Inclusive Stone Project
About the project
The main goal of the project is the integration of people with disabilities into the world of work and encouraging development of skills and abilities through the stone industry.
Raising awareness of all the subjects involved in the sector of stone is an essential part of the project. Namely, at least 16% of the working-age population of the European Union are people with disabilities, many of whom have the ability and desire to work.
People with disabilities therefore represent a significant potential for contribution and development of the economy and the labor market. Only 50% of people with disabilities are employed, which is already an indicator that the potential of people with disabilities is still largely underutilized. Therefore, it is crucial to respond to the needs of people with disabilities to offer them a better integration into the labor market and their full participation in society.
To achieve the main goal of the project, a series of steps and outputs will be implemented that will guarantee a good effect on the target group and a sustainable effect over time. Raising awareness among companies about the employment of people with disabilities is an important part of the project’s activities, as well as raising awareness in education itself.
The project partners are: CTM – Asociación Empresarial de Investigación Centro Tecnológico del Mármol, Piedra y Materiales (Spain), KSK – Klesarska Skola (Croatia), DNV – German Natural stone Association (Germany), iED – Institute of Entrepreneurship Development (Greece) , FAMDIF-COCEMFE – Federación de Asociaciones Murcianas de Personas con Discapacidad Física y Orgánica (Spain).
The supporters of the project who will also be participants in the implementation of the project’s activities are the Center for Education “Juraj Bonači”, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and the Croatian Employment Service.
Project number: 2021-1-DE02-KA220-VET-
"INCLUSIVE STONE" PROJECT MEETING IN SPAIN
The second meeting of the Inclusive stone project, which was held in Murcia, Spain, was successfully completed on July 19, 2022.
This all-day meeting was attended by all project partners, namely: iED from Greece, DNV from Germany, FAMDIF-COCEMFE from Spain, Stonemasonry school from Croatia and CTM (Centro Tecnológico del Mármol) being our host.
At the meeting, the key activities of the project and the direction the project would take were agreed upon. The duration of the project is two years. One of the key goals of the project is the inclusion of people with disabilities in the labor market of the stone industry. In order to reach this goal, one of the most important activities is the research of the stone industry market, as well as raising the employers and experts’ awereness about this extremely important topic.
Planned activities include researching of work methodologies, writing of a work manual and developing work and learning methods for people with disabilities, which will provide them with more opportunities for education and employment in the stone industry. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to include in the process not only employers and the employment office, but also schools, school professional services, and institutions that employ a large number of people with disabilities, which are examples of good practice. A seminar is also planned in May 2023 in Pučišća, to which experts will be invited and we will present our previous work and the implementation of all project activities.
This all-day meeting was attended by all project partners, namely: iED from Greece, DNV from Germany, FAMDIF-COCEMFE from Spain, Stonemasonry school from Croatia and CTM (Centro Tecnológico del Mármol) being our host.
At the meeting, the key activities of the project and the direction the project would take were agreed upon. The duration of the project is two years. One of the key goals of the project is the inclusion of people with disabilities in the labor market of the stone industry. In order to reach this goal, one of the most important activities is the research of the stone industry market, as well as raising the employers and experts’ awereness about this extremely important topic.
Planned activities include researching of work methodologies, writing of a work manual and developing work and learning methods for people with disabilities, which will provide them with more opportunities for education and employment in the stone industry. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to include in the process not only employers and the employment office, but also schools, school professional services, and institutions that employ a large number of people with disabilities, which are examples of good practice. A seminar is also planned in May 2023 in Pučišća, to which experts will be invited and we will present our previous work and the implementation of all project activities.
"Inclusive stone" project meeting in Greece
On November 22, 2022, colleagues Maja Milović and Karmela Šegvić participated in
the third International Meeting of the "Inclusive stone" project in the city of Larissa, Greece.
Project partners and their associates, as well as associations and companies DNV, CTM and FAMDIF-COCEMFE were present at the meeting. The organizers and leaders of the meeting were partners of iED - Institute of Entrepreneurship Development.
