Deputy Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and Maldives Lalita Kapur launched the Reasonable Adjustment Web Page recently at the Welcome Back Better with Skills for Inclusive Growth Exhibition held at the Courtyard, Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo.

A press release said that as per the 2012 Census, there are around 1.6 million people with disabilities in Sri Lanka and 71 per cent of adults with disabilities are not engaged in any economic activity. People with disabilities often struggle to find employment or are underemployed, not because they lack talent but because they lack opportunities.

Historically, people with disabilities were primarily enrolled in separate schools for education and vocational training; however, recent TVET policies encourage training for people with disabilities within mainstream vocational training centers. To further improve their participation in NVQ training courses, TVEC adopted new circular providing guidelines on the provision of reasonable adjustments in NVQ assessment for candidates with disabilities. The guidelines and the associated toolkit make “reasonable adjustments” a reality and create an assessment system that is now focused on the demonstration of competency and mastery of skills required to perform occupational requirements determined by industry. TVET offers an important solution to the higher unemployment rate and lower level of education of persons with disabilities and TVEC is committed to mobilizing its network of assessors and registered training providers for an effective implementation of the circular and for encouraging people with disabilities to enrol in NVQ courses and appear for assessment with confidence.

The changes introduced by TVEC remove constraints and support training providers and assessors to assist persons with disabilities through skills recognition. Reasonable adjustments in assessment often simple and inexpensive can then be provided in the workplace so that people with disabilities can reach their full potential. The toolkit aims to support the effective implementation of the new circular related to reasonable adjustments promulgated by TVEC by providing practical and visual examples of adjustments NVQ assessors can make when conducting knowledge and/or practical assessments of candidates with disabilities in NVQ training courses.