Bridging the Disability Gap in Employment: Insights from an Employability Assessment Tool based on the ICF and the Capability Approach

Bridging the disability employment gap requires comprehensive and integrated policies as well as the provision of person-centred services. These include tools and procedures aimed at assessing the evolving situation of disabled workers in accordance with a bio-psycho-social model of disability. Since its introduction, the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) has served as a foundational framework, providing a common language for assessing employability. However, some limitations weaken its usability. The Capability Approach (CA), with its emphasis on agency, participation, and well-being, can provide a complementary analytical lens. This article presents findings from the deployment of a digital tool, “VINIL”, which integrates both the ICF and CA frameworks to deliver a comprehensive, tailored assessment of the employability of persons with disabilities (PwD) in Tuscany, Italy. Developed through a co-creation process involving over 100 participants, VINIL was utilised to assess the employability of 2,025 PwD. The implementation demonstrated that an ICF-CA-based assessment can significantly improve the prospects of individuals with disability in obtaining and maintaining meaningful employment. Additionally, by generating valuable aggregated data, the VINIL tool provided policymakers with crucial insights to inform more effective and inclusive employment policies.