“Women in ON Mode" Program - Fundación ONCE

“Women in ON Mode" is an initiative led by Fundación ONCE and Inserta Empleo (Fundación ONCE’s (its specialized training and employment services), with support from the EU, aimed at tackling gender-based violence against women with disabilities. It centres on their life stories and provides support through a specialized intervention methodology – the Recovery Cycle – which helps them regain control over their lives by facilitating access to or reintegration into the labour market as a key step in their recovery.

The initiative emerged from a process of observation and active listening to the women themselves. Within the standard employment service for persons with disabilities, guidance professionals identified cases where, alongside disability and gender, another layer of social exclusion appeared: being a victim of gender-based violence. Since 2017, this data has been collected based on self-disclosure by the women served, allowing us to identify areas where targeted support was needed. In 2020, we developed a more intensive support methodology, enabling more women with disabilities affected by gender-based violence to break free from abuse and begin their Recovery Cycle.

The strategy is built around the following key components:

1. A personalized intervention methodology, the Recovery Cycle, which supports both personal and professional development. It focuses on empowerment and employment, while ensuring the confidentiality of all personal data.

2. A network of professionals (the Compass Team), experts in both employment of persons with disabilities and gender-based violence, supported by shared knowledge management continuously fed with best practices and new approaches.

3. A dynamic evolving project designed to adapt and create new resources based on needs identified through active listening to the women involved.

4. Raising awareness of this hidden reality and fostering collaboration to amplify the project's impact, through:

  • First-hand testimonies from the women.
  • Events and meetings with experts, potential employers, and public and private organizations committed to combating gender-based violence.
  • Information to increase understanding of the intersection between disability and gender-based violence, and to generate new sources of statistical data.

The commitment has engaged the entire organization at every level.


Responsible Department

Inserta Empleo


Target group

Women with disabilities who are victims of gender-based violence, using as a reference the various forms of abuse against women outlined in the Istanbul Convention (EU).


Methodologies and approaches

The methodology used is based on the Recovery Cycle, with the aim of fostering both personal and professional autonomy among participants. The ultimate goal is to support their integration into the labour market—either through employment or the development of entrepreneurial projects.

The services and activities carried out include:

  • Identification and outreach to women with disabilities who are victims of gender-based violence, encouraging their participation in individualized pathways with intensive support. To facilitate this, a dedicated network of professionals – COMPASS – was created.
  • Awareness-raising and advocacy actions, as well as the development of new resources to combat gender-based violence, helping to make the work in this field more visible.
  • Job placement, including direct engagement with companies to promote the employment of the target group.
  • Strategic partnerships have also been established with key stakeholders: businesses, organizations specializing in gender-based violence, and public entities. These collaborations are being developed within the framework of the program to enhance its impact and reach.

Innovation and creativity

(1) Innovation in the Intervention Model. Inspired by the European initiative “New Start”, a refined methodology has been developed that integrates the cross-cutting dimension of disability and its specific context.

  • Initial Assessment or Diagnosis. This phase analyses the woman’s relationship with the abuser and her status as a victim of gender-based violence, as well as her environment, support network, family and socioeconomic situation, and level of empowerment.
  • Intervention Development through the Recovery Cycle. A set of actions focused on personal and professional development, strengthening active job search efforts, and providing access to employment opportunities. As a cycle, it is designed to be flexible and reversible, adapting to each woman’s progress.

Throughout the process, participants are supported by the COMPASS network of professionals that applies a continuous improvement and innovation model, designing new resources tailored to the specific needs of each case.

(2) Innovation in Knowledge Generation. The project’s information management system has been designed not only to support operations but also to serve as a data source for making visible, analysing, and addressing realities that still remain largely hidden.

(3) Innovation in Addressing Emerging Needs. While the initial focus was on supporting identified victims of gender-based violence, the implementation of the project has expanded its impact to other areas:

  • Providing guidance to professionals in other projects to help them detect signs of gender-based violence in women or young girls they support.
  • Informing and educating women to help prevent future situations of violence.

