FUNDACIÓN DISCAR

Organizational Vision
Citizen Base Strategy
How It's Working
Lessons Learned

Organizational Vision

According to the Argentine government, 10% of the population of Argentina has a disability; however, these individuals do not have a voice in society. Ashoka Fellow Victoria Shocrón met a child with a cognitive disability for the first time by chance on a beach in 1986, and she realized the importance finding avenues of communication for everyone to be understood. Fundación DISCAR enhances communication between people with disabilities and society by integrating individuals with cognitive disabilities into Argentina’s workforce. DISCAR provides the knowledge and the tools necessary for corporations to employ people with disabilities based on the specific needs of each constituent and offers on-going support to these constituencies to ensure program efficiency. Individuals with disabilities face a significant disadvantage in society because they receive inadequate education and little to no preparation for integrating into the workforce. This creates a vicious cycle in the workforce because employers have limited experience working with people with cognitive disabilities, and they are typically ill-equipped support such staff. This forces many people to rely on others their entire life, rather than achieving independence.

DISCAR primarily focuses on integrating people with cognitive disabilities, but has helped employ people with other types of disabilities through various opportunities and partnerships. For four years, DISCAR had an agreement with Argentina’s Fundación Telefónica where they were able to employ 80 people with auditory disabilities to work on computing and web design. In 2006, DISCAR facilitated 40 more people with auditory disabilities through an agreement with companies like Sun Microsystem, Oracle and Work Ministry. DISCAR’s success is evidenced by the fact that over 80% of individuals with cognitive disabilities integrated into the workplace maintain their jobs for more than ten years. The success of DISCAR’s employment program has inspired McDonald’s to expand the hiring of people with disabilities in its branches in other countries in Latin America. Thus far, DISCAR has integrated more than 150 people with disabilities with jobs in 19 different companies, and has created a model of education and mutual benefit that poised to influence hiring policies for many years to come.

Citizen Base Strategy

Fall back on star power

Fundación DISCAR was originally funded by the government of Buenos Aires; however, after one year the funding abruptly ended, forcing its founder, Victoria Shocrón, to identify new sources of support.

A former actress, Victoria leveraged her association with many of Argentina’s beloved artists and celebrities use their star power to draw the public to popular events and raise both money and awareness for DISCAR. Rather than asking her famous friends for monetary donations, Victoria requested their time to serve as a magnet for public support. DISCAR hosted a nationally televised celebrity soccer match, in which proceeds from ticket sales, television broadcasting rights, advertising, and donations all went to the organization. Event costs were kept to a minimum; the soccer stadium hosted the event for free, allowing a large percentage of the event’s proceeds to directly reach DISCAR.

The first celebrity soccer match raised US$ 22,000. The second year increased profits to US $30,000. DISCAR build on the success of the first two years to convince Diego Maradona—one of Argentina’s most famous soccer players—to play in the third year’s match. The event alone raised $148,000, and DISCAR used the profits to buy a house for the workshops as well as maintain a steady funding source for the next several years.

DISCAR also holds an annual cocktail party attended by both celebrities and corporate sponsors and generates significant media attention and awareness of the cause.

In order the further supplement their income, many artists donated their work to the Buenos Aires Fair of Contemporary and Classic Art in 2006 and the proceeds from sales were in turn donated to DISCAR. According to Victoria, “Our foundation can count on the support of the artists, as they are aware of the relevance and quality of our work and they offer us their public image for every campaign and/or event.”

Initiate a chain reaction of value creation to solidify corporate support

Integral to DISCAR’s support strategy is providing a valuable outcome to key constituents: potential corporate employers. DISCAR is committed to training skilled employees for corporations to hire and focuses on demonstrating the benefits this un-tapped workforce. To ensure success, DISCAR provides long-term, structured support to its partner corporations through a program called “Employment with Support”, creating an exchange that enhances the value of the partnership while furthering their mission of integrating people with cognitive disabilities into the workforce. DISCAR provides job placement services to evaluate job opportunities and define job candidate profiles, co-worker education to orient company staff who will be working with the person with a cognitive disability, special education to prepare individuals to enter the workforce, and family support to ensure that the family members of the person being integrated into the workforce know what they can do to support him or her.

This support infrastructure has proven so effective that companies pay for DISCAR’s job placement services, which has become a significant source of income for DISCAR. According to Victoria, “The commitment of the companies is effective. They are the fomenters of our mission to integrate people with disabilities. We make every one of the employees and ourselves feel that we, altogether, represent an important part of the whole process, which motivates everyone to collaborate.”

How It’s Working

• DISCAR’s program has integrated more than 150 individuals with jobs in 19 different companies.

• Between 75 and 80% of individuals with cognitive disabilities integrated into the workplace maintain their jobs for more than ten years.

• Since 1991, more than 300 people have participated in their courses and workshops.

• In 2005, approximately 28% of its budget came from the annual cocktail party.

• In 2005, approximately 13% of DISCAR’s budget came from the sale of job placement services to corporations.

• 19 corporations currently participate in DISCAR’s “Employment with Support” programs to include people with disabilities into their employees.

Lessons Learned

• Identify benefactors who can donate non-financial, yet valuable resources. DISCAR raised significant funds and national awareness by leveraging the power of celebrities’ and artists’ time.

• Demonstrate your organization’s long-term commitment to benefiting your partners. The mutual chain of benefit for both DISCAR and its partners has been an indispensable contribution to the organization’s success.

• Expand the citizen base by researching constituencies related to your primary mission. DISCAR recognized the need to serve not only the people with cognitive disabilities themselves, but also their families, the volunteers aiding them, and the workers at the employing firm.