“Work is what you do for others”

Lisbon, 11th December 2008

Work as a vehicle for the Social Inclusion of Pluryn’s clients with moderate to severe physical and/or intellectual disabilities

The starting point: institutionalized Daycare activities● A categorial service to people with a handicap

with little opportunity for encountering society

● Not many “working elements” present in everyday life of clients

● 90% of Pluryn’s client are assessed as being unable to obtain a paid job.

● Vast majority of clients at a considerable distance from the market of paid labour.

Discovering about the fundamentals of work

● What are your wishes concerning “work” ?

● Do we talk about the same when we talk about “work”?

● Could we agree on a definition?

The definition:

● “Daycare activities are what you do for yourself”

● “Work is what you do for other people”

● “Work is what you do for other people and for money”.

Learning about the essence of “work”

Discovering the fundamentals of “work” is essential for people who were more or less excluded from society, especially because no one ever expected anything of them.

Mainstreaming in two ways:

● Establishing our own social firms: - Lunchcafe and Giftshop - Catering service - Print-/Copyshop and Webdesign - Coffee processing company and coffee-café - Breakfast service and luxury breadstore

● Committing other organizations and companies to the potential of our clients:

- nursing home - university hospital - football club

Consequences for staff members

Staff members go through the same process as clients, adjusting themselves to working conditions in a more commercial environment with “customers” as a third party.

4 key factors:

● Honesty about goals and what ik takes to reach them.

● Taking a commercial approach.

● Delivering good quality products and services.

● Putting customer satisfaction first

Message to clients with severe disabilities and their service providers:● Don’t be obsessive about obtaining a paid job and

don’t let that lead you to inactivity.

● You’re not doing yourself a favour rejecting work and you are denying society the benefits of your potential.

● Taking up an unpaid job might yet prove to be the best way to, against all odds, obtain a paid one still.