In Spain, 9% of the population has a disability, and nearly 1,300,000 people have intellectual, mental, physical, or sensory disabilities.
Yesterday, Fundación Alares announced the Discatel Project, an initiative launched by the AEECCC (Spanish Association of Experts in Customer Contact Centers), with the participation of Fundación Integralia, Vodafone, SERTEL, and the Grupo Marktel Special Telemarketing Center, and with the support of the Royal Board on Disability.
The primary objective of this project is to demonstrate the technical feasibility, social benefits, and, in some cases, economic benefits of contact center teleworking performed from home or from a remote center by people with physical or sensory disabilities.
The Project, which was presented yesterday, provides data on the percentage of people in Spain with disabilities who are able to work and explains how the Project aims to promote the employment of these people and demonstrate that contact center teleworking (telephone customer service centers) is an alternative—and in some cases the only viable option—for people with physical or sensory disabilities.
It is currently estimated that there are more than 3.5 million people with disabilities, representing 9% of the Spanish population, and that nearly 1,300,000 people have intellectual, mental, physical, or sensory disabilities that do not prevent them from working.
The alternatives that teleworking offers to people who, because of their condition, cannot travel to or access a specific workplace increase their professional prospects, enabling their professional and intellectual development and breaking down the barriers that prevent them from obtaining professional qualifications. Teleworking offers many advantages, but we could highlight the accessibility it provides to people with disabilities and mobility problems, bringing work “home” and thereby facilitating their entry into the labor market.
It also expands the geographical reach available to companies with more than 50 employees, which must meet their 2% hiring quota, while making it possible to access “talent” that until recently had been overlooked.
The event also addressed the need for and efforts required from public and private entities to achieve the effective and greater integration of these people, taking their circumstances into account, into the workforce.
The event was inaugurated by Mr. Javier Benavente Barrón, President of Fundación Alares®, and Mr. Ignacio Robles García, Secretary General of IMSERSO. Also in attendance were Mr. José Luis Goytre, Head of the Teleworking Group and Founding President of the AEECCC; Mr. Eugenio San Juan Herranz, Director General of the Madrid Physical Disability Recovery Center, IMSERSO; and representatives of the companies participating in the Project: Ms. Cristina Gonzalez, Director of Fundación Integralia; Ms. Mar Aguilera, General Coordinator of Fundación Alares®; and Mr. Cristian Lagos Parra, Customer Service Manager at Fundación Alares®.
The event was brought to a close by Ms. Amparo Valcarce García, Secretary General of the Royal Board on Disability and Secretary of State for Social Policy.
Fundación Alares® was established to channel and continue a range of activities previously carried out by Grupo Alares®, reflecting its commitment to addressing, through solidarity and institutional means, citizens’ needs for social protection and well-being.
Its objective is to research, contribute, and develop proposals and solutions for the new needs of the 21st century. Promoting the employment and integration of people with disabilities, equal opportunities, and the elimination of all forms of discrimination; providing support for dependent people; and reconciling family and working life are among its most important challenges.
