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Customized Employment: A Way Beyond “Food, Flowers and Filth”?

  • Marie Assaf EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: November 19, 2024

Abstract

This article critically examines the effectiveness and limitations of contemporary employment programmes in the U.S. designed for individuals with disabilities, particularly those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Despite the noble intentions and efforts to promote inclusion, the prevailing logic of employment often confines these individuals to peripheral, unskilled job markets. The analysis highlights a systemic issue within the welfare state framework, where customized employment initiatives, while personalized, fail to lift individuals out of precarious situations. By delving into the perspectives of agents from nonprofits involved in these programmes, the article underscores the role played by such initiatives in categorizing individuals based on definitions of employability.

Zusammenfassung

Dieser Artikel untersucht die Wirksamkeit und Grenzen aktueller Beschäftigungsprogramme in den USA, die für Menschen mit Behinderungen, insbesondere für Personen mit intellektuellen und entwicklungsbedingten Behinderungen (IDD), konzipiert sind. Trotz der Absichten und Bemühungen, Inklusion zu fördern, beschränkt die vorherrschende Logik der Beschäftigung diese Menschen allerdings häufig auf periphere, ungelernte Arbeitsmärkte. Die Analyse hebt ein systemisches Problem im Rahmen des Wohlfahrtsstaates hervor. So eröffnen individualisierte Beschäftigungsinitiativen zwar Einzelnen Zugang zum Arbeitsmarkt, schaffen es jedoch nicht, die Betroffenen aus prekären Situationen zu befreien. Durch die Auseinandersetzung mit den Perspektiven von Mitarbeiter*innen gemeinnütziger Organisationen, die an diesen Programmen beteiligt sind, betont der Artikel die Rolle solcher Initiativen bei der Kategorisierung von Menschen anhand von Definitionen der Beschäftigungsfähigkeit.

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Published Online: 2024-11-19
Published in Print: 2024-11-29

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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