‘By showcasing the participants’ skills and abilities, the videos challenge the mistaken assumption that persons with intellectual disabilities cannot hold down a job or contribute to the workplace’
The Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD) is the national regulatory body for disability in Malta and Gozo. Its main role is to safeguard the rights of disabled people and raise awareness on issues surrounding disability.
We spoke to Samantha Pace Gasan, the Commissioner for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Samantha told us about the Video Curriculum Vitae of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities project. It is a series of videos featuring persons with intellectual disabilities and their aspirations and experiences in relation to employment. By showcasing the participants’ skills and abilities, the videos challenge the mistaken assumption that people with intellectual disabilities cannot hold down a job or contribute to the workplace, hence, paving the way for more employment opportunities.
One video in the series is a Disability Equality Training video for employers, which also provides guidance and support to current and prospective employers of persons with intellectual disabilities. Another video will explain how persons can create their own video CVs, which might be a better way for persons with intellectual disability to approach prospective employers.
The project emphasises the importance of skills and values that persons with disability can bring to a team and workplace, which are not necessarily the traditional employment skills but also soft skills such as being a team player, creativity, dedication, punctuality, kindheartedness, discipline, and perseverance in reaching a goal.
We asked Samantha how ESN has supported CRPD, and she told us:
“ESN has a great network of organisations and through its different initiatives and events, ESN gives us the opportunity to network, receive training from experts, learn good practices within the disability and other social sectors, and to further develop ideas and adopt socially innovative projects.”