Scheme will help ill return to work

WORKERS who suffer serious accidents or illnesses will find it easier to return to their jobs under a scheme launched yesterday.

The Employment Retention Grant scheme will pay employers up to 90% of the cost of helping employees to re-adjust.

With a budget of 500,000 for its first year, the FÁS scheme is expected to open up the workplace to people who would have considered their careers to be over.

“This type of scheme has never been tried in the EU. It will make a serious impact, not just on people who’ve had disabilities as a result of a serious accident but also people with MS and cancer,” FÁS Director of Social Inclusion Shira Mehlman said.

Companies will be provided with grants to pay for a specialist who will report on the needs of employees with disabilities. All private companies are eligible but not the public sector, which is already obliged to accommodate people with disabilities.

“There often needs to be structural changes in the workplace. This can involve rearranging work stations, getting an appropriate chair or computer equipment with voice input. There’s usually always a way to accommodate a physical disability,” said Margot Schubert, an occupational therapist When workers are absent for months or years because of their illness or disability, an instant return to work is not possible. Specialists will provide a ‘hardening process’ which helps them to gradually get back to their normal working hours. Tánaiste Mary Harney launched a second scheme yesterday to improve conditions for people with disabilities already in the workplace. The Disability Awareness Training Support scheme has a budget of 400,000 and will educate staff about working with people with disabilities.

Ms Schubert said employees often believe people with disabilities are not able to carry out their jobs. “People aren’t confronted with disabilities too often but educating them, that can be changed very quickly,” she said.