site.btaExpert: More Employers Are Willing to Hire People with Disabilities

The number of employers who are willing to hire people with disabilities is increasing, Janet Georgieva, President of Social Development Agency Vision told BTA. The organization is a member of the European Association of Service Providers for People with Disabilities together with the National Alliance for Social Responsibility.

On September 25, the Agency will host an open day, where visitors will have the opportunity to learn about its activities and ask questions.

Social services in Bulgaria are becoming better and more diverse, Georgieva said and explained that more changes in the system are to come once the National Map of Social Services comes into force.

Finding jobs for people with disabilities has been a focus for the agency for several years, Georgieva said. In her words, unemployment among this group of society is over 90%. Although the number of employers who want and employ people with disabilities is increasing, the problem cannot be solved overnight, Georgieva said.

She added that the agency's experts actually work in two directions. Apart from employers, who need to understand that they need to be much more flexible and negotiate working conditions with people with disabilities in a completely different way, it is also necessary to change the attitudes of the disabled themselves, explained Georgieva.

In her view, many disabled people need to be motivated that they can enter the labour market. In addition, many also need to understand that the satisfaction they will get if they receive a salary is much greater than the benefits they are entitled to, the expert said. She said that the agency has psychologists, social workers, computer and language teachers who work with those who work with consumers .

The state should pay attention urgently to the wages of those working in the social services system, Georgieva said, adding that salaries should be at least equal to those in education. The system of social services is specific, it is very stressful, people overwork themselves, which is the reason for the chronic shortage of staff. The other factor is the working conditions, which also need to be improved.