Dear listmates:
For most of 2017 I have been busy guiding a research process aimed at the closely linked areas of vocational education and work for people with disabilities. This included a long process of literatiure review and online collaboration, an intensive one-week research workshop with 25+ international participants at the Lorentz Centre of the University of Leiden (including many list members), and editing the results into a report. The final report was officially presented for the first time last week, to the UWV (the Dutch government's benefits and work agency).
The final report is deliberately short (35 pages), with 1 to 2-page summaries of findings and recommendations for each barrier to or facillitating factor for full inclusion that we identified, plus a helpful reference list. We wanted to make the report readable and useful, and also have it function as a clear call to action.
For researchers, there are several areas of policy and practice that were identified as having a very weak research base - either little (recent) research has been done, or the quality of available research was limited, or the research base failed to really examine the impact on disabled people. In almost every area research was very West-centric, and there is a need to look at practices that can and do work outside the developed world, and at the impact of intersectionality. So if you are looking for a topic where new and better research might be a game-changer, this report is for you!
For policymakers, practitioners, DPOs and disability activists, we hope this report provides a clear road map of where we are now, including serious problems, some potential ways around barriers, and some actions that are very much needed. Please use it, pass it on to colleagues and friends, and let us know if you find it helpful in your work.
The report Included In Training and Work: Transforming Policies and Practices for People With Disabilities can be downloaded here:
We intend to turn it into a book, with greater detail and case studies, but that project will require time and money... Anyone who has suggestions for a small grants programme that might be a good fit for this project, please contact me :-)
Regards,
Dr Mitzi Waltz