Pablo Pineda, first European graduate with Down syndrome: “the time has come to take the labor inclusion of people with disabilities to a higher level”.
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities will be celebrated on December 3, 2022, an event that will have a special significance, as this year marks the 40th anniversary of the approval of the Law for the Social Integration of the Disabled (LISMI), today known as the “Law for the Social Integration of the Disabled”. General Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and their Social Inclusion (hereinafter referred to as LGD). This legal regulation recognized, for the first time, the labor rights of people with disabilities, requiring companies with more than 50 employees to incorporate a percentage of professionals with disabilities of no less than 2%.
Since then, many achievements have been made regarding the inclusion of people with disabilities in the labor market, but there are also many challenges ahead. “If in a crisis scenario such as that of the early 80’s the then LISMI achieved the support of all political forces, today, 40 years later, the time has come to shore up this social consensus and align the vision of public administrations, companies and society in the firm purpose of eradicating the anachronistic beliefs that continue to hinder equal opportunities for people with disabilities and that become barriers, sometimes insurmountable, to access to stable employment”- he points out. Francisco Mesonero, General Manager of the Adecco Foundation.
The midlife crisis: the awareness campaign that invites action.
In the run-up to the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and with the support of more than 230 committed companies, including Sunsundegui, the Adecco Foundation has developed the awareness campaign “The midlife crisis”, starring Pablo Pineda, first European graduate with Down syndrome and ambassador of the Adecco Foundation and Lola Robles, visually impaired actress. In this campaign, a parallel is drawn between the disability law and the well-known crisis that many people go through when they turn 40.
“When we reach the age of 40, we take stock of what we have lived, we question ourselves on a personal level and we set new goals and purposes for the future. We want to carry out this same exercise but applied to the disability law, which also celebrates its fourth decade and reaches its maturity. It is time to celebrate how much we have achieved but also to be self-critical and take the regulations to a higher level. I believe that at this point it is essential that companies understand that hiring people with disabilities is not philanthropy, but a necessary commitment to talent and competitiveness in a diverse environment in which we bring many values and skills such as effort, sacrifice and motivation. highlights Pablo Pineda.
“The consolidation of the legal framework, together with phenomena such as the greater thrust of the disability sector, globalization, digitalization or the generalization of social networks, have drawn a new scenario in which disability is increasingly visible and accepted in the social imaginary. However, the challenges ahead are still enormous and this 40th anniversary is an exceptional opportunity to project them and design initiatives aimed at conquering them,” says Francisco Mesonero, general manager of the Adecco Foundation.