After the meeting of Employment Ministers of the European Union held this Thursday in Brussels, in which the Canary Islands represents all the Spanish autonomous communities, the Canarian Minister of Employment, Elena Máñez, highlighted the "firm commitment" of the autonomous community to improve the inclusion in the labor market of people with disabilities.
"We are also making a firm commitment to improve the full inclusion of people with disabilities, both from the point of view of active employment policies, but also an aspect that seems fundamental to us, which is to improve universal accessibility so that people with disabilities can access all the services we offer from public employment services in equal conditions," said Máñez.
Máñez defended the common position of the Spanish regions on the approval of conclusions focused on the inclusion of people with disabilities in the labor market.
The Canarian Minister indicated that the community is developing a pilot office that follows the DALCO method (criteria to guarantee universal accessibility), "which takes into account not only architectural accessibility, but also the barriers that affect people with intellectual disabilities, which are barriers to understanding the environment."
"They also have to do with deaf people, with blind people, in such a way that the environment is also an inclusive environment and that guarantees access in equal conditions and opportunities," she explained.
A specific item
Regarding active employment policies, she pointed out that the community's budget for 2023 "includes a specific item for the first time" that will be worked on with the Spanish Committee of Representatives of People with Disabilities (CERMI) "to make specific policies that address those unique support needs that people with disabilities have."
"We are going to dedicate a very important chapter to people with mental health problems. The pandemic has aggravated a situation that affects people with mental health problems, who also have other specific barriers, especially stigma, of how people with mental health problems are seen," she said.
In that area, she assured that they want to work on "a specific line that responds to needs that they frequently convey to us," but admitted that "sometimes the fitting of the funds makes it difficult" to address "that singularity."
Regarding the common position that the communities have taken to Brussels, she stated that the regions recognize the work that the European Union is doing in generating mechanisms that facilitate better inclusion in the labor market for people with disabilities.
"Already from the Government of Spain, the autonomous communities have state and regional regulations, incentives and a whole series of policies that allow us to advance in that full inclusion, but there are still important challenges when it comes to guaranteeing the full inclusion of the rights of people with disabilities," she commented.
