DE-4th International Forum on Disability Management. "Breaking down barriers together"

"Breaking down barriers together"

Dealing with the vocational capacity of employed citizens who are unable to work as a result of an accident or illness is the yardstick by which a "healthy" society is measured - especially when older people remain in employment as a result of the demographic development. The retention of their working capacity, not allowing them to be unemployed or send them into "retirement" is the global goal of Disability Management: valuable knowledge remains in companies, employees retain their standard of living and social systems/insurances are not burdened.

With the International Forums on Disability Management, an own movement has emerged over the past few years, in addition to new alliances being formed. This is where people who wish to move something pull down walls between the stakeholders and develop cross-border return-to-work strategies meet. The participants are from the state, companies, disabled persons, lobbyists, insurance companies and other service providers, especially physicians, clinics, vocational promoters, health and social services in prevention and rehabilitation. Disability Managers from all over the world exchange experiences and can learn from each other.

The German Federation of Social Accident Insurances and the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs are the hosts at this important meeting in Berlin. More than 120 speakers from almost all parts of the world will be presenting the latest knowledge concerning who does what with whom and how in order to get employees who have fallen ill back to work. Refer to the program at www.ifdm2008.de! It comprises numerous contributions on themes such as the special situation of older employees, psycho-social disorders and cancer diseases for example and deals with special requirements in production, the service sector and in public service, in addition to handling overlapping themes.

We invite you to participate in this global mega event in Germany. We would like to welcome you to Berlin, our pulsating capital, and discuss the political and organisational measures which are most efficient and therefore the most suitable in Disability Management with you - and together, we want to break down the barriers which still stand in the way of sick employees along their path back to their working life. All of the participants can allow themselves to be convinced by the benefits of Disability Management: employers, trade unions, physicians and insurances - and last but not least the employees themselves.

Yours faithfully,

Dr. Joachim Breuer and Franz Thönnes
Presidents of the IFDM 2008