Employment opportunities for people with moderate intellectual disabilities

Nowadays, it is hard to survive without work that is regularly paid in the form of a regular monthly payment, which is why employment is a very important factor in our lives. It ensures our financial independence and autonomy. This master’s thesis tries to understand the problems that people with moderate mental disabilities face when seeking employment; they want financial independence and autonomy as well. But this is not the only thing the employment provides; it also enables inclusion in the social life and environment as well as the development of different work skills and a bigger sense of confidence. In the theoretical part, we reviewed Slovene and foreign literature and described the characteristics of people with moderate mental disabilities (general characteristics, upbringing and education). We analysed Slovene legislation that manages the employment procedure of people with moderate mental disabilities and examined the forms of employment offered in Slovenia. The aim of our research was to determine whether local employers are willing to employ people with moderate mental disabilities. We conducted a survey among 107 entrepreneurs from the primary sector (agriculture, fishing, hunting, etc.), the secondary sector (industry, mining, construction, energetics, etc.), the tertiary sector (service activities: commerce, tourism, traffic, banking, etc.) and the quaternary sector (healthcare, education, public administration, etc.) in central Slovenia. Based on the acquired data and their statistical analysis, we determined that 65.5 % of the interviewees can recognize people with moderate mental disabilities on the basis of their statements from the survey. What is more, 59.81 % of them would employ people with moderate mental disabilities and provide them with adjusted accessories that are needed at work, seek a mentor among their employees, assume the role of a mentor, enable training for other employees as well as adjust the working time and the workplace. They would most likely obtain employment in the primary work sector, namely in different agriculture or logging companies or others. The Social Inclusion of Disabled Persons Act came into effect on January 1st 2019. The act introduces some novelties regarding the integration of people with moderate mental disabilities into social life and onto the labour market. Furthermore, 34 interviewees, which is 58 %, are familiar with the Social Inclusion of Disabled Persons Act, and the majority of them supports it. The interviewees want an orderly legislation with clearly written conditions of employing people with moderate mental disabilities, higher subventions and more information on work capabilities of people with moderate mental disabilities. With the help of the results from the survey, we created a pamphlet with basic information on the capabilities of people with moderate mental disabilities and adjustments that they require at work. What is more, the pamphlet includes basic information on the Social Inclusion of Disabled Persons Act. It will be sent out to the employers interviewed and to educational institutions