Dissemination of the project so far has been analyzed, but the next steps in this regard have also been agreed upon. We started presenting the project to different employers; primarily stonemasonry related, but also to other employers who are examples of good practice in employing people with disabilities and adapting the workspace to facilitate work process for both employees and employers. We have also started harmonizing legal norms aimed at protecting persons with disabilities, and in this regard, we will also contact the Institute for Expertise, Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of People with Disabilities and the Croatian Employment Service, which produce statistics on the employment of people with disabilities every six months.
At the meeting, iED partners introduced us to the application they created with the help of experts, which is used with VR glasses. The application is used by experts to work with children on the autism spectrum, in which, through various tasks and games, a lot is revealed about the child's emotional development and other essential foundations for the best possible work of experts with children.
We will soon present you the project website, which will have all the useful information in one place, and, what is particularly important, in all the research, seminars and the creation of manuals, different countries are included, which have examples of good practice, but also mention some negative sides as well.. We can certainly all learn from this and make our system better.
Project partners and their associates, as well as associations and companies DNV, CTM and FAMDIF-COCEMFE were present at the meeting. The organizers and leaders of the meeting were partners of iED - Institute of Entrepreneurship Development.
Dissemination of the project so far has been analyzed, but the next steps in this regard have also been agreed upon. We started presenting the project to different employers; primarily stonemasonry related, but also to other employers who are examples of good practice in employing people with disabilities and adapting the workspace to facilitate work process for both employees and employers. We have also started harmonizing legal norms aimed at protecting persons with disabilities, and in this regard, we will also contact the Institute for Expertise, Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of People with Disabilities and the Croatian Employment Service, which produce statistics on the employment of people with disabilities every six months.
At the meeting, iED partners introduced us to the application they created with the help of experts, which is used with VR glasses. The application is used by experts to work with children on the autism spectrum, in which, through various tasks and games, a lot is revealed about the child's emotional development and other essential foundations for the best possible work of experts with children.
We will soon present you the project website, which will have all the useful information in one place, and, what is particularly important, in all the research, seminars and the creation of manuals, different countries are included, which have examples of good practice, but also mention some negative sides as well.. We can certainly all learn from this and make our system better.
VISITING THE PUBLIC COMPANY "DES"
The United Nations declared December 3 as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This day is
celebrated to achieve equality in the realization of human rights and the participation of people with
disabilities in society. In our education, business, and work, we should all include the fundamental
principles of human rights, such as the principle of non-discrimination and the principle of
interdependence and indivisibility of all human rights, which makes it necessary to achieve the
accessibility of all civil and political as well as social, cultural, and economic rights to persons with
disabilities.
To mark this day, we share with you our visit to one of the largest and most famous public companies in Dalmatia employing more than 54% of people with disabilities.
Director Tamara Plastić and her associate Karmela Šegvić visited the Institution for Employment, Work and Professional Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities DES on November 17, 2022, as part of the activities of the "Inclusive stone" project. The DES facility is defined as a protective workshop, and part of their work is aimed at the rehabilitation and protection of people with disabilities.
A protective workshop is an institution or commercial company that provides protective workplaces for people with disabilities who have been determined by the findings and opinion of the center for professional rehabilitation to be employable in protective workplaces, and who, because of their disability, can achieve from 30% to 70% of the expected work efficiency. A protective workshop must have at least 5 employees with disabilities in protective workplaces, and of the total number of employees, at least 51% must be disabled people, of which 20% must be employed in protective workplaces. (Regulations on protective workshops and integrative workshops for employment of persons with disabilities)
The DES public company has an open public kitchen, ready-to-wear production, a printing press that includes screen printing and flexography, and cardboard facility. A considerable part of their work is the production of work/protective clothing for various sectors such as: shipbuilding, construction, trade, health, military, and police.
They also produce a wide range of printed products such as: catalogues, prospectuses, magazines, books, monographs, folders, notebooks, stationery, envelopes, business cards, invitations, stickers, labels, etc. They also print various flags for both state and sports clubs, associations, trade chains, etc.
