# Employment Measures for Persons with Disabilities

## Overview

# FY2014 Promotion of Employment Support for Persons with Disabilities – Outline of Measures Related to the Employment of Persons with Disabilities –

I. Promotion of efforts for smooth enforcement of the revised Act on Promotion of the Employment for Persons with Disabilities

1. Promotion of efforts for smooth enforcement of the revised Act on Promotion of the Employment for Persons with Disabilities

Efforts for smooth enforcement of the revised Act on Promotion of the Employment for Persons with Disabilities, including formulation of guidelines for prohibiting discrimination of and providing reasonable consideration for persons with disabilities, will be promoted, and support for enterprises will be enhanced to enable them to make steady efforts in employing persons with mental disabilities.

II. Promotion of employment support according to the characteristics of individual mental disabilities, developmental disabilities, and intractable diseases

1. Significant strengthening of employment support for persons with mental disabilities

(1) Reform/enhancement of trial employment programs for persons with disabilities

With regard to “trial employment programs for persons with disabilities”, in which business operators employ persons with disabilities on a trial basis through referrals made by Hello Works, etc. and promote their transfer to regular employment after the completion of trial employment, the maximum trial employment period will be extended to 12 months in the case of trial employment of persons with mental disabilities.

(2) Enhancement of specialized support for persons with mental disabilities at Hello Works

In response to a rapid increase in the number of new job seekers with mental disabilities visiting Hello Works, comprehensive and continued support will be provided through the placement of "comprehensive supporters for the employment of persons with mental disabilities" who can provide consistent support for persons with mental disabilities, including counseling, raising the awareness of enterprises, implementation of on-the-job training, and follow-ups after employment, etc.

(3) Enhancement of subsidy for stable employment of persons with mental disabilities

A subsidy for stable employment of persons with mental disabilities, which is provided to business operators that are making efforts in developing work environments wherein persons with mental disabilities can work more easily, will be enhanced to include persons with mental disabilities taking stress care courses as subject to the subsidy.

(4) Implementation of model programs to promote accumulation of know-how on employment of persons with mental/developmental disabilities

Model programs, in which enterprises with insufficient experience and know-how on employment of persons with mental/developmental disabilities are entrusted with employment promotion efforts to building the know-how, will be implemented after taking into consideration the balance of regions, scales, and industries, etc.

2. Steady implementation of employment support for persons with developmental disabilities/intractable diseases

(1) Steady implementation of support measures according to the characteristics of persons with developmental disabilities

Careful support for those having difficulties in communication abilities due to developmental disabilities, etc. will be implemented according to their desires and characteristics by increasing the number of "employment support navigators (for persons with developmental disabilities)" placed at Hello Works. In addition, employment of students with developmental disabilities, etc. will be promoted by holding seminars on employment of persons with developmental disabilities for university staff in charge of employment, and efforts will be made in promoting and stabilizing employment of persons with developmental disabilities by providing subsidies to business operators that employ persons with developmental disabilities and perform appropriate employment management, etc.

(2) Steady implementation of support measures for persons with intractable diseases

In consideration of the increased need for employment support for persons with intractable diseases, efforts will need to be made in promoting and securing employment of persons with intractable diseases by placing “employment supporters for persons with intractable diseases” at Hello Works, thereby strengthening cooperation between Hello Works and Intractable Disease Consultation and Support Centers, and by the provision of subsidies for business operators employing persons with intractable diseases, along with the implementation of appropriate employment management, etc.

III. Enhancement of support measures focusing on small- and medium-sized enterprises and promotion of transfer from "welfare", "education", and "medical care" to "employment" through cooperation with relevant institutions in regions

1. Implementation of support, etc. focusing on small- and medium-sized enterprises

Employment of persons with disabilities by small- and medium-sized enterprises will be promoted through consultations on employment management of persons with disabilities and issues concerning employment of persons with disabilities that enterprises have and subsidies to reduce the employment burden of business operators.

2. Promotion of transfer from “welfare”, “education”, and “medical care” to “employment” through cooperation with relevant institutions in regions (1) Implementation of programs for promoting transfer from welfare, education, medical care to employment

In order to eliminate the worries persons with disabilities may have about employment and those of small- and medium-sized enterprises about employing persons with disabilities, specialized coordinators will be placed at Labour Bureaus to comprehensively and effectively promote on-the-job training in cooperation with the relevant institutions, including welfare facilities, schools for special needs education, and medical institutions, etc., and the transfer from welfare, education, medical care to employment promoted through the holding of employment support seminars and implementing tours of recruiting workplaces, etc.

(2) Establishment of Employment and Vocational Life Support Centers for Persons with Disabilities and strengthening of workplace adaptation support

Workplace adaptation support for persons with mental/developmental disabilities, etc. will be strengthened through placing workplace adaptation support staff members who have specialized in, and will be responsible for, workplace adaptation support at Employment and Vocational Life Support Centers for Persons with Disabilities.

(3) Implementation of model projects in support of employment of persons with mental disabilities in cooperation with medical institutions

Model projects to make efforts/cooperation for employment support at medical institutions will be implemented to verify measures for promoting transfer from “medical care” to “employment” of persons with mental disabilities through effective cooperation with medical institutions.

IV. Development of environments for further promotion of employment for persons with disabilities

1. Development of environments for further promotion of employment for persons with disabilities

Job-matching functions of Hello Works will be strengthened by strengthening the implementation system of "team support" that provides consistent support from employment through to workplace adaptation through cooperation between Hello Works and relevant institutions in regions, actively holding "job-placement interview sessions" in which persons with disabilities and recruiting enterprises get together, and active implementation of "employment guidance" to provide persons with disabilities who need to be more prepared for employment with information on job seeking activities and mental preparation/required know-how for regular employment, etc.

In addition, “trial employment programs for persons with disabilities”, in which business operators employ persons with disabilities on a trial basis through referrals made by Hello Works, etc. and promote their transfer to regular employment after the completion of trial employment, will be reorganized/enhanced to include employment through referral from private human resource businesses as subject to the program.