Perspektiva works to bridge the gap between job seekers with disabilities and employers, and facilitate partnerships between the business and the community of young people with disabilities.
(Programme concluded and no longer supported by the Trafigura Foundation)
Across the Russian Federation, persons with disabilities (PWDs) are still one of the most marginalised social groups and cannot easily find a job due to the lack of workplace accessibility, effective job coaching and job placement support.
In partnership with the Trafigura Foundation, Perspektiva is strengthening its disability employment programme in six Russian cities (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Voronezh, and Kazan).
The programme's succesful impact is based on a two-fold approach. On one hand, Perspektiva connects PWDs with career opportunities and employers, and prepares them for future employment through orientation sessions, mentoring schemes and tailored career development counselling. On the other hand, the organisation seeks to bridge the disconnect between employers and PWDs, challenging the prevailing negative attitudes about their employability and paving the way for effective and sustainable disability employment programmes.
Perspektiva has established a fee-for-services network of “disability awareness trainers” and “access experts” who raise awareness among the business community about disability and help develop a more positive attitude about the hire of PWDs. Thanks to this initiative, Perspektiva has developed a vast network of employment partners who have consistently opened jobs up to PWDs, offered mentorship and internship opportunities.
In 2021, Perspektiva organised activities and events for job seekers with disabilities in the six cities where the programme is active. Noteworthy, the non-profit helped 55 PWDs access paid internships and 256 job seekers with disabilities secure a job.
“Path to a Career” and “Career Perspectives” are two of the initiatives that support PWDs to build their soft skills, such as resume writing, goal setting and preparing for job interviews. Support and mentoring is offered by members of the business community, with the aim of helping PWDs secure a job. In 2021, there were 89 participants across six different “Path to a Career" competitions, and 119 PWDs in the “Career Perspectives” programme.
Dimitry is one of Perspektiva’s success stories. As a wheelchair user, he was concerned that the world of work would not be physically accessible to him.
Participating in the ‘Path to a Career’ competition boosted his confidence in his skills and strength as a candidate, and further intensive training and mentoring from experienced professionals prepared him for interviews. Dimitry soon secured a paid internship at Citibank, which turned into a permanent role. He credits his success to the training and opportunities Perspektiva provided, explaining that “Perspektiva provided me with the tools I needed to find and maintain a job.”
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