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Employment and ICT 2021

Employment and ICT 2021

In 2021, for the first time, the Zero Project recognized excellence and innovative practices in four categories, namely: (1) civil society; (2) the public sector; (3) the business sector and its push towards inclusive employment; as well as (4) accessible and inclusive technology (ICT). The nominated projects cover a wide variety of topics and solutions, such as inclusive employment strategies of companies, IT- based job platforms, supported employment services, social business and entrepreneurship, models on vocational support in higher education, inclusion consultancy services/trainings focusing on employers, and many more. In this section you will find the 2021 awardees whose Innovative Practices from civil society, the business sector, and accessible and inclusive technology (ICT) stood out.

A group of 11 people in front of a café serving counter. Two people at the front of the group are in wheelchairs, the rest are standing and all are smiling towards the camera and waving.

MITTI Café

A young woman with dark hair and glasses stands in a supermarket in front of refrigerated shelves of fruit. She is wearing a yellow shirt and holding a bag of red grapes. She is smiling at the camera.

Programa Pacto de Productividad

Three men with masks work on a three-wheel bicycle. Two work at the front and one fixes something in the back. They are in a working environment

Humanlab, a Fablab dedicated to disabilities

FACTS AND FIGURES

89

Countries
443

Nominations
72

Innovative Practices

From

A young woman stands in a car park wearing a maroon jacket and black polo shirt. She is wearing a staff lanyard and looking at the camera and smiling. Behind her is the storefront of Staples.

Autism Employment Facilitator

A man stands in a small shop. Behind him are shelves with snacks and household products. He is smiling at a woman standing in the shop doorway who is communicating with him in sign language.

Income Generation Activities for Persons with Deafblindness

A young woman places a folded napkin on a table in an empty restaurant with other tables set around her. She is looking at the camera and smiling.

Sana Work Program

There are 16 people wearing a Virtualahan shirt jumping with two people who are in their wheelchairs in front raising their hands enthusiastically.

Virtualahan

All 2021 Practices

A man who has had his right hand and left leg amputated sits next to an upturned bike in a workshop and examines the chain.

Bicycle Training Programme

Afghan Amputee Bicyclists for Rehabilitation and Recreation (AABRAR), from Afghanistan

A group of young job seekers with various disabilities

Job portal for persons with disabilities

Incluyeme.com, from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay

A young woman sits at a computer with her hands on the keyboard. Her head is turned slightly to smile at the camera.

POETA DigiSpark

The Trust for the Americas, from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico

Four women and one man sit at a table in a meeting room. Two of them have their backs to the camera. The man (left of the picture) is talking and the other people at the table are looking at him.

Stepping Into Internship Program

Australian Network on Disability (AND), from Australia

A person holds a tablet computer in her hands. On the screen is written ‘conference call’ and the conversation is about to start. There is a touch keyboard at the lower part of the tablet.

Pedius Work Inclusion

Pedius, from Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Peru, Spain, United Kingdom, United States

A young man is standing in a workshop surrounded by many large pieces of purple polystyrene and foam. He is wearing protective glasses and sawing one of the pieces.

Customized Employment in the United States

Griffin-Hammis Associates (GHA), from Australia, Canada, Spain, United States

A male person has two computer screens and a keyboard in front of him. There is a variety of equipment, such as a screen reader, screen magnification, keyboard with large letters, and a magnifier.

Workplace Adaptation

Videbis GmbH, from Austria

A person in a white polo shirt is talking to a customer. He is a deaf pharmacist who works at Marien Apotheke. In the background is a variety of pharma products on shelves.

Training and counselling for deaf people

Marien Apotheke, from Austria

Many women and men are sitting in rows, looking at a podium; in the background are promotional stands.

JAMBA – Career for All

JAMBA – Career for All, from Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary

A smiling man sits at a workspace in an industrial workplace. The man is holding a tool and is working on a hard drive on the desk in front of him.

AfB

AfB social & green IT, from Austria, France, Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland

Young women and men sit or stand in a semi-circle. They are in a classroom environment. In the centre is a young man in a wheelchair holding a laptop.

myAbility Talent® Programme

myAbility Social Enterprise GmbH, from Austria, Germany, Switzerland

A male person in a wheelchair gets an envelope from a man standing; both look into the camera. Behind them are one woman and three men standing in a semi-circle.

