selecting optional vocational subject and depends on material condition of the school and also reflects specific needs of the region.

The profile subject can be any of the optional vocational subjects, their combination or other subjects, that are focused on mastering simple work sills in sheltered workshops of the region

For less skilled graduates of special primary schools – with moderate intellectual disability, who do not have predisposition to work in sheltered employment, the profile subject can be „Housework and housekeeping“ which is focused to prepare students to live in sheltered accommodation.

VOCATIONAL DEPARTEMENTS OF PRACTICAL SCHOOL CARING FOR THE ELDERLY AND SICK GARDENING KITCHEN SUPPORT WORK CRAFTS WORK GARDEN SUPPORT WORK AND FLOWER

DESIGN WEAVING OFFICE SUPPORT WORK

VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS FOR INTELLECTUALLY DISABLED Educational programme of vocational schools

for students with intellectual disabilities as established in accordance with international standards for classification of education (International Standard Classification of Education - ISCED 97). ISCED 2 corresponds to lower secondary vocational education.

Vocational school is the type of school where education programs provide training for the performance of less demanding work activities for mentally handicapped or mentally disabled students in combination with other disabilities..

VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS DEPARTMENTS: Metal work and metal production Food production – baker, cook, Textile and clothes production - tailor Wood production Construction work Agriculture and forest work Shop assistant and other services

INCENTIVES OF EMPLOYMENT OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN SLOVAKIA In Slovakia only few people with disability

work (19%). This fact indicates very low ability of Slovak social

system to support and motivate people with disabilities to work or to actively search for work. Main income of people with disabilities comes from state benefits.  

One of the state incentives to support employment of disabled people is financial contribution towards establishment of a sheltered workshops or individual sheltered work placement, which employ people with disabilities, who are, with such state support, able to join the job market.  

SLOVAK SOCIAL SYSTEM Slovak social system is unable sufficiently motivate

people with disabilities to search for work. The result of such policy is high level of dependency of people with disabilities on social welfare and state benefits.

Lack of services for disabled and weak financial and material motivation to look for work are major causes of a very low rate of employment of disabled people in Slovakia

High percentage of unmotivated unemployed people with disability indicates the inclination of Slovak social system to take over the responsibility for life condition of disabled people, rather than establish functional and systematic employment strategy and let them carry the responsibility for themselves.

SPECIFICS OF SHELTERED EMPLOYMENT AND SHELTERED WORKSHOPS IN SLOVAKIA

SHELTERED WORKSHOPS AND SHELTERED EMPLOYMENT Sheltered workshop and sheltered employment are

workplaces set up by legal entity or personal entity, where work at least 50% of people with disabilities ,who were unable to find employment in the open labour market

or workplaces where people with disabilities are trained for their profession and the working conditions are adapted to health conditions of people with disabilities

Establishment of an individual work place, established and adapted to individual health condition of a disabled person by legal or personal entity is also considered sheltered employment.

Sheltered employment can be established also at home environment of a disabled person.

STATE INCENTIVES Employers, who set up a sheltered

workshop or sheltered workplace, receive a financial contribution for setting up a sheltered workshop or sheltered workplace and a contribution to reimbursement of additional costs.

The minimum duration of sheltered workshop or sheltered workplace supported by this incentive is at least three years.

WORK ASSISTANT Employers who employ a person with disability or a

self-employed persons with disability are eligible to receive a financial contribution for a personal work assistant.

Work assistant is: an employee, who provides support to employee /employees with disabilities when they carry out their work duties and help with their personal needs during work time

ora person who provides support to a self-employed person with disability in order to carry out their work.

REALITY IN SLOVAKIA There is no functional an systematic link between

practical schools and vocational schools for intellectualy disabled and demand at labour market. Sheltered workshops and sheltered employment are established unorganized by mostly non-profit or non-govermental organisations, which are orientated at help and support of people with disabilities. These organisations are mostly founded by parents or relatives of people with disabilities.

The work profile of the sheltered workshop is then selected according the ability of individuals and takes into account the needs and possibilities of the region in order to survive among the competition of other shelterd workshops.

OTHER STATE INCENTIVES TO SUPPORT EMPLOYMENT OF DISABLED

In Slovakia employers which employ 50 employees must employ at least 1 person with disability or if not, they must support the sheltered workshop by using their services or buying their products or they pay the fine.

Many employers choose to pay the fine over other option either because they have no information about sheltered workshops and their products or services or simply because it is easier to pay the fine which is not very high and does not have much effect on the employer.

SUMMARY There is not effective and systematic approach to find

solutions to support transition of people with intellectual disabilities into a labour market.

Neither Vocational schools nor Practical schools reflect real demand of labour market and they are established in accordance with possibilities of the school.

Despite the state incentives such as financial contributions and benefits towards establishments of sheltered workshops and employment, they are mostly established by non-profit organisations founded by parents and they often struggle to survive in the competition of labour market.

Other significant setback is insufficient vocational education for intellectually disabled, where the schools educate in such vocations which do not reflect the real demand of labour market.

EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE – SHELTERED WORKSHOPS IN SLOVAKIABetánia:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMctzeFiVMk

Dom Svitania: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzPlH7JhiUM

Dúha:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4HOWXxLixUPrima:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tq77DIAirkBarlička:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez6W4LD1-ng

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