Sheltered employment in the context of autistic persons special needs

 

            It is estimated that about 10 000 of adult persons with autism live in Poland. The majority of them aren’t working, although European experience showed that persons with ASD are able to work, if they meet appropriate conditions. However work is fundamental factor in their therapy and the rehabilitation because of improving self-esteem and giving the chance of social inclusion.

            The severity of ASD means that they require life-long training, adapted to their specific needs are necessary in the fields of:

·         education, to develop work competencies as well as the social and personal skills,

·         professional training , continuous teaching and learning,

·          improving the access to professional training and employment.

 

            The absence of early, individualised and continuous training has irreparable consequences on personal development and the ability to gain employment in the adulthood.

 

            The need of life-long learning and support at the workplace

            In referenced to the impairment of learning generalisation abilities adults with ASD should be eligible for appropriate support to continuous education and vocational training in terms of specific educational strategies, adapted educational settings, specialized teachers, individualized attention and job coaching, regardless of level of severity or functioning.

             After compulsory education, adults with ASD should have access to regular upper secondary school, appropriate to their individual needs and abilities, or to special courses aimed at enhancing and maintaining acquired individual skills and knowledge in functional areas.

            Adults with ASD should have access to vocational training based on the person’s individual motivation, abilities and needs that can lead to employment or to more or less supported forms of occupation, depending on prior individual training, skills and experience, and which provides continuous education in the field of an occupation.

            Whatever the kind or level of adult education, facilities should provide individually tailored programmes, based on the person’s individual strengths, motivation and priorities, and on continuous functional assessments by means of reliable instruments.

             Adequate support at the workplace (adaptation of the environment, supervision by professionals, tasks appropriate to personal disability) is an essential condition for people with autism to benefit from the services that do exist for people with disabilities, such as sheltered workshops. The lack of both training and adapted support, explains to a large extent why people with autism are almost entirely excluded from the labour market and remain totally dependent on their families support in the long term.

 

            Sheltered employment in Poland

            In the contrast to USA and western European counties, there is a lack of specific forms of vocational education as well as vocational support for autistic persons at national level in Poland. However according to legal rights social and vocational rehabilitation is related to sheltered employment for both groups of disabled persons (with intellectual disability and ASD) in Poland [1], conducted in:

·         Sheltered workplaces (ZPCh),

·         occupational workshops (ZAZ),

·         occupational therapy workshops (WTZ) as well as within

·         supported employment in the open market.

 

The Act of 1997[2] focuses on workplaces for disabled people called "sheltered workplaces" or "vocational activity workshops" (ZPCh) which are present in all countries with an advanced system of vocational rehabilitation. They are created on the basis of a contract that the state makes with employers who commit themselves to fulfil certain obligations and criteria. In return, employers receive a set of tax exemptions and subsidies from the state fund. The employer must maintain between 30 and 40 per cent of employees with disabilities, depending on their degree of disability. The sheltered workplace must be adapted to the needs of people with disabilities; have available emergency and professional medical care, and offer guidance and rehabilitation.

Since 1 January 2004, protected labour employers receive support for financing the salaries of employees with disabilities.

Generally, these are workplaces earmarked for disabled individuals with a considerably limited ability to work. Previously, protected employers existed as cooperatives of disabled people where rather rigorous requirements were the norm. There are 2104 sheltered workplaces in Poland up to 2012 where 189141 persons with disability are employed however this proposal is not adequate to autistic persons needs.

Occupational workshops (ZAZ) are is also a form of employment for people with significant disability and low work efficiency. Their main purpose is to offer employment to people with significant disabilities to prepare them for life in an open environment, through social and vocational rehabilitation and support for a complete, independent and active life (according to their individual capabilities).

Occupational workshops can be established by districts or communes, or by NGOs whose statutory purpose is the social and vocational rehabilitation of people with disabilities. They must attain the required disabled employee ratio, with the proportion of employees with a significant degree of disability in relation to other employees depending on the activity of the enterprise. The creation and operation of such enterprises is financed from the state fund and by the local authority. Social insurance is financed partly from the state fund and partly from the state budget.

Occupational workshops were introduced into the legislation in 1998[3] through the advocacy and the efforts of the Polish Association for Persons with Mental Retardation. Unfortunately, until the end of 2002 the State Fund was only able to support 11 such enterprises. Out of those, in since 2003 many workshops were actually operating and were being created. The total amount of them in Poland is 68 up to 2012. These occupational workshops employed approximately 3452 people with significant disabilities. Although more occupational workshops are being established, there are still very few employing people with intellectual disabilities.

Occupational workshops that are conduct business activity on a non-profit basis. These enterprises operate according to the free market rules, and fight for their market position, clients, demand and further existence. There are actually 20 ZAZ enterprises in Poland and so far their share is negligible as regards being an important link in vocational rehabilitation of people with high degree disability.

Employees in occupational workshops with a significant degree of disability are entitled to medical, social or vocational rehabilitation. Each employee has a specially developed individual rehabilitation program which is evaluated at least once a year. For an employee who reaches an adequate general level of vocational skills, a program of employment is developed on the basis of which the manager of the enterprise supports the employee in their search for an appropriate job on the open market.

Apart from the two forms of sheltered employment described above, one should also mention occupational therapy workshops (WTZ). These are not places of employment for persons with disabilities, but they play an important role in social and vocational rehabilitation, especially of persons with intellectual disabilities. Participants in such workshops do not have the status of an employee and do not sign an employment contract. These units, however, offer people with disabilities and opportunity to participate in social and vocational rehabilitation so as to gain, or regain, employability through occupational therapy. The workshops have been operating since 1991 as day centres which conduct non-profit activities. They can be administered by NGOs, local authorities and other units, such as foundations or sheltered workplaces.

