Abstract

BORGES, Neuza Cardoso  and  PINTO, Paula Campos. Professional (Re)Integration of Persons with Disabilities: Perceptions of the Contract Employment Insertion/Contract Employment Insertion+Measures by Beneficiaries and Promoters. RLEC/LJCS [online]. 2021, vol.8, n.2, pp.139-155.  Epub May 01, 2023. ISSN 2184-0458.  https://doi.org/10.21814/rlec.3532.

The Portuguese State recognises the right of persons with disabilities to employment on equal terms with non-disabled persons. Nonetheless, many employers still resist the idea of hiring someone with a disability. For this reason, the action of the State is determinant to change attitudes towards disability and promote the hiring of persons with disabilities in the open labour market. These actions are materialised through public policies. This article reports the results of an exploratory and qualitative study on the measures known as contract employment insertion/ contract employment insertion+ (CEI/CEI+), implemented in the region of Lisbon and the Tagus Valley. It examined the perception of three stakeholders - 16 male and female beneficiaries with disabilities, nine institutions promoting these measures, and seven non-profit organisations devoted to training and employment of persons with disabilities - to know their perspectives on the potentialities and limitations of these measures. The results reveal that the CEI/CEI+ measures only provide a temporary remedy to the problem of unemployment among persons with disabilities, which hinders their access to a socioeconomically independent life that is sustainable. Nonetheless, respondents do not deny the importance of these measures, viewing them as an excellent opportunity to showcase their professional skills and reinforce their self-esteem and self-worth. The data obtained in this study are discussed according to various models approaching disability. In the end, we formulate a few recommendations to maximise the effects of these measures.

Keywords : persons with disabilities; public policy; professional (re)integration; CEI/CEI+ measures.

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