Inclusion through education | The WIR magazine in the Gerauer Land

By Rainer Beutel.

The integration of people with disabilities is one of the most important tasks of the Rhein-Main workshops for the disabled in Königstädten. A successful example of operational integration has been achieved in Nauheim. Jolanda Wilker, member of the WfB management, describes in an interview with WIR editor Rainer Beutel how such collaborations come about.

Ms. Wilker, the Rhein-Main workshops for the disabled have been successfully involved in integrating people with disabilities for several years. Please explain to our readers what goals the WfB are pursuing with this?

Jolanda Wilker: Our primary goal is to enable people with so-called intellectual disabilities to participate equally in social and societal life. In our society we define ourselves to a large extent through our work. That is why it is very important to us as workshop providers, but also to me personally, to promote all people according to their abilities and skills so that they can pursue a meaningful activity that fulfills them and makes them satisfied. For many of our employees, this is a place in one of our workshops. However, we are also very successful in finding company-integrated jobs. Of our roughly 500 workshop employees, a good 60 people are currently doing internships or at work at municipalities or companies throughout the district.

To what extent do the WfB create the personal and professional requirements for the integration process?

Jolanda Wilker: I see the alpha and omega of successful integration and inclusion in good education and qualifications. My employees from the vocational training area of ​​our workshops and from our professional integration department are doing all they can. This is very important for participation in society – also and especially for people with disabilities. In cooperation with the IHK Darmstadt, we have therefore developed an optimal qualification system. We also work closely with the Rüsselsheim vocational school, the Werner Heisenberg School. Something like this is still not a matter of course in Germany. I would like to thank those responsible for their cooperation.

What can municipalities and companies do if they want to support, promote and ideally participate in the integration process?

Jolanda Wilker: In order for more workshop employees to make the transition to the general labor market, my employees and I depend on partners in municipalities and in the private sector who are open and willing to get involved with people with disabilities. At first nothing more is needed. Together with the companies, my employees look for suitable jobs and hold internal discussions with workshop employees in order to find out who is interested in the job and who is eligible. We are far from talking about a job in the general labor market. The key words are internships or company-integrated jobs that facilitate the transition to the general labor market. If there is then a cooperation, we continue to look after the disabled person. However, we also support the employer and are the point of contact for colleagues in the companies.

And that works smoothly?

Jolanda Wilker: From our many years of experience, we know that it takes some practice to get involved with a person with a disability. We do not leave the companies alone here. If everything goes well, companies now and then take people with disabilities into their teams. The permanent takeover on the general labor market is the free choice and unfortunately it is extremely rare. I’m talking about one or two successful placements a year.

There is a current example in Nauheim. Please describe in which area you and the community of Nauheim cooperate and how this has succeeded?

Jolanda Wilker: That’s true. And this mediation makes us all very happy. Encouraged by the success of the cooperation, the municipality of Nauheim has decided to create permanent jobs for two people with handicaps in their day-care centers. Mayor Jan Fischer is setting a trend-setting sign for inclusion. We have been cooperating with the Nauheim community since 2016. The two young women, who have been permanently employed in two of the community day-care centers since August, have been working there since 2018. We initially filled the positions with other workshop employees, but that did not work for one position straight away. It is important that all parameters are correct and that the employer and employee are satisfied and happy with the job. It has to be right for both sides.

Do the employees start working immediately?

Jolanda Wilker: No, we usually start our cooperation with an internship. One of the aims of this is that the protagonists get to know each other well. Because besides work, it is important that the human level is right. It was essential that my employees accompanied the process well during the entire time and were there if there were any questions or problems. That is a principle of our work.

Such cooperation is considered a win-win situation. Who benefits how and in what way?

Jolanda Wilker: First of all, this form of cooperation makes an enormously important contribution to modern disability policy and the implementation of UN conventions. The human component is at least as important: the hiring and integration of disabled people in the company has a positive effect on the entire workforce. A socially committed and responsible company strengthens the trust of its employees and promotes their social skills. Through our mediation, the company gets a highly motivated employee who is grateful for the great opportunity. Hiring people with disabilities is a win for both sides.

And the WfB?

Jolanda Wilker: For us, of course, the gain in quality of life for people with handicaps is top priority. His self-esteem and self-efficacy experience an enormous boost when he can participate in working life on an equal footing. However, I would like to remind you of what I said at the beginning: It has to be right. For many, the space in the workshop can also be a very good route. There is nothing worse than feeling overwhelmed at work all the time.
What happens immediately after the operational integration? Does this mean that you lose contact with the WfB?
Jolanda Wilker: Officially, we as an institution are out. But from a human point of view, of course, this cannot be implemented according to a textbook. If close connections have grown through years of care and support, then of course we are also available to advise – even if there is no longer any remuneration. And that affects both sides; the employee we have placed as well as the employer and his team. In addition, this is a measure for us to secure the employment relationship and to maintain contact with the company.

In which professional fields has the operational integration already been successful and which other areas could be added?

Jolanda Wilker: The spectrum is very varied and broad. It ranges from building yards, daycare centers, logistics companies, dog salons, car dealerships and school canteens to the Rüsselsheim City and Industry Museum and the GPR Clinic. Among other things, our employees work here as service assistants, in warehouse logistics, housekeeping, cleaning, retail, building services and in animal care.

How is your work to be classified in the Groß-Gerau district?

Jolanda Wilker: All workshops for handicapped people in Hessen have agreed on goals for company integration with the state welfare association in order to enable the transition to the general labor market. We are extremely successful here in a national comparison. In a comparison of all rural districts, we have regularly been in second place for several years with our efforts to promote professional integration. As for the classification in the Groß-Gerau district, I can give a very short answer: We are the only institution in the entire district that supports people with intellectual disabilities in this area. Without our commitment there would be no company-integrated jobs. A transition to the general labor market is only possible through my team.

What role do you personally play in these processes and who at the WfB supports you?

Jolanda Wilker: As a member of the management of the WfB Rhein-Main and as a division manager for education and work, I can only be operationally active myself to a small extent. However, this part of my numerous fields of work is particularly close to my heart. I have been working for WfB Rhein-Main for exactly 25 years and many years ago I started to help build up the company-integrated employment. Today my team in the areas of education and professional integration consists of four educational supervisors, two specialists for professional integration as well as freelance workers who we buy for further training and student interns who give us valuable support. In addition to leading these teams, I see it as my job to continuously expand our network of companies in the district. I hope that this interview also contributes something to this, because we are very much dependent on the openness and willingness of companies in the region to work with us and thus give people with disabilities a chance.

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