Social enterprise as an innovative mechanism of social and professional integration of persons with disabilities due to intellectual disorders

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25128/2520-6230.25.4.4

Keywords:

social enterprise, socio-professional integration, persons with disabilities, persons with disabilities due to intellectual disabilities, social model of disability, inclusion, inclusive employment

Abstract

The article is devoted to the theoretical justification of social enterprise as an innovative mechanism for the socio-professional integration of persons with disabilities due to intellectual disabilities. In the context of the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine and the sharp increase in the number of persons with disabilities of various nosologies, the low efficiency of traditional approaches to employment, which are based on the "medical model of disability", requires the search for innovative approaches. The purpose of the article is to build a theoretical model that would outline how a social enterprise, based on the "social model of disability", provides a systemic solution for overcoming barriers that prevent the full socio-professional integration of persons with disabilities due to intellectual disabilities.

The main objectives of the study are theoretical synthesis and analysis of current scientific works, which allowed to classify the main barriers (stigma of society, lack of skills, attitude of employers), and to describe innovative practical models of social entrepreneurship, in particular "Social Enterprises for Integration into the Labor Market" (WISE) and "Customized Employment" (CE). The scientific novelty is the construction of a conceptual framework that combines the problem of barriers with its practical solution. The article substantiates that innovative mechanisms of social entrepreneurship are aimed at systematically overcoming the identified barriers. It is described how "holistic support" and hybrid models of resilience are able to solve the problems of social isolation of a person with a disability and the economic "unprofitability" of the enterprise itself.

The study findings confirm that the successful implementation of state policy and promotion of the social entrepreneurship sector (in particular, the draft Law No. 14156) requires support not for just any “social initiatives”, but for evidence-based, theoretically grounded models (“Social Enterprises for Integration into the Labor Market” and “Customized Employment”) that are capable of ensuring decent wages and real integration of a person with a disability into society.

Author Biographies

Olena Karpenko, Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University, Ukraine, Kyiv

Doctor of pedagogical sciences, Professor of the Department of Social Pedagogy and Social Work

Pavlo Ruban, Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University, Kyiv

3rd year postgraduate student, Department of Social Pedagogy and Social Work

References

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Published

2025-12-30

How to Cite

Karpenko, O., & Ruban, P. . (2025). Social enterprise as an innovative mechanism of social and professional integration of persons with disabilities due to intellectual disorders. Social Work and Education, 12(4), 605–612. https://doi.org/10.25128/2520-6230.25.4.4

Issue

Section

RECENT ISSUES IN SOCIAL WORK