Machines, as well as production facilities and working conditions, have been modernized and adapted to the needs of employees.
It is worth mentioning that in the DES company it is possible to obtain replacement quotas for all those who have more than 20 employees and pay a contribution for not employing persons with disabilities. Namely, according to the Regulations on determining the quota for the employment of persons with disabilities, the share of employed persons with disabilities in the total number of employees within a firm is prescribed. If employers do not employ the prescribed quota of persons with disabilities, they are obliged to pay contributions. Substitute quotas allow the payment of contributions for non-employment of persons with disabilities to be replaced with the purchase of DES products. This specifically means that by signing a contract with DES, instead of paying a monthly contribution for not employing people with disabilities, you can pay it by purchasing various products that DES produces. Many companies use replacement quotas, which can be considered socially responsible.
For additional info about the DES company, you can visit their website www.des.hr
We would like to thank the director Mrs. Edita Maretić Dimlić and the assistant director Mrs. Silvana Grubišić for the detailed conversation, the agreed potential future collaborations as well as the professional tour of the DES plant.
To mark this day, we share with you our visit to one of the largest and most famous public companies in Dalmatia employing more than 54% of people with disabilities.
Director Tamara Plastić and her associate Karmela Šegvić visited the Institution for Employment, Work and Professional Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities DES on November 17, 2022, as part of the activities of the "Inclusive stone" project. The DES facility is defined as a protective workshop, and part of their work is aimed at the rehabilitation and protection of people with disabilities.
A protective workshop is an institution or commercial company that provides protective workplaces for people with disabilities who have been determined by the findings and opinion of the center for professional rehabilitation to be employable in protective workplaces, and who, because of their disability, can achieve from 30% to 70% of the expected work efficiency. A protective workshop must have at least 5 employees with disabilities in protective workplaces, and of the total number of employees, at least 51% must be disabled people, of which 20% must be employed in protective workplaces. (Regulations on protective workshops and integrative workshops for employment of persons with disabilities)
The DES public company has an open public kitchen, ready-to-wear production, a printing press that includes screen printing and flexography, and cardboard facility. A considerable part of their work is the production of work/protective clothing for various sectors such as: shipbuilding, construction, trade, health, military, and police.
They also produce a wide range of printed products such as: catalogues, prospectuses, magazines, books, monographs, folders, notebooks, stationery, envelopes, business cards, invitations, stickers, labels, etc. They also print various flags for both state and sports clubs, associations, trade chains, etc.
Machines, as well as production facilities and working conditions, have been modernized and adapted to the needs of employees.
It is worth mentioning that in the DES company it is possible to obtain replacement quotas for all those who have more than 20 employees and pay a contribution for not employing persons with disabilities. Namely, according to the Regulations on determining the quota for the employment of persons with disabilities, the share of employed persons with disabilities in the total number of employees within a firm is prescribed. If employers do not employ the prescribed quota of persons with disabilities, they are obliged to pay contributions. Substitute quotas allow the payment of contributions for non-employment of persons with disabilities to be replaced with the purchase of DES products. This specifically means that by signing a contract with DES, instead of paying a monthly contribution for not employing people with disabilities, you can pay it by purchasing various products that DES produces. Many companies use replacement quotas, which can be considered socially responsible.
For additional info about the DES company, you can visit their website www.des.hr
We would like to thank the director Mrs. Edita Maretić Dimlić and the assistant director Mrs. Silvana Grubišić for the detailed conversation, the agreed potential future collaborations as well as the professional tour of the DES plant.
INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR "INCLUSIVE STONE" IN SPLIT
The International seminar "Inclusive stone" will be held in Split at the Park hotel on May 17, 2023, at 10 a.m.
The project, project partners, as well as the goals and activities of the project will be presented to the public at the seminar.
