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Description
People with intellectual disabilities are the social group most at risk of discrimination. Limited access to goods and services hinders their exercise and defence of their human rights and fundamental freedoms in their personal, community, commercial, and political life. We know from diagnosis of a group of 300 people that approximately 82% of respondents have encountered open discrimination, only 12% voted in local government and national elections, and less than 60% have contacts in the community beyond family. The solution to vulnerability of people with intellectual disabilities is to improve their current self-advocacy skills and promote the idea of self-advocacy. We will conduct integration workshops and self-improvement workshops (eleven meetings on topics including the Polish Constitution, self-awareness, the role of self-advocates in the local community), media communication workshops (personal presentation, public appearances, stress management, press materials, radio programs), and one-on-one coaching to achieve personal goals. We will promulgate, working with the participants, the idea of self-advocacy at six meetings in Podkarpackie voivodship organizations and at a national conference for people with intellectual disabilities, people and organizations that support them, and local government authorities. We also envisage participating in two self-advocate conferences (five people in each). Twenty adults with intellectual disabilities will participate, from the counties of Jarosław, Przeworsk, Lubaczów , and Przemyśl. They will become more independent and expand their range of community skills, enabling them to act independently for people with intellectual disabilities. Approximately 200 conference and regional meeting attendees will learn about self-advocacy.
Summary of project results
The project responds to the problem of discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities. Restricted access to goods and services makes it difficult for them to enjoy and exercise their fundamental rights and freedoms in personal, social, economic and political life. The Project Promoter''s diagnosis shows that about 82% of respondents have experienced overt manifestations of discrimination, only 12% have participated in local and national elections, less than 60% have social contacts outside the family. There are still many stereotypes about people with disabilities in society, as a result of which their individual personal characteristics, development potential, needs and experiences are overlooked and they are denied the opportunity to participate in social life.
As part of the project, 20 people with intellectual disabilities took part in a series of workshops to prepare them for their role as self-advocates. The workshops included integration workshops, a series of training sessions on personal development (including self-presentation, the Polish Constitution, self-awareness, influencing local politics, the role of self-advocates in the local community), media communication (including public speaking, stress management, participation in radio programmes) and navigating the internet (including communication on social media). Participants received individual coaching support. The Project Promoter worked with the trained individuals to promote the idea of self-advocacy at regional meetings - including with local authorities - and at a national conference. The self-advocates participated in two editions of the European Self-Advocacy Conference.
As a result, 20 adults with intellectual disabilities from the Podkarpackie voivodship have been trained as self-advocates. They have developed their social skills, independence and sense of agency, enabling them to represent their own interests and advocate for people with intellectual disabilities. They also managed to spread the idea of self-advocacy in Podkarpackie - thanks to regional meetings a self-advocacy group was established in Dębica.