This thesis in-depth explored the employment process of persons with developmental disabilities using vocational rehabilitation facilities for the disabled who must perform vocational rehabilitation services as a welfare facility and at the same time ...
This thesis in-depth explored the employment process of persons with developmental disabilities using vocational rehabilitation facilities for the disabled who must perform vocational rehabilitation services as a welfare facility and at the same time provide employment services for the disabled through business activities as research participants. Through this, the policy direction of employment and vocational rehabilitation for the developmentally disabled was sought, and practical measures were sought to establish the role and function of the vocational rehabilitation facility for the disabled, a related service provider, and the identity of the workers.
To this end, the human rights perspective and the social investment theory perspective were reviewed in vocational rehabilitation for the developmentally disabled, and the reality of employment with the developmentally disabled in general and the pattern of employment in the protection of the developmentally disabled were discussed. In addition, various phenomena experienced in the process of hiring persons with developmental disabilities at vocational rehabilitation facilities for the disabled were discussed, and the roles and functions of vocational rehabilitation facilities for the disabled in hiring the persons with developmental disabilities and the identity of workers were considered.
The study participants were selected from 10 workers at a vocational rehabilitation facility protection workshop in Gyeonggi-do, and all of the participants were selected directly performing vocational rehabilitation-related tasks. The study participants were selected after being recommended by the Gyeonggi-do Vocational Rehabilitation Facility Association for the Disabled. The research method was conducted as a qualitative case study, and data collection was conducted for about 5 months from December 2021 to April 2022.
In this study, intra-case analysis and inter-case analysis were conducted as a qualitative case study analysis. In the analysis within the case, we looked at the difficulties as workers of vocational rehabilitation facilities for the disabled, the direction of operation of vocational rehabilitation facilities for the disabled, and the value of vocational rehabilitation. In the inter-case analysis, what is the perception of employment and vocational rehabilitation of persons with developmental disabilities in vocational rehabilitation facilities, which are the research questions of this study? What is the identity of Starting with the theme of 'employment of the developmentally disabled, an analysis was conducted based on the case of workers in vocational rehabilitation facilities for the disabled.
As a result of the analysis, 8 categories, 20 subcategories, and 58 concepts were derived. The eight categories derived were 'The dark reality of general employment of people with developmental disabilities', 'Light and dark from the perspective of social investment theory', 'Orientation of human rights perspectives for a worthwhile life', 'Medium of an integrated perspective of vocational rehabilitation for people with developmental disabilities', and 'Disabled people' Institutional contradictions surrounding vocational rehabilitation facilities>, <request for functional change of vocational rehabilitation facilities for the disabled>, <response to UN recommendations for closure of sheltered workplaces>, and <establishment of worker identity in accordance with the advent of the 4th industrial revolution>.
The discussion according to the research results is as follows. First, in relation to the general employment of people with developmental disabilities, improvement of the income security system and preparation of employment policies for the disabled according to the type and severity of the disability rather than the current uniform employment policy were required. In addition, the need for management and supervision of the Ministry of Health and Welfare as well as the Ministry of Employment and Labor emerged to not only evaluate the performance, that is, the performance of employment of the disabled, but also to create high-quality jobs for the disabled and to avoid “jobless” employment at subsidiary-type standard workplaces.
Second, from the perspective of vocational rehabilitation for persons with developmental disabilities, it was argued that it was necessary to mediate the perspective of social investment theory and the viewpoint of human rights.
The necessity of changing the role and function of vocational rehabilitation facilities for the disabled was argued. Although it is desirable for vocational rehabilitation facilities for the disabled to operate in a harmonious way with both welfare and employment in mind, the current system has no choice but to be operated centered on employment. In other words, the institutional contradictions surrounding vocational rehabilitation facilities for the disabled according to the protective employment of the developmentally disabled are revealed, and the limits are revealed in vocational rehabilitation facilities for the disabled, especially in the protective employment of severely developmentally disabled people.
