On Local Matters this week we focus on disabilities at the workplace. On Tuesday, we had the minister for integration and family affairs in our interview. Corinne Cahen explained the ministry’s new project to make the job market more accessible for workers with disabilities. So-called inclusion assistants shall help disabled workers getting adjusted at their new workplace. For Joel Delvaux, this is a step in the right direction. He is responsible for the section workers with disabilities at the OGBL trade union. “The government has made an effort to include people with disabilities on the job market, particularly via the job agency Adem. This is a step in the right direction, but it is not enough.”

For Joel and the OGBL, a better solution would have been one that supports workers with disabilities as well during their job search, not only once they’ve already found work. Plus, he criticizes that the inclusion assistant is only available for a limited time. “We’ve noticed that many people with disabilities have the recurrent need for job counseling, not only for a limited period, but time and time again during their whole career. It is important to have constant relations to build trust between the counselor and the person with disabilities.”