[Vocational integration of physically handicapped persons--a regional study in the Regensburg district]

The present study had been aimed at tracing possible reasons for insufficient placement of people with physical disablement in the open labour market in the Regensburg region, at gaining insights on the prerequisites of and potential for improving vocational integration as well as at clarifying the relevance of alternative work and employment opportunities in terms of halfway and sheltered settings. Based on a structured questioning schedule, interviews were carried out with 10 experts, 32 physically disabled individuals and 30 employers concerning their placement notions and experience. Generally speaking, it was in particular found that insufficient placement cannot simply be attributed to economic trends; the groups interviewed, rather, differ in some of their underlying assumptions and expectations, a fact which impacts negatively on the integration process. Interaction of disabled and nondisabled persons hence requires greater attention. For the disabled, along with their educational-occupational qualifications, acquisition of communication and social skills is crucial in vocational integration, whereas the companies, in particular small and medium-sized ones, are in need of better information and counselling as well as appropriate supports to be provided by job or placement assistants when hiring physically disabled persons.