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We support people with disabilities so that they can live life on their own terms and decide their own future.
Since 2011, we have been implementing a supported employment model for individuals with intellectual disabilities. In this section, you will find all the information you need on this topic.
The Arkadia Foundation’s supported employment program helps people with disabilities gain professional experience and achieve independence in the open labor market. Through the assistance of job coaches and collaboration with employers, we create an environment that fosters personal growth, integration, and active participation in professional life. We provide support to both employees and companies.
What is it, and how do we do it?
Supported employment is a method of employing:
- people with moderate or severe disabilities,
- in the open labor market,
- while providing them with ongoing support from a job coach.
Traditional thinking about employment is based on the principle: „train first, then hire.” The supported employment model reverses this approach to the following:
To employ
To train
Maintain
A key figure in the success of this approach is the job coach. The job coach assists the person with a disability from their very first interactions with an employer, helps tailor the workstation and scope of duties to the individual’s capabilities, provides training on job responsibilities, facilitates adjustment to the social environment in the workplace, and offers support in achieving professional independence. The best outcomes—throughout the job search, hiring, and job retention phases—are achieved when the job coach works in tandem with a career counselor. Detailed information regarding this model and quality standards in employment can be found in a brochure published by the Polish Disability Forum (PFON). PFON Brochure. You can learn how this definition is applied to the process of employing a person with a disability in the section titled How We Do It.
At our Foundation, we have developed the following method for implementing supported employment: a job coach, working alongside a career development advisor, conducts the recruitment of both the prospective employee and the employer—ensuring that neither party is chosen at random. The job coach seeks an individual who is the best fit for a specific position, as well as an employer who will provide a high-quality working environment.
All parties participate in determining the scope of duties, remuneration, and working hours.
The trainer accompanies the prospective employee to a medical examination and occupational health and safety (OHS) training.
The coach prepares the other employees of the company for the integration of an individual with an intellectual disability into their team, should the need arise.
Together with a trainer, the prospective employee learns the route to the company, masters all their assigned tasks, and acclimates to the new environment.
Once the employee has mastered their tasks, the trainer gradually steps back until the employee becomes fully independent.
A trainer can help resolve future issues as they arise and provide retraining if the scope of responsibilities changes.
For employers
For individuals with intellectual disabilities, professional employment serves as one of the most effective forms of social rehabilitation. Most of these employees value their jobs and approach their work with great dedication—often surpassing their colleagues in terms of commitment, discipline, and adherence to workplace rules.
Employment – what kind of work?
People with more significant intellectual disabilities can perform many tasks that would otherwise occupy the time of other, more highly skilled employees. By skillfully identifying and delegating these tasks, a company can unlock the hidden potential within its existing workforce.
The key to success lies in selecting tasks well-suited to the new employee. Furthermore, streamlining the procedures carried out within a company invariably improves the overall quality of work. The very presence of an individual with an intellectual disability among the staff also tends to have a positive impact on interpersonal dynamics; many issues that might otherwise be unnecessarily blown out of proportion are kept in proper perspective, and tensions often subside.
The individuals with intellectual disabilities whom we work with are involved in tasks such as: dismantling and cleaning automotive components, product packaging, warehouse duties, hospital cleaning, sorting and delivering mail, and maintaining the grounds around company premises. They also participate in the entire process of preparing and baking bread in a bakery, including operating the ovens. They perform most tasks in horticulture, sort products in seed warehouses, etc.
Workplace Support
In the supported employment model, an employee begins their job with the direct assistance of a job coach, who actively participates in preparing the workspace and the work environment for the new hire. The employer and the existing staff can seek the coach’s help at any time to resolve issues or clarify any questions regarding the new colleague. The job coach remains involved for as long as all parties deem it necessary. In practice, well-prepared employees with disabilities learn their assigned tasks very quickly and, after just a few weeks of direct support, are ready to work independently.
Even after the job coach’s direct, on-site support concludes, both the employer and the employee can continue to rely on the job coach and our foundation for assistance in addressing any potential challenges.
Financial Support
When hiring a person with a disability, an employer is eligible for a reimbursement of a significant portion of the employee’s wages through the PFRON (State Fund for Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons) reimbursement system. For employees with intellectual disabilities, this reimbursement covers approximately 75% of the gross salary and the employer’s associated labor costs.
Staff members and volunteers working with our foundation are available to assist with completing the necessary documentation and navigating the required procedures. Many employers who hire people with disabilities already make use of the reimbursement system, and—contrary to what one might think—this system turns out not to be all that complicated.
Mapa zatrudnienia
Contact person:
Marta Młynarczyk
Contact person:
Marta Młynarczyk
Address
ul. Młyńska 2-4,
87-100 Toruń
87-100 Toruń
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