Description
In Romania, people with disabilities, especially wheelchair users, face extreme isolation due to lack of architectural accessibility, poor health, dependence and violation of their rights to education and community participation. The objective of the project is to facilitate access to education and other services for children and adult wheelchair users from Bucharest, Ilfov region. The project will develop three new services for wheelchair users: assisted transport and accessibility service to help children to go to school and adults to participate in community activities; home care service and support groups. These new services aim at improving the health, developing independent life skills and avoid isolation for 144 children and adults wheelchair users. The project will also raise awareness among 500 people without disabilities including students, teachers, parents and other community members about the wheelchair users’ abilities and rights through seminars on disability issues, wheelchair sport demonstrations and camps for children with and without disabilities.
Summary of project results
In Romania, persons with disabilities, especially wheelchair users, often live in isolation due to lack of architectural accessibility, poor health, high degree of dependence and lack of access to education and participation in the community life. The aim of the project "ACCESS to Education, Services and Community for wheelchair users" was to improve access to education and other services for adults and children which are wheelchair users, in the Bucharest–Ilfov region. Within the project, Motivation Romania Foundation developed three new services for wheelchair users: assisted transportation and accessibility, homecare and group support services. The services were designed to improve health, to develop independent living skills and to increase participation in social life. They reached 144 wheelchair users. Assisted transportation at school, support groups or other activities in the community were provided for 107 beneficiaries. 9 children received support to attend the public schools they were enrolled in. 97 persons attended support groups and 512 persons attended awareness raising activities. 70 students with and without disabilities from 4 mass education schools where children with mobility disabilities are enrolled were involved in the So Get Into It! Seminar and attended wheelchair basketball demonstrations. Independent living training sessions, 15 accessibility works and 10 donated telescopic ramps contributed to an increased degree of independence for persons with mobility disabilities. These activities included a peer group trainer - a wheelchair user who regained his independence – as a role model for wheelchair users with recent spinal cord injuries or for those who still struggle to become independent. A school inclusion camp for children with disabilities enrolled in mass education institutions, for their peers and their teachers, was also organised. Project team also implemented 2 awareness raising campaigns: on the prevention of spinal cord injuries as a result of diving into water accidents and on the evacuation of wheelchair users in case of fire. Two videos were created and presented to 185 students in 5 schools in Bucharest and Ilfov and distributed in 10 more schools.
Summary of bilateral results