Therefore, institutional arrangements are needed so that the state can take responsibility for the employment of people with developmental disabilities by converting the current protective employment into social employment. He argued that a new paradigm for labor with developmental disabilities should be established first in order to establish a system of social employment. If the current concept of labor is based on production and managementism in a capitalist society, at least the concept of labor for persons with developmental disabilities should reflect the concept of labor simply by participating in production activities and engaging in valuable activities as members of society. The new paradigm of labor with developmental disabilities will serve as a basis for the most severely disabled persons with developmental disabilities to increase their social role value through the exercise of their right to work.
In addition, within the frame of uniform social integration, those with developmental disabilities transferred to general employment experience discrimination and exclusion. It was argued that a diagnosis of social integration of persons with developmental disabilities was necessary, and the logic that using vocational rehabilitation facilities for the disabled would hinder social integration should be re-examined. The necessity of changing roles and functions was also argued to include vocational rehabilitation services (vocational counseling, training, etc.), which are the specific purposes of vocational rehabilitation facilities for the disabled to include even the most severely disabled. In other words, the role and function of vocational rehabilitation facilities for the disabled should be changed so that they can secure the livelihood of people with severe developmental disabilities through social employment and improve their quality of life through vocational rehabilitation service-oriented operation.
Fourth, the strategy for responding to the UN Commission on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to close sheltered workplaces is to change the roles and functions of the vocational rehabilitation facilities for the disabled. The UN Commission on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recommended the suspension of the operation of the sheltered workshops, saying that it did not aim to exclude the minimum wage benefits for workers of the disabled protection workplaces and to enter the open labor market(Hwang Joo-hee, 2016). In other words, it is expected that the most important low-wage problem of the recommendation to close sheltered workplaces will be resolved by ensuring an appropriate level of wages through the transition from protective employment to social employment, the most important reason for receiving the recommendation to close protective workplaces.
Fifth, it was required to establish the identity of workers in vocational rehabilitation facilities for the disabled, who face problems such as a decrease in jobs for the disabled due to various social changes such as the advent of the 4th industrial revolution. Under the positive perception that technological development can be an opportunity, workers must cope with and use rapid social environment changes in order to act as an opportunity to increase productivity in a reality that is inevitable if the absorption of rapidly changing technology is delayed. It is necessary to be able to do this, and professional competence must be strengthened through the acquisition of technology suitable for the times. In addition, by expanding the formation of such a positive employment experience for people with developmental disabilities, it should be a pivotal role for workers to set the direction of facility operation so that they can work happily and the people with developmental disabilities can be happy.
This study is meaningful in that it suggests a policy direction for the provision of decent jobs and expansion of employment policies for the disabled from a human rights perspective in the domestic employment policy for the disabled. In addition, it was confirmed that the perspective of social investment theory of vocational rehabilitation for the developmentally disabled was faced with the limitation that it could not fulfill the purpose of vocational rehabilitation due to production-oriented operation. In order to overcome these limitations, this thesis is meaningful in that it provided policy insight on the revision of the law, which is the transition from the current protective employment system to the social employment system.
In the practical aspect of vocational rehabilitation for people with developmental disabilities, production-oriented vocational rehabilitation services have limitations in supporting the dignified life of people with developmental disabilities. Therefore, it is necessary to change the function of vocational rehabilitation facilities for the disabled to provide vocational rehabilitation services centered on various activities for people with developmental disabilities. Through this, it is expected that various social participation can be achieved even for people with the most severe developmental disabilities, which are not covered by the current vocational rehabilitation.
As all human beings continue to grow and develop while experiencing various social and economic opportunities, people with developmental disabilities should be accepted as equals and provided with opportunities to realize their full potential. For this purpose, it suggests that academic discussions for establishing the role and identity of workers in vocational rehabilitation facilities for the disabled should be sufficiently conducted, and policy measures for this should be explored and applied to practice sites.
The limitation of this study is that it did not deviate from regional limitations. As a follow-up study, policy and practical research on employment of people with developmental disabilities and vocational rehabilitation should be actively conducted through a study that encompasses workers in vocational rehabilitation facilities nationwide, who are the main agents of employment of people with developmental disabilities in the welfare field.