From Education to Economic Participation: Redesigning Transition Pathways for Persons with Disabilities in the Era of Artificial Intelligence (COSP19 Side Event)

As the international community approaches the twentieth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), a significant shift is emerging—from focusing on access to services toward assessing their real impact on the lives of persons with disabilities, particularly in terms of independence and economic participation. Despite notable progress in inclusive education and rehabilitation, a persistent structural gap remains between education outcomes and meaningful integration into the labor market, particularly for persons with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder. This gap is not solely linked to the quality of education or availability of training opportunities, but reflects a deeper systemic challenge—namely, the lack of alignment between learning pathways and the practical demands of working life. These stages are often designed and delivered as disconnected processes rather than as an integrated continuum.

This event proposes a shift in approach, the core premise is that the challenge is no longer to prepare persons with disabilities to adapt to existing systems, but rather to redesign systems to accommodate diverse human capabilities. It comes in line with the sub-theme ": Resilient societies: strengthening care and support systems to ensure the empowerment, autonomy and independence of all persons with disabilities." In this context, smart technologies, including artificial intelligence, offer practical opportunities to reshape transition pathways from education to employment by:

• Adapting learning approaches to individual capacities

• Supporting task execution within real work environments

• Simplifying complex processes and enhancing independence

• Reducing reliance on direct support The event therefore aims to move from a traditional model based on separate stages (education - training - employment) to an integrated and continuous pathway that links learning, application, and economic participation, with a focus on developing scalable models adaptable to different national contexts.