“People with disabilities can and are willing to work, and we need to help them get employed”

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“People with disabilities can and are willing to work, and we need to help them get employed”

“The right to work is the most violated right of people with disabilities.”
“The trainings helped us to organize our thoughts and to understand the steps we need to take to work efficiently with people with disabilities.”
“We should not forget that people with disabilities can and want to work. We should make an effort to help them get employed.”

SAP Three hundred ninety-one people have participated in trainings on career guidance and labor mediation for people with disabilities, organized by Keystone Moldova in Fall 2021. In February 2022 as part of the “Cross-border partnership for inclusive career guidance” project, Keystone Moldova’s team traveled to 33 districts and 2 municipalities to provide participants with materials to help them provide career guidance and labor mediation for people with disabilities.

These training programs have been authorized by the Ministry of Education Department Education, Culture and Research, and participants received two ECTS credits each (European Credit Transfer System).

Many of the participants – employment specialists, specialists from psycho-pedagogical assistance services, teachers, and students – have already managed to put into practice what they have learned in trainings:

“In the trainings I learned several methods of working with people with disabilities, and methods of persuading employers”;
“I realized that the social inclusion of people with disabilities is important. It is necessary to discover students’ abilities, to inform them about available professions and to help them choose a profession”;
“Any child, regardless their disability, can learn and evolve. It is important to help and assist them according to their individual needs”;
“I’ve understood that without partnership we will not achieve anything. In educational inclusion of children with disabilities, the collaboration between teachers, parents, and psychologists is important. If everyone works in the same direction, things will change.”
“Career guidance and inclusion requires the combined effort of several actors. Enthusiasm is a necessary condition in this work. If desired – it is possible.”

At the same time, some participants discussed their experience in career guidance and employment for people with disabilities, collaboration with employers, the role of educational institutions and families in career guidance of people with disabilities, etc. Most of them said that it is difficult for people with disabilities to be employed – some of them are not supported by their families, others do not want to be employed and register as unemployed only to receive social assistance, and employers are very reluctant when it comes to people with disabilities. Lack of accessibility is still a major problem, especially in provincial cities.

The trainings were organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of Moldova, Republican Center for Psychopedagogical Assistance and State Pedagogical University “Ion Creangă.”

The activities are organized within the Project “Cross-border partnership for inclusive career guidance” (2SOFT / 1.1 / 145), implemented by Keystone Moldova in partnership with “Close to You” Romania Foundation, financed by the European Union through the Joint Operational Program Romania–Republic of Moldova 2014-2020, through the European Neighborhood Instrument (ENI).

For more information about the Project, please see: https://www.keystonemoldova.md/en/projects/cross-border-parternship-inclusive-career-guidance/

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“People with disabilities can and are willing to work, and we need to help them get employed”