The regional NGO Perspektiva (Future) and the Business Council on Disability (SBVI) held a seminar on legal aspects of employment of staff with special needs, to provide advice to representatives of companies.

Participants included representatives of Ernst and Young, IBM, Colgate-Palmolive ZAO, Herbalife International, among others. Participants were selected by SBVI and KPMG, and the company Clifford Chance provided the venue. The first session was devoted to understanding the challenges facing people with disabilities at work. They considered stereotypes and problems facing people at work, as well as the possibilities for providing assistance in the workplace, and talked about showing respect in the way people with disabilities are addressed and referred to. Discussion leaders were Sofia Pak and Konstantin Balyanin from Perspektiva.

The NGO’s lawyer, Maksim Larionov, gave a presentation on legal aspects of employing people with special needs, benefits they can obtain under the Russian Labour Code, and the availability of individual rehabilitation programmes while they look for work. Mr Larionov also answered a lot of questions, for example on safety at work and on dismissal in the case of staff with disabilities.

http://www.asi.org.ru/ASI3%5Crws_asi.nsf/va_WebPages/0811639787ABE011C3257770004C0E5DRus