The creation and operation of occupational therapy workshops is financed from the state fund. However, their level of financing decreased by 60 per cent for start-up costs (by 2006) and by 70 per cent for operating costs (by 2008). These units have to look for other sources of funding and it is difficult to predict how the situation will develop in the coming years.

Occupational therapy workshops, as based on the act and decree by the Ministry of Labour and Social Politics of 8 September 1992 regarding the principles of creating, scope of activity and financing of such workshops, are relatively new in the Polish vocational rehabilitation system. In light of the aforementioned legal acts it can be seen that the workshops focus on implementing basic rehabilitation programs or pre-vocational schooling. Employers have been obligated to create these occupational therapy workshops. Other organizational units may also develop such workshops with the participation of the Provincial Centre for Hiring and Rehabilitation of the Disabled. They are intended for those disabled individuals deemed completely unable to work and who were qualified for this type of rehabilitation. The goal of such workshops is rehabilitation aimed at the general development of every participant, improvement of personal resourcefulness, physical and psychological efficacy, as well as social adaptation and functioning (social integration). There were 653 occupational therapy workshops up to 2012 in Poland some of them are open for people with ASD.

People with higher degree of intellectual disability (moderate and severe) are employed within the system of supported employment in regulate enterprises with the support of job coach. Contemporary tendencies connected with the employment of the intellectually disabled should be connected with changing the way of thinking from a traditional one of “train to employ” to “employ to train” In the latter case, the employment is not a final stage of job-seeking but is the first step of employee training and teaching them to perform specific jobs in their positions.

 

Vocational reality for autistic people in Poland

Proposals mentions above are not adequate to autistic person needs as well as specific functional problems. The results of interviews conducted by Fundacja Synapsis within previous projects of persons with autism social and vocational activation showed that these persons in Poland did not take employments up in Poland so far. There is no previous experience of cooperation with employers on the open or supported labour market.

So far in Poland only few persons with AS tried to take the work.

Fundacja Synapsis realised the Project „Zatrudnij Asa” which was planned as the one year lasting social and vocational training for persons with Asperger Syndrome in IT and clerical works. 15 persons took part in the project which was ended with internships in enterprises on the both open and supported labour market.

The proposed programme was aimed to change of unsatisfied vocational situation requires wide disseminating the benefits of employing ASD persons for employers and the society as a whole.

As the project result the training model based on the UK (National Autistic Society) and Danish (Specialist People Foundation) experience was formulate. All results of the project indicate that the model of input people with ASD in the labor market has a chance to prove correctly in Poland. It should be mentioned that the elements of the model developed in the framework of the "Zatrudnij ASA" Project are now being used in the project "Support for People with Autism II" implemented by the SYNAPSIS Foundation. The main goal of this project is to stimulate 350 people with autism (76 women and 274 men) from all over the country in the period from 01.12.2011 to 30.09.2013 by providing comprehensive, individualized support service when entering and functioning on the labor market.

The Community of Hope Foundation leads two projects in the field of autistic persons employment in Małopolska district. First one is called “Employment support for adults with autism”, the others is “The support model organization in the field of persons with autism employment”. Both projects aim to improve the professional and personal competences in the target group of 60 autistic people and to change attitudes of employees.

Training for 350 or even more people with ASD is not enough in the contrast of estimated amount of 10 000 adult persons with autism living in Poland however it is the visible top of the iceberg.

Some of adults with ASD participate in occupational therapy workshops (WTZ) administered by NGOs however it is difficult to estimate the amount. Those who live in big cities, where NGO’s activity is well organised may attend to and be active.

The example of good practice in Krakow where adults with ASD are involved into many activities is Occupational Therapy Workshop of ChSON „Ognisko” organised by Christian Association of Handicapped Persons their Families and Friends “Ognisko” . This particular Workshop focuses on implementing basic rehabilitation programs or pre-vocational schooling and it is intended for those 30 disabled individuals few of them suffer from ASD, deemed completely unable to work and who were qualified for this type of rehabilitation.

The supported employment solution with the support of job coach is relatively new proposal. Only few of adults with ASD were able work with this project in Krakow also organised by Christian Association of Handicapped Persons their Families and Friends “Ognisko”.  Trainees with ASD were trained to serve office as well as cleaning equipment and were successfully employed with the support of job coach.

The very new solution is social enterprise as an institution which is acting on the market for the realization of social objectives. According to the definition by Krzysztof Herbst social enterprise is "institution conducting a business activity which is investing developed surpluses into activity or into community depending on fixed destinations, instead of aiming the maximum profit for shareholders or owners."

Pracownia Rzeczy Różnych SYNAPSIS is first social enterprise for persons with autism in Poland opened in 2007. It is located in Wilcza Góra near Warsaw and it is centre of employment for 24 adult persons with autism. It is combined with many special studios. Professional printing services are one of main activities. In frames of ceramics, glass and carpenter studio handicraft products are coming into existence. The autism specificity doesn't let the mass production - instead of it products are produced in frames of short series or being unique.

            Similar social enterprise was organised in Krakow also by Christian Association of Handicapped Persons their Families and Friends “Ognisko” in Krakow.

 

Conclusions

1.      All particular solutions in the field of life-long learning as well as vocational training and improvement of personal as well professional skills and competencies of adults with ASD are taken in Poland under the auspices of NGOs.

2.      The local activities are not followed by equal access for all persons with ASD. Those who live in cities have easiest access to project and proposals.

3.      However NGOs are very active in organising support and training for persons with ASD the results are limited.

4.      There is lack of extremely fundamental general legal and financial regulations necessary for organisational framework in the wild context of macro-system.