Job design for people with restrictions in activities and participation: As means of prevention and vocational rehabilitation
In order for people with functional disorders/disabilites to participate as equals in the working world, special measures are necessary when designing a job. According to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), the extent of a disability depends largely upon context factors. The ICF applies when it's about describing and considering the interaction and consequences of continual, lengthy health problems. In partial classifications if the ICF, bodily functions, bodily structures, activities/participation and context factors are listed. Under the concept context factors, environmental factors and personal factors are combined.
Technical work aids belong to the most important context factors at the workplace. Technical work aids have a beneficial effect on participation in working life, in which, for example they are used by reduction or compensation of limited or failing bodily functions. By the development, selection and application of technical work aids the disabled employee should be actively included from the beginning, for example his or her needs, as well as preferences should be taken into account, he/she should be introduced to the professional handling and safety requirements and an assistive devices testing period should take place over a certain length of time.
The abilities and skills influenced by a disturbance of bodily functions in order to carry out a productive occupation, depends on the ocurring professional requirements and workloads. Firtly, the existing abilities and skills must be compared with the professional requirements and workloads of the job. So-called profile insolvency proceedings are used for this. The results of profile comparison depicts the 1st situation and shows where deficits for example where excessive demand or under challanged conditions exist. The investigated over and under capacity utilisation can through selective measures, for example, workplace design, working methods, the working environment and accessibility be eliminated. The application of technical work aids also plays a role.
The necessary experience and expertise required for workplace design suitable for the disabled is not always available in every company, therefore, in Germany its possible, free of charge to receive external advice and support through a specialist service at the employment agency or the integration office. Included in this specialist service is also a technical advice service with its own engineers. Contact to the institutions and the construction of a network of experts usually occurs through the company's elected representative for the severely disabled. As well as advice and support the employer also receives a subsidy towards workplace design suitable for the disabled.
In Germany, a disabled person covered by the Social Law Book (SGB) IX - rehabilitation and participation of disabled people, receives, an employer subsidy, as well as supportive advice for participation in working life, for example through the Federal Employment Agency or integration offices the Social Code IX. In Germany the appropriate subsidies originate mainly from the compensatory charge.
In addition to the supportive offers through the specialist services from the employment office or the intehration office, everyone participating in vocational rehabilitation - instiutions, specialists, companies, people working with the disabled and the disabled people themselves find, for example, inline in the REHADAT databases: case studies, assistive devices and law under www.rehadat.de information about vocational rehabilitation of people with disabilites. For the same purpose, 22.000 assistive devices for people with disabilities are described and documented in the assistive devices database.
Documentation of the assistive devices is carried out based on DIN EN ISO 9999 assistive devices for the disabled - classification and terminology. At REHADAT, ICF has already been implemented in the areas of case studies, assistive devices and literature, in order to clearly structure information and therefore to enable future searches via ICF items.
The databases supply of information is extended through "talentplus" - a practice orientated information portal for employers and people with disabilities in working life. The special emphasis at "talentplus" lies in the processing ot true-to-life questions arising from the viewpoint of employers and employees with disabilities.
Practical Relevance:
Through job design much cann be done to enable people with disabilities to join the working world, yet often missing in this realm is information about possible design options and personal contacts. For this reason, REHADAT (www.rehadat.de) stands ready to provide job designers and ergonomists with case studies, technical assistance devices, and ohter additional information.
