A Comparative Study of Managing the Empowerment Services for People with Disabilities in Different Countries

People with disabilities constitute a large population of society. Providing optimal rehabilitation services to people with disabilities has always been a primary concern of the health system in any country. One of the most essential duties of governments is to maintain and improve the health of all members of society. Considering the many factors affecting the realization of this goal, besides the serious will of the governments, we need the interdisciplinary work and cooperation of all the institutions of society and using all resources of various social, medical, and educational institutions. Another crucial factor lies in the adoption and application of laws supporting people with disabilities and planning to motivate them to find jobs, which is one of the priorities of governments. This study was conducted to compare the empowerment services for people with disabilities in different countries.

The present comparative study reviewed relevant qualitative studies on this topic in 2021. We used the library method to collect data, encompassing all articles related to the study subject. To conduct the study, the required data were collected by reviewing the relevant texts found in the library, websites of related organizations of selected countries in line with research questions, and a systematic search in reliable and specialized databases in English and Persian between 1995 and 2022. The extracted articles were evaluated and compared in a comparative table. Of 121 research articles and annual reports from the considered countries, we removed duplicate and unrelated articles and then applied the inclusion criteria. Finally, 49 articles and reports on managing empowerment services in 8 countries were selected and reviewed in full text.

The results revealed that in all studied countries, people with disabilities participate in planning empowerment services based on their nationality and citizenship. Regarding the hiring of human resources, all studied countries were working on training specialized human resources through their academic system. Unfortunately, Iran and India lacked comprehensive national data on this topic. In the meantime, the conditions were provided for planning and policymaking in America, Germany, China, South Africa, and Turkey. Funding for the services was primarily provided by the insurance system in Germany, America, China, and Turkey and taxes in England. However, the budget was provided through subsidies from public revenues and taxes in Iran. Investigations in the control area show that appraising the performance of the personnel providing empowerment services and monitoring by related institutions have been considered more by the relevant institutions. They use service quotas to control the empowerment services in Iran, Turkey, India, and China. Employment services for people with disabilities in Iran, Germany, England, Turkey, and India include a mandatory employment quota, and educational measures and income support are appropriate in all countries.

The empowerment system in Iran lacks the necessary integrity. In Iran, the university system trains human resources similarly to other countries. However, Iran has no access to comprehensive national data. Like most countries, the public budget and taxes provide financial resources in Iran. The dominant approach in most countries is the insurance system, but in Iran, the insurance system cannot cover the costs, and most of the expenses are paid by people with disabilities.