About project

About

The i-SME project Our methods Our partners About

Inspiration

For SMEs: Facts Stories Inspiration

Tips and Instructions

For employers: 20 tips brochure Catalogue of instructions Tips and Instructions

Action guidelines

For stakeholders: Action Guidelines PDF Action Guidelines

Language

Dutch

English

Finnish

French

German

Lithuanian

Portuguese (Portugal)

Spanish

About

About the i-SME Project

The right for work is enshrined in Article 27 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Furthermore, ensuring an inclusive future of work is part of the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals. In recent years, all European Union countries have implemented measures to remove the barriers encountered in the job market by persons with disabilities. However, it is also far from being a reality for millions of people willing to work.

At the EU level, only 47% of persons with disabilities aged 15 – 64 years are employed, compared to 67% of persons without disabilities

Unlike large companies, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) employ less people with disabilities. They are often unaware of the capacity and abilities of people with disabilities in the workforce.

Reasons for being hesitant in the employment of persons with disabilities are in most cases the lack of good examples as well as a lack of transparent and easily accessible information about how to facilitate recruitment, organize training and workplace support, and adapt to the working environment. This lack of ‘knowing what is possible’ and ‘knowing what to do’ is also found in many studies focussing on SMEs and the recruitment of persons with a disability.

Our goal is to increase the number of SMEs being:

Aware of the possibilities

of employing persons with disabilities

Motivated to act

in the employment of individuals with disabilities

Actually undertake actions

to employ persons with disabilities.

Let’s see how it works:

We produced a documentary mini-series of videos to ensure that all stakeholders in all countries have entrance to ‘sound’ materials providing them with support in awareness of the job possibilities within the SME.

We provide information and support in the recruitment process, the preparation and placement process, the guidance at the workplace and the support in the long term.

We will support the EC in their future actions, by developing Action Guidelines the EC and national, regional and local institutions can use when planning events, building support actions and developing policy. These Action Guidelines include information how to plan and what to take into account when developing actions related to increase the number of i-SMEs, employing persons with disabilities.