Research Project for Developing New Work Style for Including Diverse People (IDEA)

IDEA (Inclusive and Diverse Employment with Accommodation) is a project for diverse people, mainly those with disabilities who have been excluded from the current Japanese employment system, to provide opportunities by creating and implementing an inclusive employment system in companies and local governments. The goal is for people with diffuculties in the current employment system which expects workers to work more than 30 hours a week, for example people with mental disabilities, developmental disabilities, and intractable diseases. A short-time work scheme has brought about the system in local governments, giving opportunituies to people with disabilities to work in companies with a short amount of time and clearly-defined job descriptions. Additionally, workers with disabilities are able to work with the help of local governments, disability pension, and the public livlihood protection.

Today, Kawasaki City, Kobe City, and SoftBank Group Corp. are working on this project with a collaborative research agreement of the RCAST. This new framework combines the social welfare and flexible employment to include people who are cast aside from social involvement. With Japan’s shrinking population and super-aging society in the near future, this project is drawing much attention from local governments, companies and the mass media.

- Kawasaki city
- Kobe city
- SoftBank Group Corp.

- Kondo, T.(2016)The New Work Style to Include People with Disabilities -Through the practice of IDEA-, Japanese Journal of Learning Disabilities,25(3), 318-320.