The rights of persons with disabilities to work

Article 27 of The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRD) is the guiding principles of our Supported Employment Service.  

It puts an onus on state parties (Governments) to “…recognize the right of persons with disabilities to work, on an equal basis with others; this includes the right to 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 to persons with disabilities“ .

We share this guiding principle with many organisations and national associations across Europe who are dedicated to the delivery of the Supported Employment model. Much work is going on to encourage governments to fully implement the UNCRPD as illustrated recently by our Austria colleagues within Dabei (The Austrian Association of Supported Employment), who like our own Northern Ireland Association of Supported Employment (NIUSE) are the umbrella organisation for providers delivering Supported Employment services in Austria. They have recently taken the lead in the development of the Vienna Declaration in partnership with the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) and the European Platform for Rehabilitation (EPR) and represents the first time these organisations have worked in concert to influence European policy. The purpose of this declaration is to provide guidance to stakeholders, policymakers in the EU and at a national level, to trade unions and the business community on how the participation of persons with disabilities in the labour market can be achieved.