By Anna Tomaselli, Communication & Sustainability Consultant at Red Public

The issue of disability represents a complex challenge in everyday life, but even more so when placed within the workplace. In Italy, according to the latest ISTAT estimate from 2023, about 3% of the Italian population has a severe disability, while other estimates, such as those from Il Sole 24 Ore and the National Observatory on Health in the Italian Regions, indicate that around 13% of the population in Italy has a disability.

Although it is not easy to determine the exact percentage of workers with disabilities — that is, all those people protected under Law 68/99 — according to FISH (the Italian Federation for the Rights of People with Disabilities and Families), only 18.3% of people with disabilities are employed, compared to 63% of the population without physical or psychological disabilities. What we are experiencing in recent years is a constantly evolving labor market that interacts with change, innovation, and diversity. The dominant theme is inclusion, which is not limited to an ethical or political issue, but is increasingly configured as a competitive and strategic lever for organizations. Companies that invest in this area gain advantages in terms of reputation, engagement, and innovation. Organizations that adopt a culture of inclusion manage to achieve a 360-degree vision that represents an added value — an alternative point of view that allows all employees to be transformed into talents.

In March 1999, a fundamental law for inclusion was introduced in Italy: the “Law on the Right to Work for People with Disabilities.” This measure marked an important step toward a more equitable society, placing at its core the principle that everyone must have the opportunity to access dignified employment suited to their abilities.

It is primarily thanks to this law that we can speak of “targeted placement,” meaning a set of tools and strategies designed to integrate people with disabilities into the world of work while taking into account their skills, potential, and the available work contexts. This is not simply about finding a job, but about identifying the most suitable one so that the person can best express their abilities and potential in an accessible and inclusive environment.

The law also establishes mandatory quotas for companies: based on the total number of employees, businesses must reserve a percentage of positions for workers with disabilities, ranging from 1% to 7%. This system represents not only a legal obligation, but also a concrete step toward a more supportive and inclusive work culture.

When discussing targeted placement within companies, it is impossible not to mention the UNI/PdR 159 practice, an important tool to strengthen this mechanism.

The objective is to facilitate the hiring of people with disabilities through clearer guidelines and operational tools for companies and institutions.

This practice gives voice to Article 3 of the Italian Constitution, which enshrines the principle of equality: every step toward more accessible work is also a step toward a fairer society.

Beyond respecting rights, it is essential to promote a change in mindset: people with disabilities should not be hired “because the law requires it” or for “bureaucratic convenience,” but because they have skills, abilities, and human and professional value to offer. These are the fundamental elements for building a change in mentality toward this issue.

To include means to recognize the talent of each individual and to create environments in which everyone can express themselves at their best, without barriers or prejudice.

As early as 2009, the role of the Disability Manager (hereafter DM) was mentioned in the “White Paper on Accessibility and Urban Mobility,” where the role was focused mainly on organization and planning in the urban context. As suggested by the title of the document itself, the focus was limited to mobility and physical accessibility.

It was only with the 2015 Jobs Act that the role of the DM was also recognized at a political and regulatory level, expanding into an active mediation figure between the company and the worker with a disability, especially in cases where difficulties in entering or re-entering the workplace arise.

One area in which this role is particularly valuable is Return to Work (RTW), that is, the professional reintegration of a person who, following an accident or illness, has come to live with a disability. In these complex situations, returning to work is never solely an organizational issue, but also involves emotional, psychological, and relational aspects.

For the company, RTW means revising job duties to adapt them to the worker’s new condition, while still enhancing their skills and avoiding the loss of a valuable resource. For the employee, it involves facing not only physical changes but also the psychological impact linked to the new condition, which is often still poorly understood in the workplace. It is precisely here that the DM becomes a facilitator of solutions, capable of coordinating vertical relationships (between employer and employee) and horizontal ones (among colleagues), promoting a genuine culture of inclusion.

Their task is not limited to the entry or return phase: it starts from the concrete needs of people with disabilities in order to ensure accessibility of spaces, work tools, and professional relationships, also overseeing socio-health coordination and workplace climate in shared environments. In addition, the DM promotes internal training, providing staff with tools and skills to interact in a correct, informed, and respectful way with colleagues with disabilities. Through awareness-raising activities, they contribute to building a more empathetic and welcoming work environment, which is particularly important for those protected under Law 68/99.

There is not yet a specific degree program to become a Disability Manager, but this role generally comes from academic backgrounds in psychology, human resources, or social studies. However, it is possible to deepen training for this role through postgraduate master’s programs, which provide the skills needed to become a qualified and informed DM.

Nevertheless, not all companies have the concrete possibility of permanently integrating such a role. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), for example, often face limited resources or the absence of an immediate need, especially when there are no workers with disabilities on staff. In these cases, an effective solution can be the use of an external consulting figure. This approach allows companies to receive support, training, and mentoring without bearing the fixed costs of an internal position. It is a strategy that not only improves workplace inclusivity, but also makes the company more dynamic and ready for change, as often happens in social cooperatives and organizations attentive to social responsibility.

This figure also has the task of reporting any irregularities and violations of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ensuring that every worker has a safe, respectful work environment suited to their needs.

The Disability Manager is a central figure in promoting the work inclusion of people with disabilities, fostering accessible work environments and collaborating with companies and institutions to ensure adaptation and the enhancement of talent.

However, it is essential not to shift attention solely to this professional figure. The true focus must always remain on the person with a disability, who must be protected, respected, and placed in a position to fully express their value.

A crucial step is overcoming the so-called “pity bias,” that is, the attitude — often unconscious — that leads to seeing disability only as a condition of weakness or lack. We are not talking about “victims” to be pitied, but first and foremost about people, with talents and skills that deserve recognition.

Who likes being categorized as fragile? The real goal of inclusion is to hire competent professionals who can bring value within their role, exactly like any other worker.