International workshop on the topic of Employment Barriers and Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities

In 2022, it will be 10 years since the Russian Federation ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Russian Federation. The purpose of the Convention is to promote full participation of persons with disabilities in the civil, political, economic, social and cultural spheres, eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability, protect persons with disabilities and enable them to exercise and enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as to establish legal safeguards of these rights. During the elapsed decade, the Russian Federation adopted laws and developed programs designated to ensure social protection of people with disabilities and improve their access to education. Moreover, the Russian legislation provides employment guarantees to people with disabilities. However, the issue of employment, career guidance and entry to the labor market for persons with disabilities remains highly relevant. The workshop will be held to present results of studies conducted by the World Bank and the Higher School of Economics (HSE) which focus on the employment of people with disabilities and could underlie the development of government support programs for persons with disabilities. The event is timed to coincide with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Speaker:
	Nina Kolybashkina, Senior Social Development Specialist, World Bank Presentation of the review of employment barriers and opportunities for persons with disabilities in the Russian Federation The goal of this study is to find the causes of low employment level among the people with disabilities in the Russian Federation and develop recommendations on how to strengthen the government policies of employment promotion for people with disabilities and to better align these policies with the guiding principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. On the eve of the reporting date for Russia under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2022, the completed study is of particular importance. The study uses a mixed approach: it combines a review of the legal and regulatory framework with an analysis of qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative component consisted in a series of interview, focus groups and consultations with academic scholars focusing on disability, staff from non-profit organizations, representatives from various organisations of persons with disabilities, educational institutions, employers, as well as directly with people with disabilities. The quantitative part included an analysis of data from ROSSTAT’s surveys, administrative data of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation and the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation.
Moderator:
	Elena Yarskaya-Smirnova, Professor, Head, International Laboratory for Social Integration Research, HSE (NCMU)
Panelists:
	Viktoria Antonova, Professor, Faculty of Social Science, HSE (NCMU)
	Christian Fröhlich, Assistant Professor, International Laboratory for Social Integration Research, HSE (NCMU)
	Denise Roza, Chairperson, NGO Perspektiva

Venue: ZOOM platform

Date and time: December 2, 2021 3 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Working languages: Russian, English

The online registration before 10 am on Thursday December 2, 2021 at https://ncmu.hse.ru/en/polls/533614519.html  is required.

The ZOOM link will be shared with registered participants on December 2.

Media representatives are kindly asked to contact the University press service at press@hse.ru for accreditation to the event.