(4) Cross-Cutting Approach to Disability Assessment. The intervention also considers the origin of the disability — whether it existed prior to the experience of violence or resulted from it.


Support to Independent Living

The initiative supports independent living through its intervention methodology, which promotes the empowerment and autonomy of women with the aim of helping them obtain and sustain dignified employment—enabling them to reclaim control over their lives.


Staff and resources

The initiative is supported by the Compass Network of Professionals, who are highly qualified in both employment guidance and job placement for persons with disabilities, as well as in addressing gender-based violence. These professionals work under a shared knowledge management methodology, which fosters continuous learning and provides an ongoing source of information on new experiences, guidelines, and best practices. They also receive targeted training to address the specific needs they identify in their work with women.

To date, more than 47 Compass professionals have been involved across the country, supported by the broader team of professionals within the organization.

Additional resources include:

  • Specialized services for empowerment, personal development, health, and well-being.
  • Nationwide implementation across all regions, with accessible spaces designed to preserve women's privacy and prevent re-victimization.
  • Technology systems for data registration and control
  • Management system to support service delivery and activity monitoring

A dedicated network of 21 Compass professionals has been deployed in rural areas, working in collaboration with public and private entities to reach women with disabilities in rural areas who are victims of gender-based violence. This outreach aims to engage them in the project, understand their realities and environments, and address the unique challenges they face in accessing employment.


Identifying specific needs

The project itself emerged from needs identified during interviews with women as part of our employment services.

New intervention actions have been developed in response to emerging needs identified among women victims of gender-based violence. These include:

  • Mutual support groups
  • Autonomy and life control.
  • Empowerment and personal coping strategies for overcoming challenges.
  • Key approaches to empowerment through health care and self-care.

We have designed and implemented our own tool to assess the level of empowerment of participating women. This Empowerment Measurement Questionnaire objectively evaluates each woman’s starting point and tracks her progress throughout the various actions and interventions. It helps identify critical factors that directly influence their Recovery Cycle. It is a psychometric tool based on the five individual empowerment components of Bronfenbrenner’s “Ecological Model on Human Development”.

We have also developed the “Employer Guide for Supporting Women with Disabilities Who Are Victims of Gender-Based Violence” in response to needs expressed by Compass professionals and employers who had hired or were interested in hiring women from the program. It was co-created with input from key stakeholders – employer, Compass professionals, and the women themselves – through focus groups, life stories, and interviews. The guide provides practical recommendations for welcoming and supporting these women in the workplace.


Other stakeholders and partners

The “Employer Guide for Supporting Women with Disabilities Who Are Victims of Gender-Based Violence” was co-created with input from key stakeholders such as employers, and Compass professionals, through focus groups, life stories, and interviews.

To raise awareness and shed light on a reality that often remains hidden, the project has organized Women in ON Mode Meetings – spaces for reflection and dialogue with key stakeholders, where experiences and best practices are shared. These events have served as platforms for visibility, collaboration, and learning.

1st Meeting: “The Example of Companies as Allies”. Key stakeholder: Employers. Date: November 24, 2020

2nd Meeting: “Empowerment and Entrepreneurship”. Key stakeholders: Organizations working with women victims of gender-based violence and self-employment initiatives. Date: March 16, 2021

3rd Meeting: “DPOs: Drivers of Change for Women with Disabilities Who Are Victims of Gender-Based Violence”. Key stakeholder: DPOs (especially those supporting the most vulnerable groups, acquired disabilities, etc.). Date: November 30, 2021

4th Meeting: Public-Private Collaboration as a Key Element to Advance the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs”. Key stakeholder: Public entities. Date: May 4, 2022

5th Meeting: “Civil Society Against Gender-Based Violence”. Key stakeholder: Civil society.   Date: April 27, 2023.  Location: European Parliament Office in Spain (Madrid). Participants included representatives from the legal, healthcare, research, youth, and prevention sectors. The event also featured a powerful talk titled “The Role of Men in a New Society: Transforming Gender Roles”, delivered by the son of a gender-based violence victim.