Concrete examples of how inclusive employment can become a reality were brought to the fore on Tuesday during a session titled “Inclusive Employment Programmes: Examples” at the World Congress 2025 “We Are Inclusion.” The discussion highlighted the applicability, effectiveness, and efficiency of different models designed to expand access to meaningful work for persons with intellectual disabilities.

Blessing Ijeoma, Co-Chair of Inclusion International’s Employment Working Group, which hosted the session, emphasised its significance as a platform to exchange lessons and experiences. The Working Group brings together Inclusion International members dedicated to advancing inclusive workplaces. Speaking both as an advocate and as the mother of a young girl with an intellectual disability, she said successful initiatives from around the world demonstrate that inclusive employment is achievable across countries and organisations.

Among the models presented was the family-led approach of the Family Support Network for Employment (FSNE) in Ontario, Canada. Its co-chair, Ines de Escallon, described how families came together in 2018 to chart employment pathways for relatives with intellectual disabilities facing barriers in the open labour market. Drawing from her experience as the mother of a 38-year-old son with a disability, she underscored the importance of early preparation: “Employment is a whole journey right from early years to school to graduation. It has the potential to break the triangle of disability, poverty, and exclusion. Networking is very important in inclusive education, so we support families on their journey to employment.” She noted that instilling habits such as paid chores and saving money can help children learn responsibility and accountability.

FSNE partners with like-minded Canadian organisations to help families navigate systems and hold schools and governments accountable. De Escallon clarified, however, that the network does not expect families to act as job coaches for their children or to rely indefinitely on volunteering and readiness programmes.

A different perspective came from Nepal, where self-advocate Shiva Shrestha and programme manager Bhusan Raj Raut presented the model developed by the Parent Federation of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (PFPID). Their comprehensive programme includes pre-employment training, skills assessment, employer preparation, workplace adaptation, on-the-job training, personalised support, and advocacy. The model has already placed 17 trainees into jobs, with ten securing paid employment.

Raut shared the success story of Ayushmman Manandar, a young woman employed at Cleanup Nepal, an environmental organisation. A video showed her daily routine, including independently commuting to and from work — a tangible example of the independence and dignity that inclusive employment can deliver.

World Congress 2025 “We Are Inclusion” continues in Sharjah until September 17, bringing together more than 500 participants from 74 countries, including 152 speakers representing 160 organisations, across 59 parallel sessions. Hosted in the MENA region for the first time, the Congress serves as a leading platform for advancing the rights and inclusion of persons with intellectual disabilities. It is co-organised by Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services and Inclusion International, with the strategic partnership of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau.