70% of young disabled people seek jobs, but only 20% manage to find them
Perhaps everyone without exception is looking for a way to realize oneself in this life and be useful. Meanwhile, failure to satisfy this need causes many complexes and tragedies. A common belief is that most handicapped individuals have considerable productive potential and can realize it on a par with others. However, currently the number of working disabled persons does not exceed 13% of all registered working-age disabled individuals. In early 2002, the number of disabled adults employed in manufacturing came to 323,700 persons. A major cause for concern is the fact that the number of working handicapped persons grows at a slower rate than does the total number of the physically challenged. Statistics suggest that while in 1993 there were nearly two million disabled individuals, in 2002 this figure reached 2.7 million. Also worrying is the fact that young people account for a major share of unemployed individuals with special needs. Data from a poll conducted by the State Institute for the Problems of Family and Youth suggest that over 70% of young disabled people seek employment, but only 20% find jobs. Employment statistics also reveal a negative trend, with 55% of the disabled doing physical labor and 35% unskilled work. A mere 24% of the handicapped persons polled said they have highly intellectual jobs.
Among the problems faced by the disabled are fourteen-hour workdays, shorter vacations, and unofficial employment without the corresponding entries made in the employment record book (which determines pensions — Ed.) There is also a practice of using physically disabled persons in the shadow sector of the economy, which involves mostly young people in their late teens. This is due to the fact that they face limited opportunities for schooling and the fact that employers tend to underpay children.
During the presentation of the book, Employment of Young People with Functional Disabilities, hosted by the State Institute for the Problems of Family and Youth, Andriy Shvetsov, coordinator of the National Assembly of the Disabled of Ukraine, stressed the fact that the past five years have seen positive shifts in the work with the disabled. However, theoretical and methodological materials are still in short supply. Moreover, according to Mr. Shvetsov, if formerly disabled people were viewed only within the medical model that limited their employment and focused on their social security alone, today we must introduce a social model. This means that this category of people should be able to socialize, that is, the social environment must embrace and not reject them. To illustrate, a Swedish laundry employed five young men with mental disabilities. Once a week a social worker stopped by and talked with them.
According to Svitlana Tolstoukhova, director of the State Center of Social Services for the Young, to foster social adaptation of disabled children, they must be granted privileges in education and employment, and specialized enterprises for the handicapped must be created. In her view, a way out of the existing situation could be developing extension learning programs and certain computer software, along with creating a network of public organizations funded from the state budget.
