Transición al empleo de personas con discapacidad intelectual en Canarias: el empleo con apoyo

摘要

One of the challenges of modern societies is the access to ordinary employment of people with intellectual disabilities. In this article: 1) We will present the existing measures in the Canary Islands regarding educational attention to students with intellectual disabilities. 2) We will analyze the resources available and the processes of transit to employment from the education system and from the entities linked to employment. 3) We will examine the role of special employment centers and occupational centers. 4) We will analyze the characteristics of the Supported Employment model for access to ordinary employment of people with significant disabilities. This model, created in the United States in the 70s, has demonstrated its effectiveness for the labor inclusion of people with significant disabilities. 5) We will describe the situation of the Employment with Support model in the Canary Islands, highlighting some good practice projects. The employment of people with intellectual disabilities in the Canary Islands remains an anecdotal fact, despite the available resources and the trajectory of different specialized entities. It is necessary to document experiences, encourage research, take care of the process of transition to adult life, match economic investment in employability resources of a protected nature with those of ordinary character. Finally, it is necessary to inform and raise awareness about the ability people with disabilities to contribute to the creation of more profitable and sustainable companies.