The book chapter offers a critique of the ideology of work as it relates to people with disabilities in the era defined by Jeremy Rifkin as the ‘end-of-work’ period where some types of work are disappearing due to globalisational exports of jobs and some are replaced by high technology. It demonstrates that in relation to people with disabilities exclusionary practices and segregation in workplaces prevail despite new laws and regulations in the countries of Eastern Europe which have joined the European Union in the last decade. The workfare ideology has contributed to the creation of more short-term welfare jobs and growing number of placements in sheltered workplaces without a work contract. However, there has been no fundamental shift in societal beliefs about the normatively constructed normativity of the “work-capable body” in the region and indeed most parts of the world (Asia as one of examples). The book chapter presents data and figures on employment and types of employment of disabled persons in Slovenia and comparatively in some others countries of Eastern Europe.
F.02 Acquisition of new scientific knowledge
COBISS.SI-ID: 4154981The leader of the research program group was the organiser and chair of a twoday scientific symposium Against Social Suffering: Social Work in Alliance with People with Disabilities in the Times of Crises in June 2013; researchers from 15 countries (Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia, Austria, Srilanka, South Africa, Hong Kong, Georgia, Russia, Greece, Great Britain, India, Kosovo, Germany) presented cutting edge research results in disability studies and national and comparative analyses of the situation of people with disabilities from the perspective of human rights. The research program group leader raised funding for it also outside ARRS, from the European Association of the Schools of Social Work, EASSW and the nternational Association of Schools of Social Work, IASSW. Also other members of the program group participated at the symposium, including two young researchers.The outcome of the symposium is an audio book – a collection of all lectures, abstracts and photographic material from the conference. The audio book is an open resource, available to all audiences
B.01 Organiser of a scientific meeting
The articles are in two languages, Slovene and English, and adopt a critical perspective in reflecting on social constructions of normality. They point to the confinement of people with physical, sensory or intellectual disabilities in social care institutions as a source of discrimination. These and other discriminatory practices disable people. In opposition to these processes, this issue of Socialno delo strives for an ethics of disability, in the sense of a consideration of physical, sensory and intellectual impairments as part of human diversity and an acknowledgement of the experience of disability as a point of departure for obtaining special insight into the world.
C.03 Guest-associated editor
COBISS.SI-ID: 4249189Basic guidelines for evaluation of Equal Opportunities for People with Disabilities Act are presented and initial opinions of people with disabilities regarding measures and rights for ensuring equal opportunities are analysed as are also secondary data sources which are obligatory evidences of various public institutions. For public institutions the main obstacle in guaranteeing rights for people with disabilities are scarce financial resources. Meanwhile people with disabilities have noticed that professionals in the public institutions do not have adequate knowledge about legislation, procedures are usually very bureaucratic and they react to slowly to the needs of the people with disabilities
F.12 Improvements to an existing service
COBISS.SI-ID: 1765225The result is from the field of Sociopolitical systems, structures and processes – the social protection of specific groups. In the research report the analysis of practical work in the field of vocational rehabilitation is presented. Focus is on identification of urgent changes on various levels: legislation, organizational level, professional level.
F.12 Improvements to an existing service
COBISS.SI-ID: 1679721