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Description
The project supports the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities and their families in the city of Opole and helps prevent domestic violence. Adults with intellectual disabilities are left in the care of parents or institutions and are not able to perform social roles appropriate for adults, which deprives them of the possibility of self-determination. In this project we will support such people in their efforts to live independently, as well as publicise their needs and those of their families. We want to improve the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities and spread knowledge about their problems, among others, by creating tools for their inclusion in the community. Within the project we will conduct workshops and carry out advocacy and communication activities. The project will be implemented in partnership with entities that support people with disabilities, shape local policies in this area and conduct innovative social projects. The results of the project will include: an improvement in the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities, an increase in the presence of issues concerning such people in the public space as well as creation and presentation of tools supporting the inclusion of people with disabilities in local communities. Moreover, a branch of l''Arche Foundation in Opole will be established and a sustainability plan will be developed.
Summary of project results
The project was primarily aimed at dynamizing local processes of inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities (OzNI), their families and activities to promote the idea of self-determination.
Additionally, it promoted active and individual support for the group selected in the OzNI recruitment process in striving to live independently in society (including by participating in thematic workshops). He also promoted the needs of adult OzNI and their families in the public space. Through subsequent activities, the local community''s attitudes towards people with disabilities were changed.
As part of the project, innovative activities were carried out for and with the participation of OzNI. It took place, among others: a discussion panel with the participation of decision-makers, representatives of non-governmental organizations and the academic community, OzNI and their supervisors, widely reported in the regional media. The idea of inclusion of OzNI and presenting their needs was also presented in a series of workshops on various types of disabilities in educational institutions in Opole. An important aspect of the project activities was survey research on the housing needs of OzNI. They constituted the basis for scientific studies on this subject and were a kind of precursor activity in region and in Poland. The installation of air quality sensors, air purifiers and the creation and conduct of a series of workshops on this topic in care and educational facilities for OzNI in the city of Opole can also be called an innovative activity. In an accessible way and tailored to individual needs, this group could practically learn and test the usefulness of applications measuring air quality in the immediate vicinity and devices supporting the improvement of its quality. The result of these activities is that the City of Opole took over (through a donation agreement) the air quality sensors purchased from the project funds, obliging itself to pay the subscription fee and undertook to take care of the maintenance of the purifiers. The project also had a significant impact on the development of the lArche branch in Opole. Thanks to institutional development activities, it was possible to build a strong, volunteer management board, employ a director of the lArche office in Opole, equip the branch with the necessary office equipment, train people involved in the activities, create a work plan for the management board in the near future, prepare a strategy for working with the donor and establish cooperation with other lArche branches in Poland.
The project activities had an impact on the local environment. The data collected during surveys constitute the first database of this type of information regarding the needs of OzNI in the Opole region. They are
a platform for conducting in-depth analyzes on this topic, among others, by research workers of the University of Opole, students, local government units dealing with this topic and local non-governmental organizations operating in the field of work with the environment of people with disabilities. Further works have been and will be created on the basis of this research scientific studies analyzing this issue more deeply. Conducting workshops for people with intellectual disabilities on the importance of air quality for health and practical learning
using information about the state of air quality in educational and therapeutic facilities had a positive impact and expanded the knowledge of the participants (young people and adults with intellectual disabilities) on the above topic. Thanks to the appropriate adaptation of the transmitted content to the scope of recipients'' perception and their individualization, the target group had the opportunity to become familiar with with a topic that is an important element of contemporary functioning in society (especially in times of energy crisis and changes
climate). Some workshop participants, thanks to installing the application on their smartphones (depending on the level of operation and equipment they have), will have the opportunity (including in the autumn and winter) to check the air quality in their area and adapt their lifestyle to it. .
A series of workshops for people with disabilities and their guardians integrated the group that regularly participated in them. It had a positive impact on the process of independence and self-determination of people with disabilities as well as therapeutic and self-help work for their guardians. Workshops in educational institutions for children and youth regarding the needs of people with disabilities, had a positive impact on the perception of this group by workshop participants.