The Iberdrola España Foundation and the Down Syndrome Federation of Galicia are promoting a project to help people with intellectual disabilities enter the workforce

Group of six people posing in front of a banner of the Down Syndrome Federation of Galicia, indoors with walls decorated with illustrations of people with Down syndrome.

The visit was attended by Delmiro Prieto González and Sonia Caldas Novás, president and director of the Down Syndrome Federation of Galicia; Beatriz Buceta Martínez, head of employment at the Down Syndrome Foundation of Compostela; and Julia Cuevas, head of the Social Affairs Department at the Iberdrola España Foundation.

Representatives from the Iberdrola España Foundation visited the project “Professional Talent of People with Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disabilities” in Santiago de Compostela this morning. The project is being carried out by the Down Syndrome Federation of Galicia and is co-financed by the Foundation’s Social Program.

For people with disabilities, the employment situation is far from ideal. On average, their participation rate in the labor market is significantly lower than that of the rest of the population. For this reason, Down Galicia is carrying out this project with the mission of facilitating the integration of people with intellectual disabilities—especially those with Down syndrome—into the mainstream labor market, ensuring all the support needed by the individual, their family, and the employer.

The visit took place at the organization’s headquarters and was attended by Delmiro Prieto González and Sonia Caldas Novás, president and director of the Down Galicia Federation; Beatriz Buceta Martínez, head of employment at the Down Compostela Foundation; and Julia Cuevas, head of the Social Department at the Iberdrola España Foundation.

During the event, attendees learned in detail about the project’s history, as well as various success stories developed using the Supported Employment methodology. Additionally, they had the opportunity to spend time with service users from the Down Compostela Foundation, who explained their process of actively seeking employment and/or maintaining and receiving support in the workplace.

The Down Galicia Federation highlighted the importance of ensuring workplace support for people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities, including in the public sector. In this regard, they noted that, currently, private companies are bearing the financial burden of providing this workplace support for individuals employed in regional, provincial, and local government agencies, which is why the Down Federation wished to publicly thank these companies for their collaboration and urge more businesses to adopt this model to ensure that people with intellectual disabilities who enter public sector employment also have the necessary resources and workplace support to perform their duties on an equal footing, thereby promoting real and effective inclusion in all areas of the labor market.

The project “Professional Talent of People with Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disabilities,” which is being implemented in various areas of the Galician region, provides tools, resources, and support to 24 job seekers and another 46 individuals currently employed in a regular company who are in the job retention and support phase.

The Iberdrola España Foundation and the Down Syndrome Federation of Galicia are promoting a project to help people with intellectual disabilities enter the workforce

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