Vocational rehabilitation of disabled people in Germany: a systems-theoretical perspective

Abstract

Avoiding inequality of opportunities based on individual characteristics such as sex, race or disability is of central concern for social policy. One of the most important aspects of social inclusion is integration into working life. In Germany, a comprehensive system of vocational rehabilitation has been developed aiming to integrate disabled people into the labour market. This paper contributes to a better understanding of exclusion and inclusion mechanisms related to employment participation of disabled people through the application of concepts from systems theory. We identify the societal part systems influencing these mechanisms and structure them using a multi-level approach.

Keywords:

• vocational rehabilitation
• disability
• labour-market participation
• systems theory
• exclusion
• inclusion

Acknowledgement

This article was developed in the context of the research project ‘Panel Vocational Rehabilitation’, which was funded by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. The authors thank colleague Angela Rauch for her valuable contribution to this article. They also would like to thank Prof. Nicholas Watson and Prof. Bill Hughes for their helpful comments on the 10th Conference of the European Sociological Association.

Notes

1. We refer here to people entitled to vocational rehabilitation benefits on account of their disability and with an identified need for assistance to (re-)gain participation in the labour market (section 19 of Book III of the Social Security Code).