Establishment of a Business and Disability Network to Facilitate Employment

Bangladesh Business and Disability Network (BBDN), from Bangladesh

A young man sits in front of a computer screen working; there are other female and male colleagues in the room.

PFDA-Vocational Training Center Trust

PFDA-Vocational Training Center Trust, from Bangladesh

A man in an adapted bicycle with three wheels and hand-operated pedals rubs a cow in a field. Another man gives the cow an injection. A second cow is in the background.

Disability Inclusive Poverty Graduation

Humanity & Inclusion (HI), from Bangladesh

A male middle-aged person standing in a field of green plants that reach his waist. He checks on one of the plants.

JIBIKA

Disabled Rehabilitation & Research Association (DRRA), from Bangladesh

A young woman stands in a car park wearing a maroon jacket and black polo shirt. She is wearing a staff lanyard and looking at the camera and smiling. Behind her is the storefront of Staples.

Autism Employment Facilitator

Avalon Employment, Inc., from Bangladesh, Canada, India, Nepal

Two men stand in front of a rack full of technical equipment; each holds a telephone receiver in his hand; both are smiling.

Passwerk

Passwerk, from Belgium

A male student is in front of a computer screen. He is holding a computer mouse in his right hand. On the screen are various forms and graphs. The mouse and keyboard rest on a yellow desk.

Ability Enhancement Multimedia Programme

AIMS Media Pvt. Ltd., from Bhutan, India, Oman, United Arab Emirates

A young woman with dark hair and wearing white overalls is at a workstation in a workshop. She is handling a metal casing and a drill is attached to the workspace in front of her.

Egalite Inclusion & Diversity

Egalite Inclusion & Diversity, from Brazil

A man sits at a desk in an office smiling. He is taking an envelope from a man standing next to the desk, who is smiling back at him.

Professional Inclusion

Instituto Jô Clemente, from Brazil

A woman in a wheelchair sits at a sewing machine sewing a canvas tote bag. A large stack of finished totes is on the floor nearby.

Accessible Employment

Light for the World Cambodia, from Cambodia

Five Fable team members smile and laugh with their arms on each other’s shoulders.

Fable

Fable, from Canada, World

A lady is cleaning a tire of a car. She has some cleaning material and a brush in her hand. She is wearing head phones.

Seco Chile

Seco Chile, from Chile

A young woman with dark hair and glasses stands in a supermarket in front of refrigerated shelves of fruit. She is wearing a yellow shirt and holding a bag of red grapes. She is smiling at the camera.

Programa Pacto de Productividad

Programa Pacto de Productividad - Productivity Pact Program, from Chile, Colombia

A grey haired man holds up a mobile phone and makes a gesture with his hands. In the background is a shop assistant watching the scene.

Vi-Sor

Red Apis, from Chile, Uruguay

There is a table on a stage with four chairs. Walter Tsui sits on the left with a hand-held microphone and a guide dog beside him. Two men and a woman are in the other chairs.

CareER Programmes

CareER Association, from China, Hong Kong

Two young women are engaged in a conversation. The person to the right is connected to a mobile phone. On the screen is a another women wearing headphones. The person to the left makes a gesture

Centro de Relevo – Relay Centre

Federacion Nacional de Sordos de Colombia (FENASCOL), from Colombia

There are hands using an old-fashioned sewing machine. The persons working the machine is seaming a very colorful piece of clothing.

Inclusive Entrepreneurship for Persons with Disabilities

Kadiwaku Family Foundation (KFF), from Congo

A man stands next to a freezer in a supermarket aisle. He is smiling and unpacking frozen goods from a cardboard box to load the freezer.

KLAPjob

Lev – Inclusion Denmark, from Denmark

Five persons, two women and three men with different disabilities hold up signs saying: “Breaking barriers, access for all!” They are at a booth at the World Youth Forum in Sharm El-Sheikh.

Workplace Inclusive Solutions

Helm, from Egypt

Three women sit wearing clear visors in chairs spaced apart in an office facing each other. Behind them on the wall are examples of the paper bags that Teki produces.

