Drivers in and obstacles to innovation in work inclusion for people with intellectual disability; a new organization of the work measure permanently adapted work in public

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to discuss how social innovation can contribute to solving a comprehensive challenge: work inclusion for people with intellectual disability. We explore how a new organization of the measure Permanently Adapted Work in Public (VTAO), described as an incremental innovation, can promote work inclusion. We use theories of social innovation as an analytic framework for the analysis. The paper focuses on conditions that can promote or hamper successful implementation of this innovation. It is based on data from one of the work packages, including a qualitative study, in a large, ongoing study of work inclusion for people with intellectual disability with the title “Rethinking work inclusion for people with intellectual disability”. In this specific work package, we have so far interviewed 13 employees with intellectual disability, and 27 service providers at three sheltered workshops, four local NAV offices and three regional NAV offices. The study shows that the innovation helps facilitate work inclusion for people with intellectual disability. Several conditions related to the characteristics of the innovation, as well as social and cultural factors, seems to be crucial to its success. Structural conditions, such as economic and human resources, are also important for the implementation. Nevertheless, legislations and regulations for work measures and current practice at The Norwegian Labor and Welfare Service, seems to be obstacles to promote the use of the innovation more widely. In the conclusion we stress that social innovation promotes work inclusion for people with intellectual disability.