Description
In Poland, people with intellectual disabilities are at risk of social exclusion due to low awareness of their own needs, interests and emotions, and poor communication, problem-solving and decision making skills. A significant part of the society does not listen to their voices and ignore their needs. The objective of the project is to prevent social exclusion of adults with intellectual disabilities by empowering them to become self-advocates. By learning to speak for themselves, people with intellectual disabilities will prepare to lead more independent life. This will be achieved by organizing group workshops, individual support, discussion forum and web forum, publishing a quarterly magazine, radio broadcasts, preparing TV features, organizing conferences. As a result, a Regional Self-Advocacy Organization will be established. The project will benefit 36 adults with intellectual disability from Podkarpackie Voivodeship.
Summary of project results
"Persons with intellectual disability are often unable to fully exercise their citizens rights. The situation results, among others, from poor knowledge on the part of persons with intellectual disability (PID's) about the rights that they have, low awareness of their own needs, interests, emotions, insufficient communication competencies, low self-evaluation. The aim of the project was to counteract exclusion of persons with intellectual disability through strengthening them in the role of advocates of their own affairs (self-advocates). As a result of implementation of the project, 36 persons with intellectual disability from Jarosław, Przeworsk, Lubaczów and Przemyśl districts joined the Regional Organisation of Self-Advocates. As shown by evaluation that was conducted, the level of awareness of their own rights and duties and the level of their social skills enabling them to take care of their own affairs increased among 88% of participants of the project, i.e. 32 persons. Under the project, participants took part in workshops where they acquired competencies that allowed them to issue 5 editions of a quarterly ""Hear our voices"", develop materials for the web page of the project, prepare 13 TV reports and 13 radio broadcasts on problems important for PID's, conduct 5 meetings with representatives of local government and organise a two-day national conference concerning the rights of persons with disabilities and the self-advocacy. Beneficiaries of the project were 36 persons with intellectual disability."
Summary of bilateral results