Fighting plastic bags in Sign Language

Teki Paper Bags, from Ethiopia

A man sits at a desk with two computer screens in front of him. He is communicating in sign language. On the screen, a sign language interpreter is visible via a video link.

Tadeo

Tadeo, from France

Three men with masks work on a three-wheel bicycle. Two work at the front and one fixes something in the back. They are in a working environment

Humanlab, a Fablab dedicated to disabilities

My Human Kit, from France

A man and a woman are at a desk with paperwork in front of them. The man is seated on the right of the picture wearing dark glasses. The woman is standing next to him and writing on a form.

Labour Inclusion and Entrepreneurship Programme

Committee for People Who Are Blind and Deaf in Guatemala, from Guatemala

A man and a woman wearing hygiene masks pack food in paper bags, which sit on a counter in front of them. On the counter are also flowers and full carafes of water and empty water glasses.

Ízlelő restaurants – Tasty restaurants

Kék Madár Alapítvány – Blue Bird Foundation, from Hungary

A group of 11 people in front of a café serving counter. Two people at the front of the group are in wheelchairs, the rest are standing and all are smiling towards the camera and waving.

MITTI Café

MITTI, from India

A young person with dark glasses is typing on a keyboard in front of him. He seems to be very concentrated.

Sugamaya Pustakalaya (Online Accessible Library) by TCS Access Infinity

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), from India

On the left side is a screen, and an instructor demonstrates the EYE Tool to a visually impaired male person sitting on the right.

Educate Yourself Easily (EYE) Tool

EnAble India, from India

A man stands in a small shop. Behind him are shelves with snacks and household products. He is smiling at a woman standing in the shop doorway who is communicating with him in sign language.

Income Generation Activities for Persons with Deafblindness

Sense International India, from India

A man stands surrounded by plants. In his left hand he holds a basket full of vegetables, including zucchinis and eggplants. With his other hand he is plucking an eggplant from a plant.

Ujjawal – Disability Inclusive Livelihood Initiative

Naman Seva Samiti, from India

Two young women sit next to each other in front of two computers, with a crutch leaning on the desk between them. One woman is doing a typing exercise.

College Connect

Youth4Jobs Foundation, from India

A young man in a black tracksuit with a red cap and rainproof jacket stands in front of a tour bus with Cork City Tours written on it. He is looking at the camera and smiling.

Ability@Work

Cope Foundation, from Ireland

TCPID Graduate Internship programme

Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities (TCPID), from Ireland

A male and female trainer are at the front of a classroom, which has individual computers on each desk. Five participants sit at the computers, watching the trainers.

Technology Accessibility Program (TAP)

itworks, from Israel

A young woman places a folded napkin on a table in an empty restaurant with other tables set around her. She is looking at the camera and smiling.

Sana Work Program

Sana for Special Individuals (Sana), from Jordan

A woman in a wheelchair talks to another woman who has a crutch beside her chair. She is writing. They sit in a garden, and there are green plants behind them.

Riziki Source App

Riziki Source, from Kenya

There is a long rectangular table with five young people sitting on each side and one person at the head. A laptop and training materials are on the table. Most people are smiling.

Improving Socio-economic Opportunities for People with Disabilities in Bekaa and South Lebanon

Lebanese Union for People with Physical Disabilities (LUPD), from Lebanon

A young man stands behind a food display case. He is wearing gloves and a hairnet and spooning filling onto a flatbread.

Supported Employment and Technical Training for Young Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

Inclusion Mauritius, from Mauritius

Three girls stand in front of two roll-up walls. They are participants in a job fair and they hold up their conference bags.

Alianza Éntrale

Mexican Business Council, from Mexico

Four women in work uniforms hold trays with bakery products in front of them. There are ovens in the background and more trays with bakery products on the side

Floare de Cireş – Cherry Blossom project

Eco-Razeni Association, from Moldova

A man in a blue T-shirt with a laptop in front of him explains something to four other men who are all seated and listening to him.

TVET for Special Needs Young Adults in Low-Middle Income Countries

Special Needs Initiative for Growth (also known as Initiative for National Growth Africa), from Nigeria

A man sits on a chair next to a boy who is standing. Both are looking at the screen of a tablet in front of them. The boy is touching the screen.

