SIPTU is planning a major programme for the new year which will aim to help people with disabilities secure good-quality paid work. Organised through the union's social solidarity service, the programme will be conducted in conjunction with the National Rehabilitation Board and seven other disability organisations.
It is hoped the initiative will lead to improved co-operation between employers, workers, and disability organisations at local and regional level, and that it will help to develop a network of places of employment throughout the State to assist people with disabilities seeking work.
SIPTU's president, Mr Jimmy Somers, said: "It is no longer acceptable that so many people with disabilities continue to face a lifetime of poverty, dependence on social welfare payments, and a denial of their rights to contribute their energies and talents to the development of our country."
More than 80 per cent of disabled people remained unemployed, he said, although many employers supported equality and were working closely with organisations for the disabled.
He said the disabled faced significant obstacles because of negative attitudes or lack of accessibility in buildings and workplaces.
Organisations involved in the programme will conduct research into the openness of employers to employment-based training for disabled people. Traditionally all training for people with disabilities has taken place in designated centres. Employment-based training has proved to be very successful wherever it has been tried, Mr Somers said.
"Quality training and skills development of this nature can often lead to full-time employment for disabled people, or at the very least bring them closer to this goal", he said.