“Everyone has the right to a suitable workplace”

In the depot of the University Museum, we collect everything that has ever been used in university research and represents a historical value. A big collection of almost 200,000 research objects from several faculties is stored there. Objects such as medical instruments, mounted specimens and paintings. Since May 2018, Lex van de Burgt has been working in the depot as a janitor. He started working through the Dutch Participation Act. His supervisor Monique Jaspars is very satisfied about their collaboration. The only downside she can think of is this: “There's no second one. Two Lexes. Lex, do you by any chance have a twin brother?”

Lex's work is very diverse; making coffee, scanning inventory cards, receiving guests, handing out car-park tickets, cleaning and even making the hallways spider free; he does it all. Monique, team leader of Preservation and Operations of the University Museum, explains: “Multiple people responded to our vacancy, but Lex stood out because of, among other things, his enthusiasm and because he came to the job interview without a caseworker. We were looking for an independent person and we thought Lex would flourish the best in this job. By now, he has taken over a lot of work from us. Lex carries out all kinds of tasks that used be at the expense of our actual tasks.” Lex: “There is plenty of work. I think for at least the next 10 years; broadly speaking.”

The value of work

Everyone in the Netherlands who can work, but needs a little bit of additional support on the job market, is under the jurisdiction of the Dutch Participation Act. These are people with physical, psychological or cognitive disabilities. Lex is a participant as well: “I've been in special education because I had a big learning deficiency in arithmetics, reading and writing. I can write reasonably on the computer now. Writing letters is reasonably difficult for me, but I can do everything else.” Lex can get by well at work. Monique: “I can easily send you an email. And you know when you don't understand a text well. You can ask me for an explanation then, but this almost never happens. I knew you came to help us at the depot, but I didn't expect it to go that well so quickly.” Lex: “When you've been on unemployment benefits for almost two years and then cross paths with this job, it's a gift from the gods. The communication between us and the team spirit we have are simply very good.”

The Participation Act within Utrecht University

Lex was the first employee at the depot who started working under the Participation Act. Monique: “I was completely unfamiliar with the Participation Act at first. I had heard the term come by in the media a few times, but I hadn't dealt with it up close yet. I think it's the most normal matter in the world that people get jobs, but that's not as self-evident to people with disabilities. I think that's very serious. Back when we were asked by Management if we had a job for a participant, I immediately thought: ‘There has to be something we can come up with.’ It's a drop in the ocean, of course; offering only one person a job. But contact with Marileen Reinders (project leader of Participation-Act implementation) quickly made me realise that it's really important to the university to showcase the possibility of a participation job, in order to enable the realisation of more and more vacancies.”

Why is that important? “I believe everyone has the right to a suitable workplace. I say that as a person and as a supervisor. But unfortunately, I can't create 100 jobs,” Monique says. Her advice to other supervisors: “Cross that threshold sometimes, but not without thinking it through, because no-one wins if the placement fails within two weeks. I think quite a lot of meaningful jobs can be created.” This certainly succeeded for Lex, because he cheerfully answers the question of what he likes the most about his job with: “To be honest; everything.”

By inclusion correspondent Myra-Lot Perrenet

The inclusion correspondents expose stories about diversity and inclusion within Utrecht University. In their articles, Rinske van Herwaarden en Myra-Lot Perrenet show what it means to have a disability and what this means in the workplace.