It’s a gray and rainy day. As soon as he enters the office of the Department of Licenses and Inspection of the Sants-Montjuïc district, José Antonio Perujo approaches with a smile and asks if anyone needs their coat hung up. From the first moment, his positive attitude is contagious. He is one of the 25 current employees of Barcelona City Council who obtained a position after passing the exams in 2021. They were not just any exams but very special ones since the City Council adapted them for the first time for people with intellectual disabilities.
For two years, he has been going to his job by metro from L’Hospitalet de Llobregat and he does so with the excitement of the first day. Among their functions: be careful that there is no shortage of paper in the printers, file and digitize documents, serve the public when someone comes to deliver licenses or take the license signing book to the district headquarters, on the street. Creu Coberta. Before becoming a civil servant, he had held temporary jobs – from janitor to food handler – but with the pandemic he became unemployed. After finding out about the oppositions, he did not hesitate to apply. “For me it is an achievement to have reached such a high level. Besides, it is a permanent job that gives me security and economic stability. “My parents are very proud,” says this political enthusiast.
He has already attended some rallies of the Catalan electoral campaign and also likes to be informed of municipal news. He does not miss the plenary sessions and public hearings that he follows through the City Council’s YouTube channel. “I take note and mention it to my managers in case it can be useful for the department,” says José Antonio, 43 years old.
To facilitate adaptation, you have a reference worker who entrusts you with the tasks and answers any questions that may arise. In this case, his partner is Ricard Saiz, who arrived later than José Antonio at the department. The complicity between the two is evident. “He has hosted me and he does it very well. He is always willing to help. He is a very dynamic and participatory person,” highlights Saiz. “The reception has been very good from colleagues. We have had some dinners and we are also going to play paddle tennis,” adds José Antonio.
In this process, there is also a labor educator who carries out accompaniment and support work for the worker and their work environment to achieve “full inclusion.” “Working is a right and people with disabilities in general and intellectual disabilities specifically have not been able to access the labor market or have had many difficulties. It is very important that the public administration supports this as it allows them to consider a different, more participatory and independent life,” says Helena Gausí, psychologist of the labor advisory team of the Municipal Institute of People with Disabilities of the Barcelona City Council and member of the project that has the participation of third sector entities.
For her, this initiative is very satisfactory because not only are “rights guaranteed” but also “many barriers are broken.” Dynamics and changes are even created that last over time. For example, when the exams were held, an explanatory dossier was prepared on how the day would be developed to reduce the “anguish and uncertainty” of the attendees that can be incorporated into other calls in general.
It is expected that in the future the City Council will open a new call with thirty new places, although the calendar is still pending. In the first, more than a thousand applications were registered. One of the requirements is that the selected people must have a disability equal to or greater than 33%, of which, at least, 25% must be intellectual. To this end, the City Council has created a specific job category, that of auxiliary services assistant, after carrying out a study to identify new job positions. The functions focus on support tasks in different departments, from sorting and distributing mail, making photocopies and scanning documents to basic maintenance tasks or collaborating with waste management and recycling.
Municipal sources report that 7% of municipal public offer places are reserved for people with a recognized disability of 33% or more. With the creation of the new category, it is specified that 2% of these places are for people with intellectual disabilities and 5% for people with other disabilities.
One of the main novelties is that the selection has been adapted to the candidates. For example, they have not been asked for any degree as a requirement and the theoretical syllabus has been eliminated. In this sense, their aptitudes have been assessed through a test of basic cognitive skills and some practical exercises, as well as a basic Catalan test expressly adapted by the General Directorate of Linguistic Policy. The selection panel was made up of professionals from outside and within the local administration and with a person with intellectual disabilities as an advisor.
José Antonio will return to his job tomorrow and encourages other people to apply for future municipal calls. On Worker’s Day, he is clear that his position is much more than a job.
