Our project brings together the experiences and expertise of eight EU partners. We chose ‘the positive incentive‘ approach by demonstrating the value of employing persons with disabilities. Although this strategy does not focus on “rights,” the chief goal remains the same: to implement a more inclusive society. Using this strategy can be seen as a form of advocacy that uses proven methods to change the behavior of SMEs and encourage them to be more open to hiring people with disabilities. We collect, exchange, and disseminate good practices.
Before collecting, however, we define “what is good,” based on which we select, exchange, and disseminate good practices. The issue is:
Reaching SMEs by using the right channels.
We provide SMEs with the right information at the right time with the right content.
We involve persons with disabilities in the preparation of materials that address their needs for successful employment.

We define what is good:
We identify good practices and detect their theoretical fundamentals. Theories of “changing behavior” can probably be recognized. These theoretical fundamentals are necessary to make best practices transferable. When we understand what works, we can adapt the practices as needed to use them in other contexts, thereby increasing the likelihood of successful implementation in other countries and cultural settings.
We are conducting a document study to identify theoretically proven approaches to changing awareness, intentions, and behavior. We are incorporating these theoretical elements into an overview of factors to consider when creating awareness and motivation for action among SMEs at the national, regional, and local levels through campaigns, policy development, intervention development, and practical implementation projects.

What is innovative is that we use scientifically proven methods of “creating awareness and changing behavior,” based on theories of “how to create awareness and induce change.”

We expect that incorporating these theoretical principles into practical implementation strategies will increase the success of interventions aimed at increasing employment for persons with disabilities. These interventions can include new policies, measurements, awareness campaigns, practical support, presentations, etc.