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Description
According to 2019 report on conditions in the county of Lubań, the County Disability Classification Team issued as many as 159 disability rulings in 2019 for people under 16, while only a few percent of them make use of long-term support such as occupational therapy workshops. The increase in number of disability rulings is not matched by increase in funds The main shortfall is in initiatives in which parents can learn to help each other instead of waiting for support from overwhelmed institutions, which is still insufficient. The project addresses problems of families of people with disabilities: insufficient institutional support, parents’ lack of sense of self-fulfilment, unfriendly environment. We will create a network of families of people with disabilities which will operate on a self-help and self-organization basis: twenty meetings will be held by parents following orientation meetings held by an activation coach, to share skills and knowledge, including on self-advocacy, and six specialized lectures. We will select the twelve most active parents, who will be trained to act on a self-advocacy basis. We will provide them with supervisory care. We will initiate youth peer voluntary work (5 clubs in lower-secondary schools) and provide equipment for workshops that use IT and multimedia technology in work with young people and young people with disabilities. We will organize three integration picnics and two conferences to promulgate the measures. 80 parents of people with disabilities from Dolny Śląsk will participate. The envisaged effects will be improved knowledge and self-confidence, and a sense of self-fulfilment of parents, involvement of twelve of them in self-advocacy, and creation of five young volunteer clubs. The Prodeste Foundation will conduct training and supervision for self-advocates, the Mocni Association will create a peer volunteer club, and the sponsor, the local council in the county, will help with reaching schools and institutions.
Summary of project results
The project addresses the problem of inadequate support for people with disabilities and their families living in the Luban district, especially in the municipalities of Leśna and Gryfów Śląski. In the Lwówek and Lubań districts, approximately 500-550 people receive social assistance on the grounds of disability each year. In 2019. The District Disability Assessment Team issued 159 disability certificates for people under 16, but only a small percentage of them benefit from permanent forms of support, such as occupational therapy workshops. The number of disability certificates is growing much faster than the availability of support. County centres deal with a wide range of issues including poverty, social exclusion, addictions - disability is just one of them. There is a distinct lack of education, networking and empowerment initiatives for parents.
The project created a network of families of people with disabilities. People in the network met, shared experiences and knowledge, and spent time together. A group of parents were trained and prepared for self-advocacy activities. Three two-day training sessions were held, attended by 20 people. 8 of them were prepared for self-advocacy and leadership roles, received support from supervisors and mentors and then volunteered; several podcast episodes were also recorded and 3 interventions were carried out in local settings. The project promoter initiated school-based peer volunteering for young people - 3 schools established permanent volunteer circles and 20 male and female volunteers from 8 schools were involved. A multimedia and IT workshop has also been equipped and is used by clients and volunteers.
39 parents of people with disabilities from Lower Silesia took part in the activities. An important outcome of the project is the development of an active network of families of people with disabilities working on a self-help basis, as well as the preparation of self-advocates to work for their own community. In addition to emotional support, parents have been supported with respite care. The project has had a positive impact on their self-confidence and self-fulfilment. Another important outcome of the project is the development of peer volunteering and the involvement of young volunteers in activities for people with disabilities.