“We started in 1980 as a family business. It started with only one ambulance and began growing as a company when we arranged contracts with hospitals and health insurance companies. Then, in 2006, we were taken over by another company. Now we have more tasks. We provide transport for lab samples. We also do transportation by ambulance, and we drive doctors to patients during the evening and weekends.”

“We started our cooperation with the service provider for people with disabilities through a phone call from their mediator, Dragana. She called in response to an open vacancy. The first time she came to us, she visited us alone, without a candidate. She told us, in this way, she was able to soak up our expectations and the atmosphere in our company. Having this information, she then searched for a suitable candidate. This candidate, Jan, came along with Dragana for an interview.”

“We considered Jan as a quiet person, which is necessary in the job as a driver. He matched well with the criteria, and we decided to hire him immediately. No starting for us with an internship or any other subsidised trial. The vacancy had been open for some time, we had this need and we just jumped at it. Jan was immediately paid. Like everyone who starts with us, he was receiving a three-month contract, then a six-month and then an open-ended contract.”

“For Jan, a special treatment was made. He received an allowance due to illness. This made it possible to start part-time with pay and benefits. In this system, we do not have to pay wages when Jan is ill. We were familiar with this, though had not yet used it often. It is, as I would say, not a very flexible system. For every change, you must apply in advance, which takes time. Once I send in a request for an application; it was refused by the doctor in charge. This made things difficult for us, fortunately, Jan communicated to the doctor the necessity of this application, which made the doctor change his mind. For Jan, this system creates the possibility to do fewer hours, considering his own vulnerability and to be able to earn enough money. And I receive a subsidy for Jan. It was certainly not the reason to hire him, the salary was already budgeted for.

“Jan started as a driver for doctors in one of the waiting posts. He works alone, without a supervisor, which is often the case in our company. An open communication with my staff is therefore important, I pay a lot of attention to this. And I have the feeling I succeed in this. Also, when I look at my staff, they work for my company already for a long time, they rarely leave. And we are growing, we need extra people all the time.”

“I see my service provider as a quality partner. We work together which I highly value. Every potential candidate gets the chance to come for an interview. We do not hire them all, but I really recognise the reason why they saw the match between my company and these candidates. This is often in terms of personality and motivation rather than experience and knowledge.”

“For me, it was particularly interesting to be part of this open and transparent communication during the interview. Positive points were elaborated, but also the negative points of candidates. According to me, if you only rely on spontaneous applications, you will have a less correct picture of the candidates. Jan also told me later about his appreciation of the presence of Dragana during the interview. She was able to make a good assessment between my requirements and Jan’s qualities. For Jan, it is more difficult to tell and explain his experiences.”

“Jan doesn’t need any adaptations. He does need the assurance somebody is available when he needs support or has questions. I am confident his colleagues will signal difficulties more quickly because there is already an open climate. And there is the support of the mediator of the service provider. We receive extra guidance for him, the mediators of the service provider are always available when needed. Jan now works two years at our company, and they still are available. For me, it means I have fewer worries and the chance of long-term employment increases. I would certainly do it again, being open for a person with a disability when there is a vacancy.”