HR policies to integrate workers with disabilities in the INPS (INPS)

The Istituto Nazionale Previdenza Sociale (INPS) is one of the biggest Public Sector organizations in Italy. About 35.000 people work in it, of which more than 1.000 are people with disabilities. People with disabilities in Italy used to be level civil servants. Blind and visual impaired workers were usually switchboard operators, deaf people were usually carriers. ICT development and a new employment law opened new job opportunities for these workers, and therefore INPS launched a long term project with the objective to find better working positions for these people with disabilities in the organization in order to improve their career opportunities, their integration and, at the end, to get a better contribution from them to the whole organization.

Policy Context

Before law 68/1999, people with disabilities in Italy usually became low level civil servants. Blind and visual impaired workers were usually switchboard operators (Italian law 113/1985) , deaf people were usually carriers (partially due to law 482/1968). Now, people with disabilities can work also as high level civil servants, in application of 68/1999 law, so formation is becoming fundamental in their inclusion.

Description of target users and groups

People with disabilities working in the INPS.

Description of the way to implement the initiative

The first part of the project, developed and implemented in cooperation with Fondazione ASPHI onlus, was to design an education path in order to build basic ICT skills that are needed for any new job position. The implementation of the ICT education plan started addressing workers with blindness, vision impairments and hearing problems, with the support of ASPHI, given its long experience in dealing with people with disabilities and ICT. The first action was to train 40 internal INPS teachers, using a TTT approach. Then they trained 120 blind switchboard operators and 160 deaf workers.

Technology solution

The project developed an ICT education plan, focused on accessibility issues and created an ErgoLab for people with disabilities. The ErgoLab, winner of “PaAperta” prize in 2005, is an ergonomic workstation “for all”. Everyone can sit at this workstation and verify the better solution for its own needs. ErgoLab is a PC station with FINIRE QUESTO

Main results, benefits and impacts

After having attended the ICT education path and having acquired the basic needed skills some people changed their work (from switchboard operator to clerk) and several other attended formation plans in communication, English language and health education. INPS is promoting the project in Italy, working with Asphi and IBM foundation in Italy, in order to replicate the experience in other organizations.

Return on investment

Return on investment: Not applicable / Not available

Track record of sharing

Inps presented this project in national events such as “HANDImatica”, “ForumPA”. The medical part of the project was presented in ICOH 2006 world congress in Milan.

Lessons learnt

Lesson 1 - Young people working as a switchboard operator usually are affected by stress due to repetivity. The employment law (Italian law 113/1985) doesn’t plan a formation for people employed as switchboard operator, so it’s very difficult to change working position. After the ITC formation plan, a new consciousness in blind people’s working possibilities permitted two work changes (from switchboard operator to clerk) and a better working organization for others. Lesson 2 - The whole process is very challenging. You’ve got to select. motivate, train people with disabilities, with all the related problems. Then you’ve to find new job positions suited for them. Lesson 3 - Lastly if they’re going to work with ICT applications you’ve to face and solve accessibility problems of these applications. Scope: National