WHAT works: Employing people with disabilities

1. WHAT works: Employing people with disabilities Presentation to the National Disability Authority Annual Conference, 29 October 2014 Dublin, Ireland Michael J. Prince University of Victoria

2. Evidence • Employment of people with disabilities – complex issue • Obtaining conclusive evidence on what works is difficult • Different measures work in different countries • People with disabilities are not a homogenous group • Quality and evaluation of studies varies (OECD 2010; 2011) (Prince 2011, 2012; 2014)

3. What Works • Government policies and strategies that: • Prioritise the employment of people with disabilities • Support employers to not only employ but to retain people with disabilities • Support people with disabilities to access education, training and employment opportunities • Most importantly that focus on creating partnerships between people with disabilities and employers

4. Financial Incentives -Employers? • Part of the solution but not the most influential factor • Financial incentives for employers e.g. wage subsides, tax exemptions • Aim to address employers’ concerns – perceived costs of employing people with disabilities • Danish Flexi Jobs system – employers get 50-60% wage subsidy for flexible working hours and accommodations • Positive outcomes only for people aged 35-44 • Majority of OECD countries - low uptake by employers • Little progression for people with disabilities to unsubsidised employment (OECD 2010)

5. Issues - Financial Incentives • Many employers are not aware of supports e.g. - Financial incentives - Funding for reasonable accommodations - Funding for training in disability competence • Many employers have concerns about employing people with disabilities • Lack experience and knowledge of working with people with disabilities

6. Financial Incentives – People with disabilities? • Financial incentives - encourage people with disabilities into work • Part of the solution, not the main factor • Earnings disregard (Ireland, Canada), Tax Credits (UK), • Resting Disability Pension (Sweden) awards additional income for people going into employment • USA Ticket to Work – people get a ticket exchanged for job or supports services from employer networks • Employer networks – public and private providers, and employers • In 2007 fewer than 1,400 of 12.2 m tickets issued over 5 years converted to workforce participation (Autorand Duggan, 2007; OECD 2010) • Low uptake of these schemes – fear of loss of benefits

7. What Works • Raising expectations from birth throughout adulthood • Employment is a realistic option for people with disabilities • Joined up system of supports across education, health and employment services • Support young people and adults with disabilities to not just obtain but to retain employment by: • Building a partnership between: • person with a disability • the educational, health services and disability employment services and the employer • Engage employers in the process – address their concerns

8. Transitions from school to work • Early participation in work placements/ internships in post primary school aged 14/15 • Key element to this success: • Education staff including guidance counsellors trained in disability competence • Employers trained in disability competence • Strong partnerships between schools, disability employment service and students with disabilities • Ongoing support for the young person and the employer (Luecking 2011; Prince 2012)

9. Training for Work Post primary options • Access to further education/vocational programmes • Higher education programmes that provide internships in mainstream employment • Apprenticeships/employment programmes that provide with on the job training • Successful examples: Québec career/technical programs in community colleges: • 5 to 10 months after graduation, of students with disabilities, 51% working full-time, another 15% working part-time • 81% in a job related to their field of study (Fichten et al 2012) • Evaluation of Australian apprenticeship/training system - 82% of graduates with disabilities in paid work (Cocks, Thoresen and Lee 2013)

10. Ongoing support • Balance between mainstream services and provision of specialist services e.g. Australia • Denmark – one disability expert for disability employment in each employment office • Member of the employment services sits on the community mental health teams • Profiling of people’s work capacity and swift referral to an appropriate service e.g. Australia and Norway • Often a need for ongoing supports – supported employment

11. Retaining Employment/Return to Work • Vocational rehabilitation (VR) programmes • Joined up system of health, training and employment services and working with employers • Focus on getting people who have acquired a disability back into work • Several countries including the UK, Australia, Canada have countrywide vocational programmes. • Positive outcomes in some countries, less so in others • Early intervention of services within 6 weeks is key • VR programmes focused on employment and rehabilitation more effective

12. Programme elements • Building relationships with people with disabilities: file reviews, strength-based selection, pre-vocational activities, job carving • Building relationships with employers: networking, site visits, identification of employer needs • Creating a pool of VR participants: motivated and reliable • Creating a pool of job vacancies: government and public sectors, social enterprises, private sector • Individualizing job plans: protocols for specific disability groups, collaboration with partners

13. Canadian System • Evaluation of Canadian Pension Plan Disability (CPPD) Vocational Rehabilitation Programme (2003) • Average expenditure for vocational rehabilitation services of $6,154 (€4,303) • Of the 230 in the study group, 40% obtained employment • Cost savings of approximately $5,000 (€3,500) per client over four year period • Estimated gross savings of approximately $440,000 (€308,000) • No substantial difference in the probability of obtaining employment for clients as they get older • Possible social benefits (e.g. higher self-esteem, lower use of health services) not examined in this evaluation

14. Additional Employment Supports • In Canada, Australia and other OECD countries • Time limited benefits that assist people with disabilities on the pathway to employment • One time benefit, for example a single payment or reimbursement for purchasing tools or work clothes • Transitional time, extended health or drug benefits for 12 or 18 months after leaving disability income support and while in employment • Trial work periods, e.g., Canada, USA

15. Fear of losing benefits • How can you address people’s fears of losing benefits? • Make work pay? • Flexible system whereby people can quickly return to benefits • If they cannot continue working due to their disability: - Implement an automatic reinstatement system - Implement a fast track reapplication to benefits

16. Automatic Reinstatement • Situation: A person with a disability is in employment but cannot continue working because of their disability • In Canada, people on CPPD can ask to have their benefits automatically reinstated without having to go through the usual application process • Available for 2 years from the date benefits end • Disability benefits are reinstated starting the month after the person became unable to work due to their disability • There is no limit to how many times you can ask for your benefits to be reinstated.

17. Fast Track Application • In Canada, if a person with a disability has worked longer than two years and they cannot continue to work • They may be eligible for a fast-track reapplication—a simpler and faster process than filing a new application • Fast-track reapplication is available for up to five years after your benefits stopped

18. Earnings disregard • In Canada people with disabilities can earn up to $5,100 (€3,570) (before taxes) without telling the government and without losing their benefits • If they earn more than this threshold, they must contact Service Canada • Service Canada is a “one-stop shop” for access to a wide range of federal government services • Person can do volunteer work, go back to school to upgrade or complete a degree, take a re-training programme: none of these activities affect the client’s income benefits

19. Results of these measures Evaluation of the CPPD program found that: • automatic reinstatement combined with the earnings disregard increase the employment of beneficiaries • Increased employment of 9.5% for women and 5.1% for men • No evidence of induced entry effect, that is, no increased uptake of the benefits (Campolieti, Gunderson and Smith 2014)

20. Summary: What works • No one measure in isolation • A combination of many things • Automatic reinstatement, earnings disregard and time limited benefits • Providing a pathway into employment and a pathway to remain in employment • Integrated system of employment supports across education, health, employment and transport • Integrated national vocational rehabilitation systems

21. Engagement & Partnership • Engage people with disabilities and their support networks and employment services • Engage and involve employers • Develop mutually beneficial integrated partnerships between the two groups • Increase employers’ awareness and understanding of supports • Establish employer networks and peer support groups

22. Monitor and Evaluate • Develop effective systems to capture reliable data • Evaluate, review and provide evidence of: - What works? - Where (what countries does it work in)? - Why does it work? - How does it work? - Who does it work for? • Evaluate quality and consistency of employment services and supports for people with disabilities and employers • Develop necessary next steps to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities

23. Thank you