Laura Ház Baraolt – Daily care centre for disabled children and young adults

              

 ALL INCLUSIVE – Leonardo da Vinci International collaboration for promoting social inclusion

III Meeting – 06/09 june 2012 – Baraolt

Laura Ház Baraolt – Daily care centre for disabled children and young adults

Claudia Piovano visited the center Laura Ház in Baraolt. Laura Ház is non-profit organization.

It is accredited at the regional level for the activity whit the disabled.

It is funded in part by public funds and partly self-financing, and supported by a Dutch non-profit organization.

Working at the center five people, including a psychologist.

Operators are involved in fundraising, administrative management, assistance to the disabled, laboratories, kitchen, meetings whit partents.

A good network of volunteer support center, for example, there is a minibus service to take users from home to downtown and back run by volunteers.

The center consist in a small house with a garden, in the center of Baraolt, accessible only on foot or by car.

It consists of a room to the laboratory (frame and sewing), a room for interviews and individual development for individuals or small groups, a small kitchen and services (unstructured for the disabled). There is a small laundry room.

There is some sort of fitness room in a separate building in the garden.

The garden is equipped with games and an area - under construction - to carry out activities.

The house is well maintained, colorful and comfortable although small for the number of people who attend.

The users are young adults and adults with mental disability who can not attend school, or adults who are most in school age (there is no age-limit). At the moment 15 people attending the center.

In Romania it is not expected to be integrated in school for students with disability.

Users attending the center during the day (8.00-14.00), only in the school-time. The center is close in the holidays.

The aim of the center is working on the autonomy of people and develop their skills.

In cases where it is possible Laura Ház organize paths for entering the labour market  in companies in the territories and in nonprofit organizations.

For example, a person working at a second hands store as a clerk.

Operators assist these users even when attending more the center, in an indirect way.

The small size of the city of Baraolt where relationships are very narrow, making possible this continuous contact between the center operators, their users and the family and social context of the user.

The workshops are very focused on crafts and artistics works. Operators have a great imagination and invent constantly new projects.

In particular, in the sewing pillows are made with reused materials and fabrics with hand loom.

In the laboratory the atmosphere is very positive and calm, working in a team with the background music.

Disabled people have a life apart from their peer, Laura Ház looking for some opportunities to create this contact (for example, participated in an international youth exchange, organized a fashion show at a school in Baraolt).

The center collaborates with other similar centers of the enlarged territory.

Special school – Saint George, Cosvana

Claudia Piovano visited the Special School located in the city of Saint George, in the Cosvana district, Romania.

Were founded in 1980. It is funded by Cosvana district.

120 young people with mental disability from all over the district attend to school, are placed in classes based on age and ability. The admission is based on an examination by a commission of medical doctors and psychologists, and the staff kept coming to assess the development and iprogressi and decide which are the activities and programs suitable for everyone.

The staff is composed by psychologists, speech therapists, physiotherapists.

 Two teachers supervise the children in the special classes.

The school does only a little part of  work in collaboration with others public schools, more collaboration there is for younger children in preschool age. There aren’t possibilities to integrate young people with disabilities in regular public schools.

Is not available a bus service, families need to take the kids.

The property is beautiful. It is a renovated villa with a beautiful garden around. It is equipped with many classrooms, gyms for rehabilitation, bathroom, kitchen and mensa. The classrooms are bright and clean and adequate for wheelchairs. There is no elevator.

The aim of the school is: schoolar instruction, support the development of motor ability, and social insertion of young people in society.

There are educational programs and rehabilitation programs and laboratory  such dance, music and art.

There is a completely equipped for young people to live in the center (a student residence) at the upper floor. It is very complete (bedrooms, bathrooms)and nice but unfortunately not used because there is no funding for staff.

Diakonia Írisz Ház Sepsiszentgyörgy – Daily care center for disabled people

Ádám Fekete  visited the center Diakonia Íirsz Ház, a daily care center in the town of Sepsiszentgyörgy, is frequented by people of a large territory around the city.

The centre is funded by the state, is financed by foreign sponsors (German, Austrian and Dutch) and from self-financing (sale of handicrafts products by the users).

The building is modern and nice, has one floor, is large and has a garden.

There are offices, workshops and warehouses. There is a shop to sell used clothes.

There are also rooms for rent.

Most of the structure is accessible to the handicapped in wheelchairs, but not all, for example, the shop no.

The aim of the center is allow disabled people to work and insert the disabled into the labor market.

The users work in handcrafts laboratories ( whit wood, textiles, gardening etc..)under the guidance and observation of social workers, who seek to identify areas of possible development for everyone.

The staff is composed by administrative employees, psychologists, nurses, social workers and teachers and supporter for the manual works.

The staff take a lot of energy and passion to his work, has a lot of creativity and innovative spirit. The atmosphere is serene and pleasant in laboratories. Unfortunately there is not possibility (as in the other services visited) for  integration of people with disabilities and their peers.

„Cimbora“ – kinder garden

Ádám Fekete visited the kinder garden Cimbora in Baraolt.

The school is funded by the municipality, which covers only the staff’s salaries. The other costs are covered by private sponsors and a little part from family of children.

The kinder garden is composed by 10 groups, some group is active from 8 am to 1 pm and somefrom 8 am to 5 pm.  Each group has a room. There are folding beds for sleep time, tables and chairs for the activities. In the room there are areas for games and toys that are given to children by teachers.

In the room the children play sleep and eat.

The rooms are quite gandi and furnishings and sufficient clearances.

There is also one garden with games for children.

For the standard groups the ratio number of teacher-number of children is quite low, but the staff are friendly, and the atmosphere positive.

Is given much space to the manual laboratory, creative: teachers conducts very well and whit a lot of immagination children to produce small works. It is interesting the use of natural materials.

In total more than 200 children attend the school, including a group (currently 7) mentally disabled.

Almost the totality of disabled children with disabilities are in a separate group, followed by a staff of 2 educators and 1 psychologist.

For the childrens in special group is prevue also the therapy: there is a therapy room for play therapy.

Caring for children with disabilities is good but there is no integration with other children even if one of the objectives of the school is to train children to overcome cultural barriers.

Final Thoughts:

The centers that we visited are for the most part equipped, in beautiful buildings, renovated, have staff who work with passion even though they often do not have a specific training.

Children and young people whit disabilities are assisted with care, at the same time for the personal and social development and rehabilitation, but unfortunately from the point of view of integration in society there are few opportunities.