Workplace Social Inclusion

DEFINITIONS

Adjustment or Accommodation

Adaptation of the job, including adjustment and modification of machinery and equipment and/or modification of the job content, working time, and work organization, and the adaptation of the work environment to provide access to the place of work and to facilitate the employment of individuals with disabilities.

Competent Authority

A ministry, government department, or other public authority having the power to issue regulations, orders, or other instructions having the force of law.

Decent Work

Productive work in which rights are protected, which generates an adequate income, with adequate social protection.

Disability Management

A process in the workplace designed to facilitate the employment of persons with a disability through a coordinated effort addressing individual needs, work environment, enterprise needs and legal responsibilities.

Disabled Person

An individual whose prospects of securing, returning to, retaining and advancing in suitable employment are substantially reduced as a result of a duly recognized physical, sensory, intellectual, or mental impairment.

Discrimination

Any distinction, exclusion, or preference based on certain grounds which nullifies or impairs equality of opportunity or treatment in employment or occupation. General standards that establish distinctions based on prohibited grounds constitute discrimination in law. The specific attitude of a public authority or a private individual that treats unequally persons or members of a group on a prohibited ground constitutes discrimination in practice. Indirect discrimination refers to apparently neutral situations, regulations, or practices which, in fact, result in unequal treatment of persons with certain characteristics. Distinction or preferences that may result from the application of special measures of protection and assistance taken to meet the particular requirements of disabled persons are not considered discriminatory.

Employee Assistance Programme

A programme – either jointly operated by an employer and a workers’ organization, or by an employer alone, or a workers’ organization alone – that offers assistance to workers and frequently also to their family members, with problems liable to cause personal distress, which affect or could eventually affect job productivity.

Employer

A person or organization employing workers under a written or verbal contract of employment that established the rights and duties of both parties in accordance with national law and practice. Governments, public authorities, and private companies, as well as individuals, may be employers.

Employers’ Organization

An organization whose membership consists of individual employers, other associations of employers, or both, formed primarily to protect and promote the interests of members and to provide services to its members in employment-related matters.

Equal Opportunity

Equal access to and opportunities for all persons in employment, vocational training, and particular occupations, without discrimination, consistent with Article 4 of ILO Convention No. 159.

Inclusion - the process of preparing educational units to include in the education process all members of the community, regardless of their characteristics, disadvantages or difficulties.

Inclusive Education is based on changes and transformations of the school (in terms of organization, goals set, improving school instruction, etc.) in order to support the participation in the learning process of all students in a community. It presupposes a process of continuous adaptation of the educational institution so as to permanently ensure the capitalization of the existing material and human resources in order to support and ensure the necessary support to all participants in education.

Inclusive School - an educational unit that provides an education for all children and is the most effective means of combating discriminatory attitudes. The children in these educational units benefit from all the rights and social and educational services according to the principle the resource follows the child.

Integrated Education is defined as a set of measures applied to categories of the population that seeks to eliminate segregation in all its forms and is a dominant trend in addressing people with disabilities in social and educational policies, reflecting a process of transition from the study, finding an explanation for institutionalization and standardization (through laws, declarations, and regulations), becoming a common practice both in the world and in our country. Integrated education is an institutionalized way of schooling children with disabilities (as well as other children with special needs) in ordinary schools and classes or in school structures as close as possible to the usual ones (Vrăsmaș, Nicolae, Oprea, Vrăsmaș, 2005).

International Labor Standards

Principles and norms in all labour-related matters, which are adopted by the tripartite ILC (governments, employers, and workers). These standards take the form of international labour Conventions and Recommendations. Through ratifications by member States, conventions create binding obligations to implement their provisions. Recommendations are non-binding instruments that provide guidance on policy, legislation, and practice.

Job Adaptation

The adaptation or redesign of tools, machines, workstations, and the work environment to an individual’s needs. It may also include adjustments in work organization, work schedules, sequences of work and in breaking down work tasks to their basic elements.

Job Retention

Remaining with the same employer, with the same or different duties or conditions of employment, including return after a period of paid or unpaid absence.

Mainstreaming

Including people with disabilities in employment, education, training, and all sectors of society.

Organizations of and/or for persons with disabilities

Organizations that represent persons with disabilities and advocate for their rights.

Return to Work

The process by which a worker is supported in resuming work after an absence due to injury or illness.

School Center for Inclusive Education - a school institution which, in addition to organizing and carrying out the teaching-learning-evaluation process, has other directions of institutional development: training/information in the field of special education, documentation/research/experimentation, as well as educational services for/in the community [222].

Vocational Rehabilitation

A process that enables disabled persons to secure, retain and advance in suitable employment and thereby furthers their integration or reintegration into society.

Work Trial

Work activity to provide experience in or test suitability for a particular job.

Worker/employee

Any person who works for a wage or salary and performs services for an employer. Employment is governed by a written or verbal contract of service.

Workers’ Representatives

Persons who are recognized as such under national law or practice, in accordance with the Workers’ Representatives Convention, 1971 (No. 135), whether they are: (a) trade union representatives, namely representatives designated or elected by trade unions; or (b) elected representatives, namely representatives who are freely elected by workers of the undertaking in accordance with provisions of national laws or regulations or of collective agreements and whose functions do not include activities which are recognized as the exclusive prerogative of trade unions in the country concerned.

