Employment Conference July 2003

Arbeitsassistenz - Supporting the Employment of Persons with Visual Impairments in Austria

by Walter BLUMBERGER

Ten years ago, In 1993 the Austrian government developed a new 'disability concept' as a basis for policy and institutions development in this field. The key principles behind this concept are selfdetermination, individualisation and decentralisation of programs, the priority of vocational rehabilitation and that integration into to regular labour market is preferable to segregation in a secondary, protected labour market (1).

These principles are also the idea behind the Arbeitsassistenz - programme in Austria.

The Austrian "Arbeitsassistenz" programme

In respond to the rising number of unemployed people with disabilities in 1992 the Austrian Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs (now: Ministry of Social Security and Generations, BMSG) started two pilot-programmes to bring people with mental health problems (2) back to work. The evaluation of these programmes showed that the Arbeitsassistenz - programme (job assistance - programme) was very efficient and allowed the sustainable employment of persons with disabilities. Between 43% and 50% of the people who asked for advice and support succeeded in finding a job or staying in their job. Compared to the costs of unemployment the benefits which came out of the programme turned out to be higher than the costs (3). In 1995 the Arbeitsassistenz was implemented as a standard tool to ensure regular labour market participation of persons with disabilities into the regular labour market. It has been co-financed by the European Social Fund and corresponds to the aims of the Employment Pillar I, Guideline 9 (2000) of the European Commission (Integration of people with disabilities into the labour market).

The aims of the Arbeitsassistenz programme are :

Legal and financial provisions

The basic legal provision for the Arbeitsassistenz is given in the Disabled Persons Employment Act (Behinderteneinstellungsgesetz, BEinstG) (4), the aim of which is :

Paragraph 6 (2) lit. d says, that the 'costs for actions to support (registered persons with disabilities) in the workplace, especially "Arbeitsassistenz" are to be subsidised (5).

The Arbeitsassisstenz programme is financed by the :

(6)

Legal Aids to Support Employment

Based on the Disabled Persons Employment Act the following state aids can be granted to support the employment of persons with (visual) impairments :

Institutional arrangements

Organisations which want to establish Arbeitsassistenz have to be commissioned by the Federal Office for Disability Affairs (Bundesamt für Soziales und Behindertenwesen, BSB) according to the guidelines. A special contract (Förderungsvertrag) has to be made which not only regulates the subsidises but also details of the target group and the workload as well as criteria of efficiency.

An open access has to be offered by the Arbeitsassistenz to the target groups.

Registered persons with disabilities or people who can prove, e.g. by medical report, that they are at least 50% disabled are allowed to demand Arbeitsassistenz. However they must be able to work in a sheltered workshop, an integrative firm or on the open labour market.

In 2002 four out of 86 Austrian non-profit institutions offered Arbeitsassistenz for individuals with visual impairments. They are located in the provinces of Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Styria and in Vienna. In 2002 they supported 187 persons with visual impairments in finding or keeping a job.

Concepts and Methods

The conceptual idea of Arbeitsassistenz is :

Herewith Arbeitsassistenz can play a role in :

Job-assistants work within the framework of casework methodology and practise a systemic approach.

General Model of Arbeitsassistenz (Ideal Path of Arbeitsassistenz)

Persons who are visually impaired find their ways to the Arbeitsassistenz mostly by information from :

Some of them are fully independent in their daily life activities, some of them have already passed job-assessment programmes and know what they want to work, others are less employable or job-ready. In these cases the Arbeitsassistenz has together with the concerned man or woman to 'clear' the situation in process which is called 'Clearing'. In this process one will find out what the next steps towards an employment should be. In most cases one of the following steps will be taken:

The Arbeitsassistenz does not only support job-finding activities of their clients but supports employers in creating jobs, job designs and special workplace environments for individuals with visual impairments. Job-assistants also look after the family of their clients and support their relatives in copeing with the clients' employment which is sometimes difficult, due to over-protective behaviour.

