It is early morning. In the bathroom at home, Remi gets ready for a new day at work. He combs his hair. Pumps out white hair gel from a small bottle. So that everything will be in place. Then he rolls out the door, gets in the car and drives to work. – It’s a nice everyday life when you have something to manage. I am pleased. Everything is in place now. It hasn’t always been that way. Remi has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair. It turned out to be difficult on the job market. Before, he spent hours in front of series on Netflix. Now he has new everyday routines. One of them is getting his hair done before he leaves the apartment. Photo: Synne Lykkebø Hafsaas / news – Long, boring days Remi has always been technically interested and has a diploma in computer electronics. When he was in high school, he started his own business fixing phones. For a period he drove a taxi in Voss. As he became more and more dependent on a wheelchair, everything became more difficult. He wanted a job. Preferably one where he got to cultivate his hobby, but was rejected on all job applications. Some employers promised they would think about it. But it still always ended with a “no”. The days were long. Most often, he spent them in front of a TV screen watching Netflix. Some days he went swimming. – Those were pretty boring days, if I didn’t find something interesting to watch. Before, Remi André was mostly at home watching Netflix during the day. In the end, he had to take new steps to manage to get out into working life. Photo: Benjamin Dyrdal / news – Very revealing As a last convulsion, he published a post on Facebook this summer, asking someone out there to give him a chance. – It is very revealing. And I was a bit against it at first. But in the end I found out: Now it’s here or there will be boring days for the rest of my life. The post was shared by several thousand people. It sped things up. – Everyone who declined has lost Section manager Kjetil Heimsæter for the IT service desk in DNB was one of those affected by the post. – It is a bit sad that it has turned out like this. The fact that he is in a wheelchair and has cerebral palsy should not be an obstacle for him to be able to work. After several offers, Remi landed a job with DNB. Now he helps other employees with technical challenges. – We are keen to be an inclusive workplace, but we have not hired him because of that, but because he is qualified to work here, he says. Kjetil Heimsæter was touched by Remi’s post. He decided to give him a permanent job at DNB. Now he helps employees here with technical challenges. Photo: Synne Lykkebø Hafsaas / news – I thought I had to adapt Heimsæter describes the new employee as “an incredibly nice guy with a sharp head”. – I think we have made a coup. All who have refused him have lost. Colleague Mateusz Grybos (25) admits that he was skeptical when he heard that his colleague had cerebral palsy. He quickly understood that the prejudices were not true. – I thought I had to adapt, walk on tiptoe and be careful with what I said. But those thoughts disappeared after two days. He is a wonderful colleague. That I was wrong helps me personally. Colleague Mateusz Grybos says that he has grown personally after having Remi as his closest colleague. He thought he would have to adapt, but he was wrong. Photo: Synne Lykkebø Hafsaas / news Think there is a lack of knowledge Almost four out of ten people with disabilities are out of work, figures from Statistics Norway show. There are no reliable figures on how many people with cerebral palsy are out of work. General secretary Eva Bushmann of the Cerebral palsy association assumes that only a third of people with the diagnosis have a job. The reason is prejudice, little knowledge about disability and how the workplace can accommodate. Assistant director Bjarte Hysing-Olsen at Nav Vestland believes that employers lack knowledge about the support available if they want to be a more inclusive workplace. He emphasizes that Nav can provide financial support, aids and support and guidance. At the same time, he believes that some employers will not be inclusive. And that it is difficult to get anything done about it. – Remi wanted to work, but was unemployed for six years. Are you doing enough? – I believe that we have good offers, but it is important that employers and employees contact us and make use of our offers, he says. Assistant director Bjarte Hysing-Olsen in Nav Vestland says that they can help employers who want to be inclusive in many different ways. Photo: Synne Lykkebø Hafsaas / news Listen to the radio story below:
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