Toleio

SignLab, from Norway

A man stands behind the counter at a coffee shop and holds a tablet displaying the DeafTawk app to a woman on the other side of the counter.

DeafTawk

DeafTawk, from Pakistan, Singapore

There are 16 people wearing a Virtualahan shirt jumping with two people who are in their wheelchairs in front raising their hands enthusiastically.

Virtualahan

Virtualahan, from Philippines

A total of ten female and male students sit at a round table. One of them is raising his hand. Several women stand behind the chairs. There is a tall class wall in the background.

IKEA ED&I project with Abilympics

Ingka Group (IKEA), from Russia

A young girl and a man in I Love Coffee uniform lean against a counter; two coffee bags are next to them. They are smiling

I Love Coffee

I Love Coffee, from South Africa

A young man wearing an apron stands behind a coffee machine in a coffee shop. He is pouring milk into a takeaway coffee cup. A woman in an apron is making coffee at a second machine in the background.

Job Plus

Sohwa Aram VR Centre, from South Korea

A woman in a wheelchair is facing stairs at the entrance to a park in Madrid. She is turning her back to the audience and it becomes obvious that that stairs are an unsurmountable barrier for her.

AccesibilidApp - Accessibility App

COCEMFE - Confederación Española de Personas con Discapacidad Física y Orgánica, from Spain

Two young men, one in a white T-shirt and one in a yellow T-shirt wearing a blue hat look at a piece of paper on the wall listing the exam rooms. Both are smiling and laughing.

Accessible Public Sector Employment

Plena inclusión España, from Spain

A man and a woman stand next to each other in a workshop with shelves of metal pipes behind them. The woman is showing the man something on a piece of paper.

Making businesses Inclusive

Spanish Confederation of People with Physical and Organic Disabilities (COCEMFE), from Spain

There are several men working on wood. One of them has built a birdhouse, and one man in the background works on a tree trunk. The setting is in a carpenter shop with tools and work benches.

APSA Penitentiary Programme

Asociación APSA, from Spain

Five men in working uniforms are wearing green helmets. One of them in kneeling on the floor working with a cable. A man to his right holds together two tubes.

One-on-one

Fundación ONCE, from Spain

A woman stands in a classroom and points to a sheet of paper on the wall with lots of colourful sticky notes on it. A male sign language interpreter stands to the left of her facing the room.

Employable Africa

Employable Africa, from Tanzania

A man and a woman sit at a table at the front of a classroom, facing the classroom next to a FUWAVITA poster. Ten young people are sitting in the classroom looking towards the front.

FUWAVITA

Furaha Ya Wanawake Wajasiriamali Kwa Viziwi Tanzania (FUWAVITA), from Tanzania

Two women are in a shopping mall. They are sharing headphones and one of them is holding a mobile phone. The person to the left holds a white cane.

Visually Impaired Navigation System for Indoor Venues

Poilabs, from Turkey

A young woman is sat on the floor leaning against a bag of crocheted goods and with goods piled beside her. She is crocheting using a crochet hook and light pink wool. She is wearing a hygiene mask.

Inclusive Livelihood for Refugees

World Vision, from Uganda

A man stands smiling with people sitting around him and signing. He is touching the hand of a woman sitting next to him to correct a sign she is making.

Make 12.4% Work-Initiative

Light for the World, from Uganda

A young woman is standing at a desk looking at a computer screen. The desk is height adjustable. In the background are an office chair and a modern design shelf.

MiCase Workplace Adjustments Case Management

Microlink PC, from United Kingdom, United States

A blind man holding a white cane in holding up a smartphone and smiling into the camera.

Seeing AI

Microsoft, from United States

A male person is enjoying arranging flowers in a working environment.

KAS Adult Community Autism Project

Keystone Human Services/Keystone Autism Services (KAS), from United States

A blind students plays an electronic piano. His teacher stands next to him and uses a mobile phone with the SM Music app. There is music equipment visible in the background of the room.

Vocational and Assistive Technology Center for the Blind

Sao Mai, from Vietnam

A person with a tablet computer is explaining the RehApp to another person to his right. A group of six women sit on chairs in a circle. On a makeshift coffee table is a platter with a cake

RehApp

Enablement B.V., from World