A very sensitive phase starts when a job has been found: Arbeitsassistenz offers its services to employers and to employees with visual impairments to ensure a sustainable employment. In this phase the main requirement is to create a 'safe environment' for both: Employers can delegate any difficulties they will have to the Arbeitsassistenz and the self-confidence and independence of clients has to be strengthened. More and more it turns out as a problem, that only one month after-placement support is granted by the financing bodies.

Two examples - two different careers

To give a deeper impression of the practical work of the Arbeitsassistenz in Austria, short reports about two extreme but typical cases will be presented:

1. Admir O. - Too many troubles to stand high professional demands

Admir was born in 1978, he was 19 when he got in contact with the Arbeitsassistenz. He is the only son of his Bosnian parents and he has been blind since birth (Retrorentale Fibroplasie). In 1989 he had his first epileptic fit; no more symptoms appeared since 1990. After primary education in a special school he visited an integrative secondary school. After basic mobility training and a Daily-Life-Activity-Training he received some education in communication skills. In 1996, Amir was 18 years old, he started a job-finding programme in a special centre for visually impaired persons. It turned out that he had only little learning problems and was very sensitive as far as tactile abilities were concerned. He agreed to be trained as a physio-masseur. The training was financed by the Labour Market Service and he did very well. After a while he found a job in a well known wellness-centre. The Arbeitsassistenz helped him to move to his new place of residence and to get familiar with his new situation.

During the first 6 months he did a very good job. He was accepted by his colleagues and his superior. But then problems arose and he nearly lost his job because of a significant drop in performance and productivity. The Arbeitsassistenz looked after him and it turned out, that a young lady was the reason for Admirs troubles. She was also visually impaired and decided to live with him. Admirs work performance increased again but some behavioural problems remained. The job-assistant continuously tried to solve the problems. As his girl-friend dropped out of school the job-assistant cared for her too and they looked for a job.

Finally it seemed that Admir and his girl friend could manage their lives and they married after some months. But soon substantial problems appeared again and the Arbeitsassistenz was called. Apart from a stressed relation between the young couple and Admirs parents a neurological problem turned out which lead to an insufficient workability when Admir was stressed emotionally. Therapeutic interventions took place and the situation improved for a short period of time. But after his wife became pregnant Admir collapsed and lost finally his job. In the meanwhile their baby Jakob was born and the young couple moved to the parents of Andrea, his wife. The Arbeitsassistenz helped again to manage the situation. But soon life became more difficult for both and they were divorced.

In 2001 Admir returned to the Arbeitsassistenz. He was very depressed and needed therapeutic help. After intensive discussions Admir tried to work in a sheltered workshop where he was very successful. Again he was trained to work and to accommodate with his new environment. Today he lives independently and he is in a good psychological condition. Since November last year he has been employed regularly and he feels happy.

2. Beate - She convinced a prospective employer

Beate was 24 years old when she came to the Arbeitsassistenz. She was visually impaired by a glaucoma and her visual abilities worsened with time. After primary and secondary education she contacted a special centre for job assessment. Due to her intellectual abilities higher education was suggested and she passed all exams with good marks. She started to study law but after one year she has to break up due to her visual impairments but she also lost interest.

Beate got in contact with the Arbeitsassistenz and she decided to continue her vocational education as an office administrator. Again she was very successful but finally she became nearly blind. So she needed to be trained again to stay independent. Within very few weeks she learned everything that was necessary and looked for a job. Additionally she passed the ECDL-exams. As a consequence to her very individual application for a job she was invited to an interview despite the fact that the manager did not intend to employ her. He was only interested who this person was who had written such an interesting application. After this interview the manager was so impressed by the self-confidence and independence of Beate that he gave her a chance for a job experience in his office because he thought that this might open up better chances at the labour market.