The speakers at the seminar are representatives of the Stonemasonry School (Pučišća, Cro.), project partners CTM (Spain) and DNV (Germany), the Croatian Employment Service, the Liberato Association, the Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities, the Center for Professional Rehabilitation Split and the Center for Education „Juraj Bonači".
We look forward to networking, presenting the project and acquiring new knowledge.
Program: Međunarodni seminar "Inclusive stone"
Event program: international seminar "Inclusive stone"
The project, project partners, as well as the goals and activities of the project will be presented to the public at the seminar.
The speakers at the seminar are representatives of the Stonemasonry School (Pučišća, Cro.), project partners CTM (Spain) and DNV (Germany), the Croatian Employment Service, the Liberato Association, the Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities, the Center for Professional Rehabilitation Split and the Center for Education „Juraj Bonači".
We look forward to networking, presenting the project and acquiring new knowledge.
Program: Međunarodni seminar "Inclusive stone"
Event program: international seminar "Inclusive stone"
First international seminar "Inclusive stone" and meeting of partners
On May 17, 2023, the first International Seminar "Inclusive stone" was held at the Park Hotel in Split. The project partners Reiner Krug (DNV) and David Caparros Perez (CTM) presented the project, activities and objectives of the project, after which, the director Tamara Plastić and the moderator Karmela Šegvić greeted the attendees.
For the first part of the Seminar, the speakers were:
Aleksandra Hajdić, senior expert advisor for the employment of persons with disabilities at the Croatian Employment Service. Miss. Hajdić presented the activities and provision of services to persons with disabilities within CES, statistical data of employed persons with disabilities, services and employment models offered by CES, adaptation of work processes to persons with disabilities, etc.
Ružica Kiković, Head of the Professional Rehabilitation Service of the Center for Professional Rehabilitation Split, presented the role of the Center for Professional Rehabilitation in relation to the employment of persons with disabilities and their retention in the world of work, which includes all the services offered by the Center, their professional teams, assistance when adapting to workplaces, merging the needs of employers and employees, etc.
Maja Karaman Grbavac, Law graduate, representative of the Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities of the Split Regional Office, joined the seminar via video conference. She presented the normative framework to exercise the right of priority in the employment of persons with disabilities, complaints due to employers' breach of obligations and respective consequences for failure to fulfill such obligations, also the principles of reasonable adjustments at the workplace and work environment. The regional office of the ombudsman for persons with disabilities in Split is also responsible for the area of Split-Dalmatia, Zadar, Šibenik-Knin and Dubrovnik-Neretva counties. The task of this ombudsman institution is to monitor, protect and promote the rights and interests of persons with disabilities and children with developmental disabilities in all areas of life and work; either through direct work with the parties through information and consultation on rights based on disability, dealing with complaints about discrimination based on disability, and through cooperation with local and regional self-government units and all stakeholders involved in the area of protecting the rights and position of persons with disabilities and children with developmental disabilities .
In the second part of the Seminar, the director of the Center for Education "Juraj Bonači", Snježana Čotić, presented the work of the Center. The center launched a volunteer program called "Loving you, I build myself", they are on the way to opening the first souvenir shop in Split, which aims to employ people with disabilities and intellectual disabilities, they are running three large European projects aimed at organized housing, early intervention, psychosocial support and counseling and assistance services. The director also presented the employers who had given opportunities to the candidates of the Employment Center and whose business cooperation is outstanding.
The closing presenter at the Seminar was the president of the "Liberato" association, Stipo Margić. Stipo is a 2nd-year student of a specialist diploma in computer science at the University's Department of Professional Studies and the founder and president of the Liberato association. The association develops projects that, in the long term, will make life easier for young people, students, people with disabilities and people with limited mobility. The association's team won several awards, the last being the award for DisCloud at the 20th International Exhibition of Innovations. The association has achieved several educational, sectoral and intersectoral collaborations.
After the excellent seminar, numerous professional information, questions and answers asked and answered, the participants of the Seminar socialized and networked together over lunch.
