For a mentally handicapped person, "employment" is a big problem. The 34th National Handicap Day just passed reminds us again that more than 10 million mentally handicapped people face a complex and difficult challenge in social integration - employment cohesion support.
Tang Miao, 40 years old from Guangzhou, is accompanied by mental retardation. Even though he successfully completed his education and went to many places in the country to participate in social activities, he is still considered impossible to find employment; Huo Junqi, an autistic youth in his twenties, had worked as a garbage sorting supervisor and as a kitchen assistant in a restaurant, but for various reasons, he was unemployed again. The reporter of New Express learned that a public welfare organization found that the employment rate of mentally handicapped youth in Guangzhou was also less than 4%. When "children" are no longer "children", is it really possible to integrate into society through employment?
Children who "can't get a job" have a job
At the beginning of 2024, Tang Miao, who has been working in a supermarket for more than half a year, was affirmed by the management: "When Tang Miao goes to work, the environment of the fresh food department store can be kept clean and sanitary." As Tang Miao's mother, Zhang Min was very impressed. The child who has been considered "impossible to find a job" ushered in a butterfly change in the past year. These changes can be traced back to the intervention of Guangzhou Heart Friend Service Association for the Mentally Handicapped (hereinafter referred to as "Heart Friend Association").
"Tang Miao's initial situation made people think that he could not get a job." His mother recalled that his son could not travel independently and was not very good at using mobile phones. At that time, he stayed in an employment training base, but his family felt that it was "wasted time". By a coincidence, Zhang Min learned that the Heart Friendly Association, with the support of public welfare venture capital from social organizations in Guangzhou, explored employment support for youth with special needs.
The staff of the Heart Friends Association's opinion of Tang Miao subverts Zhang Min's judgment. "They invited Tang Miao to the canteen for internship, began to contact with professional skills and social relations under the actual work position, took him to participate in the integrated sports rehabilitation project - Star Friend Running Group, and improved physical strength and social integration during running." One thing Zhang Min has never forgotten is that Tang Miao was invited to participate in an activity of the Friends Association, and suggested that he try to travel by himself, "I said it wouldn't work, but they said it would work."
A reply from the staff of the Heart Friends Association made Zhang Min unforgettable all his life: "Is it children who can't, but what we see is not; is it children who can't leave you, or you can't leave children?"
This remark made Zhang Min suddenly awake. In the past, she protected her children, which ran counter to integration. If his travel ability is weak, he should be trained to walk independently. That time, Zhang Min let go, and she was surprised to find that after several times, Tang Miao could really go out by himself.
It is not only the independent travel ability that has changed dramatically. Integrating sports rehabilitation also brought Tang Miao a stronger physique. After that, he joined the supermarket with the support of the Heart Friends Association, and continued to accept the escort and employment support of the Heart Friends Association. He learned how to respond to customer needs for advice and help, actively introduce goods to customers, and assist old customers in shopping... Zhang Min said that Tang Miao liked this job more and more, Professional awareness is gradually improved.
Build a road of integration with a stable support system
Employment is not the end of social integration, but the beginning of a long road of social integration.
"Up to now, we have continued to improve the employment support system for mentally handicapped youth through the support of public welfare venture capital." The head of the Heart Friends Association told the New Express that at present, the Heart Friends Association is implementing the 11th Guangzhou Social Organization Public Welfare Innovation Investment Assistance Project - "Mental Vocational Training", an action to improve the employment support system for mentally handicapped youth. The focus of the project, It includes continuously promoting more mentally handicapped youth to enter the track of employment. At the same time, it also proposed to continue to build a support system for each youth to promote stable employment.
"Employment means that a child has a higher social integration platform, and the ability improvement is also ongoing." The person in charge believes that the most difficult point for the employment of mentally handicapped youth is not "enough existing services" or "how many jobs have been promoted in a certain period of time", but whether the mentally handicapped youth are systematic, sustainable Support across the general project cycle to maintain its employment stability. "We have seen many examples. At first, they were employed, then they were unemployed again, and there was no follow-up support."
Huo Junqi has also experienced a tortuous road to employment. This tall and thin "Guangzhou Boy" in his twenties has mild tic and autism, and his emotional instability will make him anxious and twitch. Over the years, he has studied painting in the Children's Palace, worked as a garbage sorting supervisor, tried to create an illustration book, and worked as an assistant in the restaurant kitchen... His performance is acceptable, but within a year, when people saw him again, he lost his job.
The Heart Friends Association has always encouraged Huo Junqi to find opportunities for him and keep in touch with his parents. Under this supportive atmosphere, Huo Junqi is also learning English, doing physical training, painting, and preparing for opportunities even when he is idle at home.
Finally, in a job docking promoted by Heart Friends Association, Huo Junqi successfully entered the training of Yikang Center, and with the joint support of Heart Friends Association and the Center, Huo Junqi became a full member in advance after about two months of internship, and has worked for more than a year so far. Huo Junqi regularly participates in the integration sports rehabilitation activities of the Heart Friends Association every week. Huo Junqi told the reporter: "I am now mainly catering for the elderly aged 60 and above, and the process is skilled." The elderly in his community told the reporter: "This young man is very popular with everyone. He does this very well and carefully."
Solve the employment problem of mentally handicapped people through public welfare venture capital
"Whether Tang Miao or Huo Junqi, we all hope to promote stable employment through continuous support. In this process, not only social organizations should play a role, but also family community interaction is needed to constantly find space for capacity improvement, carry out intensive training or targeted support, and strengthen the possibility of social integration." The relevant person in charge of the Friends Association told reporters, Many traditional employment projects only focus on the employment data in the cycle, but this practice may not be of much significance to the substantial social integration of the mentally handicapped.
The person in charge shared that the so-called mental disorders generally include people with autism spectrum disorders, developmental retardation (mental retardation), Down's syndrome, developmental disorders caused by cerebral palsy and epilepsy, and other types of developmental disorders. This is a huge special group. It is estimated that there is about one mentally handicapped person in every 70 people in China.
At the same time, more and more disabled workers are aware that employment is not only an important means of income generation for mentally handicapped people, but also an important step to achieve social integration and social security system integration through social division of labor, and it is also the key to continuously promote social integration and adaptability. Data shows that the employment rate of mentally handicapped youth in Guangzhou is only 4%. The above person in charge analyzed that the real problem was that there was no actual job training throughout the whole process to promote employment.
Today, 20 mentally handicapped people have entered the state of continuous employment with the support of the Heart Friends Association, and they are more and more tenable in their respective posts. At the same time, with the support of public welfare venture capital of social organizations in Guangzhou, the social integration support model for mentally handicapped people of Guangzhou Heart Friends Association is gaining more and more recognition from the outside world.
The reporter learned that the "Implementation Plan of the 14th Five Year Plan for the Promotion of Vocational Skills for the Disabled in Guangdong Province" proposed to actively carry out vocational education for the disabled, promote the projects related to the Friends Association, and carry out secondary and higher vocational education for the mentally disabled; The Sports Rehabilitation and Special Olympics Working Committee of Guangdong Intellectual Disabled Persons and Friends Association is working with social organizations, experts and scholars to promote the normalization of sports rehabilitation and special Olympics activities, while the Heart Friends Association has promoted a number of integrated sports from district to province, and copied the experience of sports running to many districts of Guangzhou and other cities in the province.
"Only when a child with potential employment succeeds in stable employment can he better share the achievements of urban development and lay the foundation for subsequent social life, and their midlife crisis can be solved," said the person in charge.
■ Interview: New Express reporter Pan Zhizhen, Li Silu