The Arbeitsassistenz and other experts of a special centre for visually impaired people designed the workplace and the workflow for Beate by using some special technical equipment. Information meetings with her future colleagues took place. She started to work and within a few weeks it turned out that she was indispensable in this office and was regularly employed . Today she performs very well and is highly accepted by her colleagues and her superior, she has made friends in the company and she enjoys her job very much.

What can we learn from these two examples ?

First of all we can see that the Arbeitsassistenz does not only deal with "easy" cases. The problems they deal with are often very complex and develop dynamically. Solutions cannot be found only in a simple employment but in empowerment of the clients and in accompanying them into an independent life. Individual assistance has to be provided. Sometimes it is necessary not only to accept the limits of the capabilities of a client but also the up and downs in a career. We also can learn that it is very important to "find the entrance" into the labour market. Experience show that this is more difficult than remaining employed. This can be promoted by information of the persons who will work with colleagues who are visual impaired and by looking after them when problems arise. There are two more elements to ensure a stable employment: Continuing vocational training and technical and organisational adaptation of the workplace. Experience showed that vocational training is often not possible within regular vocational training programmes, even not in specialised vocational training for students with other impairments, e.g. physical impairments. Special provisions have to be made for students with visual impairments.

Results

As mentioned above Arbeitsassistenz has been successful since its beginning in 1995. The following statistics about the activities in 2002 can proof this again:

Number of Clients in care of the Arbeitsassistenz for people with visually impairments in 2002 Men / Women / Total / Placement - Keeping the Job
Lower Austria : 9 ; 14 ; 23 ; 4
Styria : 21 ; 17 ; 38 ; 19
Upper Austria : 47 ; 36 ; 83 ; 27
Vienna : 25 ; 18 ; 43 ; 12
Total : 102 men ; 85 women ; 62 keeping the job

187 were in care of the Arbeitsassistenz for a longer period of time and another 150 asked for advise.

Summary

The Austrian Arbeitsassistenz is a social service to support the employment and participation of people with disabilities. It was implemented in 1995 as a regular tool; today four out of more than 80 Arbeitsassistenz - organisations offer their service especially to persons who are visually impaired. The main task of the Arbeitsassistenz is to support people in staying in or finding employment and to organise a work environment which allows its clients to participate fully in working life. The legal basis of Arbeitsassistenz is the Disabled Persons Employment Act and it is financed by a fee which employers have to pay if they do not employ registered people with disabilities (quota - scheme) and by the European Social Fund. The quota of clients who become employed or can stay in their job ranges between 25 and 30%, sometimes even more.

NOTES

1. See: Behindertenkonzept der österreichischen Bundesregierung. Beschlossen am 22. Dezember 1992. Erarbeitet Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales in Zusammenarbeit mit der Österreichischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Rehabilitation. 2. unveränd. Auflage, 1993.

2. Instead of the terms 'emotionally impaired', 'emotionally disabled' which are used in The Disability Concept of the Austrian Federal Government (Federal Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs in Co-operation with Österreichische Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Rehabilitation. Vienna 1998) we use the term 'persons with a mental health disability' . See: A Way with Words. Human Resources Development Canada.

3. Blumberger, W./Gsaxner, I./Heilbrunner, C.: Evaluierung des Modellprojekts Arbeitsassistenz in Oberösterreich und Niederösterreich. Endbericht. Institut für Berufs- und Erwachsenenbildungsforschung an der Johannes Kepler Universität Linz, Linz 1994.

4. The first precursor to the modern Disabled Persons Employment Act passed in 1920. Only veterans of World War I were beneficiaries of this act. After World War II victims of accidents at work and political persecution as well as civilian disabled people were included as beneficiaries. In 1973 the principle of finality was fully embodied in the Invalids Employment Act of the time, which meant that from that time onwards, benefits applied to all disabled persons regardless of the cause of their disability. (See: The Disability Concept of the Austrian Federal Government. Vienna 1998, p 37.)

5. Disabled Persons Employment Act � 6 (2) lit. d 1999

6. Not in each of the four provinces in which Arbeitsassistenz for people with visually impairements is working.

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