On May 18, 2023, the project partners held a day-long meeting in Pučišće, where further steps of the project were agreed upon as well as the dissemination of the project's activities previously held. The next international seminar that will be held in Germany was agreed upon. As for the writing of the curriculum, the workplaces that can be adapted in the stone sector were also agreed upon, needing a further analysis and to see what adaptations could be made in this regard, and also to complete the ongoing market research. Furthermore, it was agreed upon the visual elements in a design of an educational VR game that will be used by people with disabilities for the purpose of learning to work in the stone quarrying sector.
For the first part of the Seminar, the speakers were:
Aleksandra Hajdić, senior expert advisor for the employment of persons with disabilities at the Croatian Employment Service. Miss. Hajdić presented the activities and provision of services to persons with disabilities within CES, statistical data of employed persons with disabilities, services and employment models offered by CES, adaptation of work processes to persons with disabilities, etc.
Ružica Kiković, Head of the Professional Rehabilitation Service of the Center for Professional Rehabilitation Split, presented the role of the Center for Professional Rehabilitation in relation to the employment of persons with disabilities and their retention in the world of work, which includes all the services offered by the Center, their professional teams, assistance when adapting to workplaces, merging the needs of employers and employees, etc.
Maja Karaman Grbavac, Law graduate, representative of the Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities of the Split Regional Office, joined the seminar via video conference. She presented the normative framework to exercise the right of priority in the employment of persons with disabilities, complaints due to employers' breach of obligations and respective consequences for failure to fulfill such obligations, also the principles of reasonable adjustments at the workplace and work environment. The regional office of the ombudsman for persons with disabilities in Split is also responsible for the area of Split-Dalmatia, Zadar, Šibenik-Knin and Dubrovnik-Neretva counties. The task of this ombudsman institution is to monitor, protect and promote the rights and interests of persons with disabilities and children with developmental disabilities in all areas of life and work; either through direct work with the parties through information and consultation on rights based on disability, dealing with complaints about discrimination based on disability, and through cooperation with local and regional self-government units and all stakeholders involved in the area of protecting the rights and position of persons with disabilities and children with developmental disabilities .
In the second part of the Seminar, the director of the Center for Education "Juraj Bonači", Snježana Čotić, presented the work of the Center. The center launched a volunteer program called "Loving you, I build myself", they are on the way to opening the first souvenir shop in Split, which aims to employ people with disabilities and intellectual disabilities, they are running three large European projects aimed at organized housing, early intervention, psychosocial support and counseling and assistance services. The director also presented the employers who had given opportunities to the candidates of the Employment Center and whose business cooperation is outstanding.
The closing presenter at the Seminar was the president of the "Liberato" association, Stipo Margić. Stipo is a 2nd-year student of a specialist diploma in computer science at the University's Department of Professional Studies and the founder and president of the Liberato association. The association develops projects that, in the long term, will make life easier for young people, students, people with disabilities and people with limited mobility. The association's team won several awards, the last being the award for DisCloud at the 20th International Exhibition of Innovations. The association has achieved several educational, sectoral and intersectoral collaborations.
After the excellent seminar, numerous professional information, questions and answers asked and answered, the participants of the Seminar socialized and networked together over lunch.
On May 18, 2023, the project partners held a day-long meeting in Pučišće, where further steps of the project were agreed upon as well as the dissemination of the project's activities previously held. The next international seminar that will be held in Germany was agreed upon. As for the writing of the curriculum, the workplaces that can be adapted in the stone sector were also agreed upon, needing a further analysis and to see what adaptations could be made in this regard, and also to complete the ongoing market research. Furthermore, it was agreed upon the visual elements in a design of an educational VR game that will be used by people with disabilities for the purpose of learning to work in the stone quarrying sector.
Testing of a VR educational game in Split
On Friday, November 3, 2023, the Technical Vocational School Split hosted us in the implementation of R3 activities of the Inclusive stone project. Associate Karmela Šegvić and director Tamara Plastić presented the work of the Stonemasonry School and the Inclusive stone project, and project partner Carlos Martínez González (CTM) presented an educational game using VR glasses and equipment. The educational game portrays five different workplaces in the stone industry, and on this occasion the students tested the workplaces related to operating a forklift and a crane.
