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Description
The Aion project is a response to the contemporary, pressing needs of people with intellectual disabilities aimed at the development of the education and employment support sector. The development of the education and care system for this group in Poland at present allows for good and complete protection of the needs of this group of people, which will make them well cared for and at the same time almost completely invisible. Meanwhile, pedagogical thought and EU legislation are aimed at equalizing opportunities and ensuring equal access to education for all students. On the basis of the considerations, a project was created to reconstruct the Polish path of education preparing for work, to develop an innovative model of lifelong learning for graduates of special schools and to develop a strategy for supporting employment and professional activation of people with disabilities. The entire conceptual and implementation work will be based on the Design Thinking method, allowing for the generation of tailor-made solutions for the needs of recipients as well as personal and institutional conditions. The project will involve partners bringing multidimensional and cross-sectoral knowledge, skills and experience - Special School Complex No. 4 (special education facility); ITI Foundation - ambassador of people with intellectual disabilities and implementer of many activities for their empowerment; NOE Association - an entity associating scientists of the Silesian University of Technology involved in creating innovation in education Logis Logmenn - an Icelandic corporation looking for innovative solutions in the field of education development, support for disadvantaged groups and building transnational partnerships to improve the quality of education. All project activities will also be covered by systematic scientific research ensuring grounding in the theory and providing the basis for drawing lasting and well-established conclusions from the implemented practice.
Summary of project results
The AION project is a continuation of the activities carried out in the "EOS" project, also within the Education program. Both projects address the issue of self-reliance for individuals with severe intellectual disabilities. The EOS project focused on developing solutions that support independent living, especially independent or assisted living.
Consequently, the AION project tackles vocational training and employment for individuals with intellectual disabilities, a crucial step towards their autonomy and independence.Currently, in Sosnowiec, there are five integrated apartments where residents have increasing resources for professional development. Each year, several adults graduate from school, facing limited places in care-support institutions, and the employment rate for adults with intellectual disabilities is marginal. It became clear that interdepartmental and systemic actions are necessary to change this. In this context, a new coherent strategy for vocational education at the school level (career pre-orientation, curriculum, methodology, functional diagnosis, self-evaluation) was developed, rooted in conditions that closely match the actual demands of the labor market. In Poland, there are also no systemic solutions enabling the continuation of education or lifelong learning after graduating from school for individuals with severe intellectual disabilities.
The project developed conceptual assumptions and a proposal for an organizational model of a continuing education center for people with intellectual disabilities, based on the Icelandic Fjolment model. One of the biggest challenges for the employment of people with intellectual disabilities is the low level of social readiness and the lack of connection between educational institutions and the labor market. In this context, the concept of the Vocational Activation Center was developed, serving as a kind of bridge between the education stage and employment in adult life. As a result, the percentage of students participating in supported internships in free-market enterprises increased significantly (from 0 to 16). In the Labor Office in Sosnowiec, two new job positions for individuals with intellectual disabilities were created, gradually opening the labor market for people with disabilities. The educational offerings now better meet market expectations, and the actions taken are more effective.
Summary of bilateral results
Partnership with IS entities''s one of the most important aspects of the project.Thanks to our collaboration with Logis Loegmenn,we haven''t only achieved the project’s goals but also established longterm, relationships with various Icelandic institutions such as Taekniskollin. This school, which tackles the challenges of special education,provided us with a lot of inspiration for creating our vocational workshops.In partnership with this institution,we also carried out staff and student mobility,which was crucial to the entire project concept.We have built lasting bonds with Throskahjalp.Together with their staff,we shaped the resources of Polish partners to develop self-advocacy among our students and graduates.This collaboration also provided an opportunity to exchange best practices in terms of empowering people with disabilities and developing lifelong learning opportunities for those who have completed their education in PL.Such solutions are practically non-existent in our country.Thanks to our cooperation with Fjolment, an institution funded,among others, by Throskahjalp,we created the conceptual foundations for various vocational courses and training specifically for adults with disabilities in PL.We have met wonderful people full of passion in creating a better world for people w.disabilities. There is also much evidence that our collaboration brought numerous benefits to the IS entities.We spent a lot of time discussing different approaches and attitudes towards education and support for the development of people w.disabilities. Jointly realized mobilities were of great importance; for both Polish and Icelandic students, these were the first independent trips abroad.A new consortium was formed with the participation of the ITI Foundation and the IC foundation VirtualDream, and we submitted a grant application under the Erasmus+ program to develop the use of VR technology in the education and therapy of people with disabilities.