Presentation of Örökmozgó

A key objective of the association is to enhance the social inclusion of disabled youth. In order to achieve this objective, the association organizes international projects of inclusion, they provide case management, professional advising and guidance, mentoring and personal support, job matching and post employment support for disabled youth in the period when they leave the formal education.

The members of the association are conductors, physical educators, pedagogues, project managers, etc. They are especially experienced in organising and creating non-formal and informal learning situations enhancing the activity of the young participants and thus increasing their potentials on the employment market. 

The association has realised several international youth exchange programs with the joint participation of disabled and „healthy” youth. On the basis of these programs’ experiences a study has been made that also proved the positive results of the integrated approach based on inclusion. The association considers very important to include this attitude and practice into vocational training as well. 

At the moment the association works on launching a pilot project – an integrated nursery, where the staff, especially the nursers will be trained to deal with motor disabled children to make them fully integrated members of the group.

The Örökmozgó Association has widespread international relations and is member of several international organisations of similar profile. 

Within the partnership established in the framework of this program the association would like to share its integrated approach to tackling segregation via vocational training, advice and guidance for those who work with children and young people living with disabilities. On the long term their goal is to develop a complementary training module on inclusion technics for them.

Cooperativa ARCA

Cooperativa Arca was set up in 1983 and has always been involved in the management of social, health and educational services.

The society, based in Florence, is the second largest cooperativa of Tuscany and operates almost in all the towns of the Province. Nowadays ARCA has more than one hundred educators and social assistants whoes work with disabled people of various age group.

It is represented in nearly all social service areas: 

- child care nursery management 

- social and recreational centers for disabled people

- home care service for elderly people

- educational assistance for disabled at schools and home 

- family houses/day cares for children, disabled, and psychiatric patients

- RSA for frail elderly.

The organisation considers particularly important lifelong training of its operators, hence they are particularly interested in learning best practices for strengthening of the professional skills of the operators and enrichment of their professional knowledge in an international context, as well as sharing the Italian experience, where the integration of disabled people starts from early childhood.

In the project they propose guided visits for the coordinators of the nurseries with disabled children and for some coordinators of the centers for disabled people.

The Fortschritt GmbH

The Fortschritt GmbH's activity focuses primarly on the education of infants, children and young adults with special needs. They also put an emphasis on their integrated education in order to educate future members of society who are active and tolerant towards people living with disabilities. In order to achieve this goal they consider vital both to create non formal learning environments for children and young adults, and to organise special trainings for the staff working with disabled  persons. The organisation has wide international network and has participated in several international inclusion mobilitiy projects. Within the project they intend to share their practice-oriented experiences and to get acquainted with best practices of other organisations with the same profile. The GmbH operates integrated nurseries, kindergartens, day care centers for school children and are closely cooperating with professional organisations. They are affiliated to vocational training institutes and provide practical work experience and on site practical training for their students as well as for voluntaries. Their pedagogical concept is based on conductive education, and thus they were the first organisation in Germany to let this Hungarian method known among professionals. They are particulary interested in to learn and to share new practices and to develop their pedagogical repertoar and  to enrich  their professional knowledge in an international context.

Laura Ház

Cseresznyes Emilia is the founder and president of the "We believe that they are important" association, founded in 2003 in order to provide daily activities to young adults with multiple disabilities leaving formal education at Baraolt. 

One of the aims of the association is to emphasize the competencies of these young people and thus to develop their abilities. It is the only institution in the region which offers daily care with short programs, with qualified professionals who provide appropriate development for those with moderate or multiple disabilities.

They consider it important to achieve integration on a group level, to open ways towards acceptance. The permanent staff of the association is completed by volunteers. 

The association has already participated in a European mobility project, Youth in Action, in October, 2009. However, the  association does not have extended international training experience, therefore they intend to build the experiences gained through this partnership directly into their daily activities. 

The National Business Development Network (NBDN)

The National Business Development Network (NBDN) is an association of 42 business centres and business incubators established under the JOBS project, with the support of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the local municipalities. Our mission is to create new entrepreneurial culture, to improve the standard of living through various forms of support for the development of smalls and medium businesses and insuring greater employment opportunities. NBDN supports its members in the design and management of international projects in the areas of employment encouragement, increasing of the competitiveness of the Small and Medium Enterprises, professional training and re-qualification, tourism, handicrafts, etc.

The NBDN network comprises 42 business centres which are in service to the business by providing, among other things, professional training for qualification and re-qualification aiming to increase or to keep the level the employment in the regions.

Vocational Training Centre

The NBDN Vocational Training Centre (VTC) is certified vocational training center from the National Agency for Vocational Education and Training since 2003 with license № 200312111.

The NBDN Vocational Training Centre has 90 certified professions with 157, which provide training in the 25 sectors. Business centers, members of the association are successfully partners on VTC to NBDN of conducting training sessions across the country. For the period 2004 - 2010, together with business centers have trained a total of 20 000 persons.  Since October 2007 to VTC NBDN is certified by international standard EN ISO 9001:2008. The purpose of the system for quality management is to standardize and improve the quality of the CVT to NBDN and business centers in the country training services.

As one of the most important national organisations providing professional qualification, the association is highly interested in the constant updating of their pedagogical policy and in the widening of their target groups with people with disabilities.

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.

Report of PROGETTI (province of Florence)

The three participants of PROGETTI have visited the nursery L’ALBERO MAGO in Scandicci (province of Florence).

It is a private nursery by cooperative ARCA. It is in agreement with the administration of Scandicci and also works as a company’s nursery for some company (as  Gucci).

The structur of nursery is new, is located within a recently residential complex. The spaces were designed by an architect of the cooperative ARCA.

There is one entrance, area for parents, then a hallway where every child has a personal space to leave shoes, coat and any games they bring from home.

There is also an office and a kitchen (separated for infants and older children), and spaces for staff required by law (toilets, showers).

The structure is divided into three classes, one for small and two for children aged 2-3 years. The children of 2 and 3 are are together because the teachers have noticed that the common presence serves as a stimulus for all.

Each class has independent spaces: area for play (equipped with modern furniture and very nice) which is arranged for lunch and games - for example, reading corner, corner drama, kitchen - and bathroom for the children. Each class is open to the garden, common, where there is not not play but a small vegetable garden for medicinal plants, which treat children with the teachers. Part of the courtyard is covered, so the kids can go out even if it rains.

The classes are very bright.

There are special rooms for sleeping. These rooms are also used for certain recreational activities.

Currently there is a child with a severe disability, placed in a class. It is provided a support teacher for 4 hours/day. The child participates in all activities with others, has a special chair that supports him with which for example can sit at the table with the others at meal times.

The teachers say that the other children accept their mate and spotaneamente involve, for example, handing him the toy. Questions naturally arise as to why he can not do certain things.