Description
The aim of the project is to develop a support mechanism for self-advocacy and self-helping for mentally disabled people in order to enjoy all rights, freedom and their inherent sense of dignity. The implementation of the project involves people with intellectual disabilities, family members, scientists, and caregivers. The project includes a preparation stage where all stakeholders are trained in skills and tools In the final phase, the methodology and the process will be finalized and tested on all stakeholders of ESTIA. Eventually, there will be evaluation, drawing of conclusions, and the creation of a final tool in a usable form.
Summary of project results
The percentage of people with intellectual disability in the general population in Greece is about 2% to 3%. Despite the fact that the care and support of people with intellectual disability is a priority in all societies that respect their members, these people still often face social exclusion. This is due to their additional difficulty to self-activate, to participate, to express their views and desires and to protect their rights. Through the implementation of the specific project, valuable know-how was gained and a support mechanism was developed to overcome these difficulties. The participants benefited directly and the organization indirectly by learning the specific methodology for advocacy and self-advocacy. During the implementation of the project, five people with intellectual disability, five family members and six professionals took part and were trained on the “co-production” method. This group of people formed the basis for the development of an advocacy and self-advocacy mechanism for people with intellectual disability, in order to enable them to claim and enjoy in an equal way their rights, freedoms and inherent dignity. At the completion of the project, even though it was initially planned for 15 people to take part (16 actually took part in the end), there was an interest and a dynamic that led to an additional activity. More specifically, there was a transfer of know-how to all the professionals working in Estia (25 people) and a pilot implementation to the rest of our service users (75 people). Moreover, in terms of additional activities, it has been planned to gradually train all parents (75 families). The material produced has been made available on Estia’s website and it can be accessed by anyone who may be interested. Finally, this material was presented and distributed at the closing event and at a conference organized by the Municipality of Athens.
Summary of bilateral results