With the aim of raising awareness and informing, we organized for our employees the event "Inclusion: Challenges, techniques and best practices for people with intellectual disabilities and autism".
A work environment where everyone has space to be heard, participate and evolve is our firm commitment. In this context, we organized an open discussion about our interaction with people with disabilities: the way we communicate, the environment we create and the adaptations that can make a difference.
The presentation was implemented in collaboration with the "Margarita" Vocational Training Center, an organization specializing in education, vocational training and support of people with intellectual disabilities, promoting their autonomy and job integration.
From theory to practical solutions
The conversation started from a simple but important admission: the barriers are not only in the disability itself, but also in the context around it. Stereotypes that lead to hasty conclusions, awkwardness in communication, processes that are not made for different ways of understanding, and places with intense stimuli or time pressure, can make it significantly difficult for people with disabilities to integrate. Through examples and realistic scenarios, we focused on how we speak with respect and how we avoid assumptions that, unwittingly, reinforce exclusion.
Particular emphasis was placed on techniques that facilitate collaboration and enhance the sense of security in the workplace. We highlighted the value of structured and clear communication, a consistent routine and consistency in instructions, as well as flexibility in how information is shared, so that each person can understand and participate in their own way.
We also discussed good practices such as providing a calm and safe environment, distinct roles that correspond to the individual's real skills, continuous awareness, and a culture of respect that is not based on pity or "heroism". The key message was clear: inclusion means cooperation, not charity.
Ongoing commitment to equality
We continue to strengthen our strategy for inclusion, with equality being a core value for the way we work and coexist. In this direction, our team of employees "EveryOne Is Here" is also a point of reference, whose mission is to design and implement initiatives that enhance acceptance and respect for our corporate culture. Principia has proceeded to sign the Diversity Charter, as a practical commitment to promote equality and inclusion.
Our collaboration with EEA "Margarita" is continuous and consistent, as in December we implemented together an action as part of our voluntary program Be The Hero and the Community Week of Offering, strengthening the connection of information with the meaningful participation of our people. With our initiatives, we seek to turn knowledge into everyday behavior, To enhance understanding in our teams and to build a fair, accessible and truly inclusive, inclusive collaborative environment.
The presentation was implemented by Rosemary Kalogeria, Psychologist and Head of the Accelerated Training Program, and Anastasia Georgiou, Occupational Therapist and Job Coach, at the Margarita Vocational Training Center.