Working Conditions

The factors determining the circumstances in which the worker works. These include hours of work, work organization, job content, welfare services, and the measures taken to protect the occupational safety and health of the worker.

Working Environment

The facilities and circumstances in which work takes place and the environmental factors which may affect workers’ health.

Workplace

All the places where people in employment need to be or go to carry out their work and which are under the direct or indirect control of the employer. Examples include offices, factories, plantations, construction sites, ships, and private residences.

Works Council/workplace Committee

A committee of workers within the enterprise with which the employer cooperates and which is consulted by the employer on matters of mutual concern.

Workstation

The part of the office or factory where an individual works, including desk or work surface used, chair, equipment, and other items.

Education for Diversity and Social Inclusion

Daniel MARA¹, *, Dorin VLAD¹

¹ Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu Bulevardul Victoriei 10, Sibiu 550024, Romania

Abstract

Inclusive and integrated education has become a reality of the Romanian educational system in the last 25 years, based on the idea that education is essential to people's and societies' growth. To attain inclusive policies and practices and to establish the foundation for an inclusive culture, inclusive education is a complicated, protracted process that requires ongoing examination, modification, and development.

The foundation of the inclusive education - education for all paradigm is defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the World Program of Action for Persons with Disabilities, the UNESCO Conference of Ministers of Education in Jommtien, Thailand, 1990, the legal provisions regarding the integration of children and young people with disabilities in the usual education systems, the 1993 UN General Assembly resolution, and the Copenhagen Declaration.

The concept of integrated or inclusive education involves creating learning environments where all students, including those with disabilities or special needs, are fully included in regular classroom settings.

Here is a conceptual framework outlining key aspects of integrated/inclusive education:

• Diversity and Inclusion:

Embracing diversity: Recognizing and valuing the unique backgrounds, abilities, and learning styles of all students.

Promoting inclusion: Creating environments where every student feels welcome, respected, and supported.

• Equity and Access:

Equity in education: Ensuring that all students have access to high-quality education, regardless of their background or abilities.

Removing barriers: Identifying and addressing systemic barriers that may prevent students from fully participating in the educational experience.

• Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

UDL principles: Designing instruction and curriculum materials that are accessible and engaging for all learners, including those with diverse abilities and learning needs.

Multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement: Providing multiple ways for students to access information, demonstrate understanding, and engage with learning materials.

• Collaborative Partnerships:

Collaboration among stakeholders: Building partnerships among educators, students, families, and community members to support the inclusion of all students.

Shared responsibility: Recognizing that creating inclusive learning environments is a collective responsibility that requires collaboration and cooperation from all stakeholders.

• Individualized Support:

Individualized education plans (IEPs) or personalized learning plans: Developing individualized plans that outline goals, accommodations, and support strategies for students with special needs.

Differentiated instruction: Adapting teaching strategies and materials to meet the diverse needs of students within the same classroom.

• Positive School Climate and Culture:

Creating a supportive environment: Fostering a school culture that values diversity, promotes respect and empathy, and celebrates the contributions of all students.

Addressing bullying and discrimination: Implementing policies and practices to prevent bullying and discrimination based on factors such as disability, race, gender, or sexual orientation.

• Professional Development and Capacity Building:

Training and support for educators: Providing professional development opportunities to help teachers develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to effectively support diverse learners.

Building inclusive practices: Encouraging continuous learning and reflection to enhance educators' ability to create inclusive and accessible learning environments.

• Continuous Monitoring and Evaluation:

Ongoing assessment: Monitoring student progress and adjusting instructional strategies and support services as needed to ensure that all students are making meaningful progress.

Program evaluation: Regularly evaluating the effectiveness of inclusive education initiatives and practices and making data-informed decisions for improvement.

By embracing these principles and practices, educational institutions can work towards creating inclusive learning environments that enable all students to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

Keywords: Diversity, Disability, Inclusive education, Inclusive learning environment, Student.

THE ISSUE OF INTEGRATED/INCLUSIVE EDUCATION-CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Inclusive and integrated education have established themselves not only as modern educational alternatives but have become, in the last 25 years, a reality of the Romanian educational system [1]. The idea that education is essential to people's and societies' growth is at the heart of inclusive education. Recent approaches to inclusive education highlight that this is primarily a reform of education and not just a matter of placing the student and the type of institution in which he or she is enrolled.

In order to attain inclusive policies and practices and to establish the foundation for an inclusive culture, inclusive education is a complicated, protracted process that necessitates ongoing examination, modification, and development.

At the legislative level, regulations have been developed, both worldwide and in our country, which support and guide society and its members in achieving the goals promoted by inclusive and inclusive educational policies.

The foundation of the inclusive education - education for all paradigm is defined by the following legislative framework:

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UN, 1948), which affirms that all people are created with inherent worth and dignity, is where the idea of inclusion first appeared (Fig. 1). This claim suggests that acceptance of everyone, regardless of differences, is what inclusion entails [2].

The World Program of Action for Persons with Disabilities adopted in 1981 [3].

UNESCO Conference of Ministers of Education in Jommtien, Thailand, 1990, laying the foundations for a new direction in international education policies, namely education for