The Open Society Mental Health Initiative

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Supported Employment - Other Useful Links

 

The Association for Persons in Supported Employment (APSE), Virginia, USA is a professional advocacy membership organization representing supported employment (SE) and the individuals served in SE.  It aims to improve and expand integrated employment opportunities, services, and outcomes for persons experiencing disabilities; provide advocacy and education to customers of SE; addresses issues and barriers which impede the growth and implementation of integrated employment services; improve supported employment SE practice.  More information is available at: http://www.apse.org/

 

Campaign for Disability Employment, USA, is a collaborative effort between several disability and business organizations that seek to promote positive employment outcomes for people with disabilities by encouraging employers and others to recognize the value and talent they bring to the workplace and other benefits of fully including people with disabilities at work. The web site offers a range of education and outreach tools designed to engage employers, people with disabilities, family and educators, and the general public.  More information is available at: http://www.whatcanyoudocampaign.org/.

 

Confederation of the European Social Firms, Employment Initiatives and Social Co-operatives (CEFEC), Athens, Greece, is an umbrella organization for those small and medium size enterprises and NGOs which aim to create workplaces for people with disabilities in social firms. More information is available at: http://www.cefec.de/.

 

Employers' Forum on Disability, London, United Kingdom, is an employers' organization focusing on disability as it affects business. The organization has more than 400 members who collaborate in promoting to recruit and retain disabled employees and to serve disabled customers. More information is available at: http://www.employers-forum.co.uk/www/index.htm.

 

European Knowledge Centre on Vocational Training and Employment for People with Learning Disabilities, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, is an on-line database developed by the LABOR project, which provides information on training and employment measures for people with learning disabilities as well as best practices in employment and vocational training across Europe. More information is available at: http://www.start-labor.org/?tk=en.

 

Global Applied Disability Research and Information Network (GLADNET), based in Ithaca, New York, USA, brings together research centers, universities, enterprises, government departments, trade unions, and organizations of, and for, persons with disabilities. The common goal is to advance competitive employment and training opportunities for persons with disabilities. The network members reach these aims through collaborative applied research projects and by global exchange of information via the Internet. More information is available at: http://www.gladnet.org/.

 

International Labour Organization's Disability Programme, Geneva, Switzerland, promotes equality of opportunity and treatment for persons with disabilities in vocational rehabilitation, training and employment. It works to increase knowledge on the training and employment of people with disabilities by carrying out applied research relating to policy and practice, compiling and disseminating information, publishing guidelines and manuals, and sponsoring other research and reports. More information is available at: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/skills/disability/index.htm.

 

National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) is a U.S. government-funded organization that assists state and local workforce development systems to better serve youth with disabilities. It is composed of partners with expertise in disability, education, employment, and workforce development issues. Although its work is U.S.-focused, NCWD/Youth's website includes links to numerous useful websites and publications. More information is available at: http://www.ncwd-youth.info/index.html.

 

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Workplace Supports and Job Retention, Richmond, Virginia, USA identifies factors that enhance or inhibit businesses from tapping into a pool of potential employees. The web site is a gateway to information, resources and services regarding the employment of people with disabilities. More information is available at: http://www.worksupport.com/.

 

REHADAT Information System on Vocational Rehabilitation, Cologne, Germany, provides five databases with detailed information on technical aids, case studies, addresses, research and literature on vocational rehabilitation services and employment for people with disabilities. More information is available at: http://db1.rehadat.de/rehadat/eng/index.jsp.

 

Transition from School to Employment Information Database, available on the website of the European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education, offers information about the process of transition from school to employment of young people with special educational needs in 19 European countries. More information is available at: http://www.european-agency.org/transit/.

 

World Federation of Occupational Therapists promotes occupational therapy as an art and science internationally. The Federation supports the development, use and practice of occupational therapy worldwide, demonstrating its relevance and contribution to society. The Federation believes that occupational therapy has a valuable contribution to make to occupational performance as it affects the health and well-being of people. More information is available at:http://www.wfot.org.au/information.asp.   

 

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Highlights

1) Dumping Grounds For Forgotten People

An investigation by Bulgarian journalist Yana Buhrer Tavanier on the mental care institutions in Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia.   

Please visit the website dedicated to the investigation and view the new promotional video.


Judith Klein, director of the OSMHI (Open Society Mental Health Initiative) has written a foreword to the article, which appears in the newsletter of the European Coalition for Community Living, Issue No. 10, October 2009 and also on the investigation website.


2) Report of the Ad Hoc Expert Group on the Transition from Institutional to Community-based Care

A report on the Transition from Institutional to Community-based Care was handed over to Commissioner Vladimír ?pidla on September 23, 2009. The report was drafted by a group of independent experts convened by Commissioner Spidla in February 2009 to address the issues of institutional care reform in their complexity.  The report is also available in Bulgarian, Croatian, Hungarian, Romanian.

Films

Karin Dom - a training and resource centre for children with special needs and their families

This short film was made following a BBC production about a children's institution in Mogilino, Bulgaria. The film features MHI partner organization Karin Dom and highlights what community-based alternatives for children can be like in Bulgaria.

UN Disability Convention

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities received its 20th ratification on April 3, 2008, triggering the entry into force of the Convention and its Optional Protocol on May 3, 2008. This marks a major milestone in the effort to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.

Information on the convention process:
Convention in Easy to Read
View the list of signatories
Countries that have ratified the Convention
ICRPD Ratification Toolkit
Convention and Inclusive Education
View more information

 

News reports on the Convention:
Agreement on New UN Convention
Urging Implementation
Archive Webcast: Convention Signing 
Record Number of Countries Sign
Secretary-General Ban Hails Entry Into Force Of Treaty On Disability Rights
More news reports

Publications:
UN Handbook for Parliamentarians on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol
First Implementation Manual For The United Nations Convention On The Rights Of Persons With Disabilities (Addressed Specifically To Users And Survivors Of Psychiatry)


Ratify Now (The campaign to support global grassroots efforts to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities).

Films about Inclusion

Foster Care for Children with Disabilities: English ** Russian

I Want to Work and I Can Work!

Living Proof: The right to live in the community

Reality - film on personal assistance

Being an Unperson. A short film about the experience of dehumanization within the care system.

In My Language. A short film about autism and nonverbal communication.

A Way of Describing Autism. A short film by Dave Spicer and Amanda Baggs.

Equalise It!

A Manifesto for Disability Equality in Development Cooperation

The international committee of UK Disabled People's Council (formerly BCODP) has written this manifesto in the light of the signing of the UN Convention on the Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

To read the campaign launch letter, please click here.

Organisations who wish to sign up to the Manifesto are asked to contact Bill Albert or Mark Harrison so that their name and logo can be added to the list of signatories.