The game was tested and reviewed by the students of the Technical Vocational School, School of Design, Graphics and Sustainable Construction, Center for Education "Juraj Bonači". The representatives of the Liberato Association honoured us with their presence and support. About 30 participants of this part of the project, during almost 3 hours of education, acquired the basics of using VR technology and also learned about jobs related to stone industry.
It is extremely important to adapt workplaces for people with disabilities, which is really possible with the use of today's technology in the stone industry. To show it, we used modern virtual reality tools. Despite the demands of different jobs in the stone industry, inclusion is very possible, and the job adjustments are one of the main foundations of work.
We shared opinions on the mentioned topic over a casual snack and interaction, created new ideas and, hopefully, future collaborations, which are definitely aimed at further activities towards inclusion of people with disabilities, awareness and the right to work as one of the fundamental human rights.
We would like to thank the students, teachers, professional associates and the director of the Vocational Technical School who supported us with a smile and really dedicated their time so that this project, which will end soon, gets its best side, which being sharing of students' knowledge, networking and future cooperation.
International seminar, pilot training and meeting of partners in Wurzburg
On January 17, 2024, Karmela Šegvić, associate, and Maja Milković, psychologist, participated in the last project meeting of the Inclusive stone project in Wurzburg (Germany).
The meeting was attended by project holders DNV, and partners CTM, iED, FAMDIF and Klesarska škola (Stonemasonry school).
At the meeting, a general presentation about the entire project was presented and everything that has been carried out concerning the project so far. FAMDIF, the Spanish organization for work and protection of people with disabilities presented the manual "Educational approach for people with different skills aimed at transversal capacities in the stone sector". CTM presented the final product of the VR educational game that we will use in classes, but which can potentially be used by other vocational schools as well. In the desire to bring the knowledge and needs of people with disabilities closer to students, but also to help people with disabilities in the creation of higher quality education, which certainly being an important step towards a more modernized education.Each organization presented the current dissemination actions of the project, which ends on January 31, 2024. Further tasks were also distributed, among which the research into the legal norms of the Republic of Croatia, on the topic of employment and adaptation of workplaces for people with disabilities in the stone sector.
After the meeting, we participated in a seminar organized by the DNV project holder "Adapted learning methods for the employability of people with different skills in the stone sector".
At the seminar, the final results of the project for the education, training and employment of people with disabilities, which are oriented towards today's digital work environment, as well as enabling improved inclusion of students with disabilities in education, were presented to the public. All the partners on the project were also presented, which of course includes the Masonry School, so our long-term work delighted the participants of the Seminar.
The Eichstätt State Vocational School, which has a special education department for working with natural stone, presented its work at the seminar. The school also develops special classes for students with disabilities, and each student is monitored and assisted by experts throughout education and employment. Although with a different curriculum and work practice than in our school, they educate stonemasons, and they include machining techniques in their work.
The organization IFD (Integrationfachdienst), which employs disabled workers, also presented its work. In addition, it helps unemployed people with disabilities find employment, deals with professional rehabilitation, but also helps students with inclusion and easier exit from high school to the labor market. They protect the rights of people with disabilities on the labor market and fight against discrimination in the workplace.
On January 18, we attended the pilot testing of the VR educational game, which included participants from vocational education, universities, civil society organizations and technology centers.
Visibly satisfied participants are the wind at our backs for the further development of educational modern games as well as manuals that help educational institutions in better adaptation and understanding of the needs of people with disabilities. And the above is certainly necessary for the labor market, i.e. for entrepreneurs, in order to better adapt workplaces to specific disabilities and thereby include disabled people in the labor market, in accordance with their needs and capabilities.
The final products of the project (VR educational game, manuals, research, etc.) will be available on the project's official website, and we hope for as much practical application as possible.
