All Inclusive - Ldv Partnership

12.April 2013  in Sofia

Sofia Municipal day care center for social rehabilitation of disabled

 

The institution was established in 1999. The institution’s capacity is 90 children and 150 adult, but this number changes monthly, depending on the number of persons who requires its service.

The institution is functioning in a two-storey building. Downstairs take place the medical care, such as physiotherapy and kinetotherapy and on the first floor operating a day center for people with disabilities. The building was built by the support of Republic of Korea.

The institution has specialists such as: 2 psychologists, 2 speech therapist - in separated cabinets-, 2 art therapists, who works with disabled adults in the day center, and a doctor physiotherapist, 3 kinetotherapists and 4 rehabilitation specialists.

The specialists organize a meeting every single week to talk over the problems and events for more efficient work.

Within the day center of institution we can’t talk about inclusion, because only disabled persons attends the programs.

They have a very good relation to nurseries and schools where children are coming for rehabilitations.

The head of institution is also thinks the importance of integration, therefore they organize joint programs, the specialists visit the institutions.  They also participate in competitions, where they can present their works.

To get into the institution is going through a social network. In Sofia there are 9 social services, where the specialists assess each cases and direct people to the most appropriate center.  It also belongs the child protection institution too. The social workers occasionally verify these centers.

My experience was that disabled youngsters’ future is quite uncertain in Sofia. They cease the big centers and created family houses for them, but to the question to what is going to happen to them after disabled youngsters reach 18 years they can’t answer.

The institution is financed by the state, the parents’ contribution is 3 Euro and they are also supported by the Republic of Korea. This amount of money is enough for operating the institution; therefore they can spend little on development. The state helps to provide the special tools too. Commuting to the institute is the peoples own cost, but if somebody is resident they can have discount on public transport.

I also experienced that disabled youngsters don’t have the opportunity to be in an employment, to get a job, although there are initiatives to evolve protected workshops.

 

Cseresznyes Emilia

AS.Casa Laura – Laura Haz

Baraolt