“Changer les représentations sur le handicap pour une citoyenneté plus active” Erasmus Project

Project Title

“Changer les représentations sur le handicap pour une citoyenneté plus active”

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Reaching the policy level/dialogue with decision makers; Inclusion – equity; Disabilities – special needs

Project Summary

CHANGING REPRESENTATIONS OF DISABILITY TO FOSTER ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP
In general, having access to the practice of citizenship is more complex for people with disabilities. Access to culture, access to commitment, access to training or work, access to emotional life and parenting : lots of barriers still exist.
However, far from the « miserabilistic » vision and assistanat sometimes conveyed by the handicap, with our European partners, we wish to highlight the added value which can be brought through situations of disability.

AN INCLUSIVE APPROACH FOR AN INCLUSIVE SOCIETY
Each of us is convinced of the value of an inclusive society, or each one takes a step towards the other to improve the “living together”. We wish to work on the modalities of meeting between « valid » and « invalid” publics to allow to make our vision and representations changed.
For this we must exchange, show and demonstrate in order to model the principle of an inclusive approach. This collective reflection on the inclusive approach includes, in fact, different actors, persons with or without disabilities.

HANDICAP: A PATHWAY TOWARDS SOCIAL INNOVATION
Each of us is also convinced that disability has to do with social innovation. The problems raised by the situation of handicap make it possible to think differently, to think of other models of organization, other modes of human relations. Sometimes also the situation of handicap allows the setting up of a technical or scientific evolution. These initial improvements for people with disabilities benefit the entire human community. In this respect, the notion of social innovation is directly linked to the issue of disability.

HANDICAP – SOCIAL UTILITY – LIVING TOGETHER
Finally, each of us consider that disability is also a way of thinking about a model of society that could be more fair, adapted to everyone, with its strengths and weaknesses. A way that allows everyone to have a place and to play a role. This is why the notion of social utility will also be the third major topic dealt with during our meetings during this year of exchange and sharing.
Our interest in this transnational project is justified by the desire to share, to discover other practices, to analyze the different contexts, the different approaches and methods.
Training activities and meetings (seminars, visits) will be set up in order to achieve these objectives.

Apart from the education professionals, politicians, families, … who will be targeted, these exchanges will also involve people with disabilities. Indeed, sharing experiences and practices of each partner according to different actions will enrich each participant, to confront, in order to continue working on this issue of the perspective of the person with disability. During these exchanges (trainings, seminars, …) each participant will be able to get new tools to be transmitted and to share with the local actors. This process is expected to modify the practices on the ground.
These meetings will allow to reflect together on the notion of inclusive approach in order to involve all the actors concerned by the issue of disability.
This project will also make it possible to meet different partners in a multidisciplinary approach.
To facilitate the implementation of this project, transnational meetings will take place before, during and after the implementation of the actions. The framework of these meetings was reflected upstream of the project in order to be able to fit as best as possible to the expectations of each partner.
Once the project is completed, we hope that this sharing of practices and experiments will be lived with the different local actors, in order to allow a more active citizenship for people with disabilities. For example, we hope that young people will go as volunteers in the partners organizations (kind of European Voluntary Service). All those experiences are planned to be shared afterwards, and this should contribute to change the view on the handicap as well as the inclusive process.
Finally, these exchanges of practices should allow to have a better knowledge of each transnational partner in order to allow the development of other types of projects and to create tools to be disseminated more widely.

FIRST STEP
Once the project is completed, we would like to develop a longer-term project to create intellectual productions and organize dissemination events.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 82255 Eur

Project Coordinator

Collectif T’cap & Country: FR

Project Partners

• ASSOCIACAO DE PARALISIA CEREBRAL DECOIMBRA IPSS
• Ferme Nos Pilifs ASBL