Accessible peer interaction with disabled youth Erasmus Project

Project Title

Accessible peer interaction with disabled youth

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 youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Disabilities – special needs; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

ACCESS INTERACT project was implemented in the period 1/09/2017 – 31/08/2019 in partnership among four organizations from Bulgaria, Austria, United Kingdom and Belgium. The partners were selected on the basis of their experience, expertise and achievements in the field of social inclusion and work with youth communities, as well as their capability to contribute with specialized knowledge and inputs which to be included in the intellectual outputs of the project.
Coordinator was NARHU, P2 was PhoenixKM, P3 Vienna Assocation of Education Volunteers (VAEV), P4 David Banes Access and Inclusion Services.
ACCESSINTERACT project has set the following main goals:
– to promote the inclusion and employability of young people with fewer opportunities (including those with disabilities);
– to encourage intercultural dialogue, the acquisition of new knowledge and to enhance the understanding and acceptance of diversity in society;
– to assist youth workers in developing and sharing effective methods of inclusion for marginalized young people, including refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, as well as prevention of racism and intolerance among young people;
– to promote diversity, intercultural and inter-religious dialogue; sharing common values such as freedom, tolerance and respect for human rights;
– to strengthen the initiation to solve socially significant problems.
Shortly before the start of the project, our preliminary findings showed that despite the fact that about 15% of young people have one or more disabilities, the majority of youth without disabilities do not know how to interact and communicate effectively with their disadvantaged peers. This impedes the natural communication within the social environment. Young people with disabilities also face many barriers that make communication challenging. The most common are regret, ignorance, stereotypes and prejudices, fear, isolation, rejection and other.
The materials developed within the ACCESSINTERACT project were intended to help overcome these barriers and create more favorable conditions for interaction between people in youth communities. A sought after effect of the project was to break stereotypes and raise awareness among young people about the specific aspects of disabilities and how they affect communication and interaction in the community.
The results of the project were addressed to the following target groups of the ACCESSINTERACT project:
– Youth workers and leaders;
– Student Leaders;
– Student organizations and councils;
– Heads of youth organizations;
– Representatives of youth organizations of and for people with disabilities.
Within the project, three intellectual outcomes have been developed that currently can be used together as a suite of complementary interactive training materials or individually as standalone training material on a specific topic.
IO1: A Guide for Youth Workers on establishing an inclusive communication awareness campaign
IO2: Handbook “An ABC to inclusive communication with my peers with disabilities”
IO3: Inclusive communication peer support hub
In order to provide easy and quick access to intellectual results and to maximize the promotion of project activities, a multilingual website www.accessinteract.eu was launched at the outset of the project. In the implementation of the project, it was actively used as a powerful tool for disseminating information and involving target groups and beneficiaries. In the period 01/12/18 – 30/06/19, the four partners piloted the developed IOs with young people who are leaders, volunteers or youth workers in various formal and informal associations and clubs.
As a result of the active use of the training materials and communication portal, young people were able to develop practical skills for successful interaction and effective communication with peers with disabilities. The youth leaders, as well as their colleagues, received specific guidelines for planning and conducting public awareness campaigns on disability and other socially relevant issues related to equality and social inclusion. The youth were prepared not to act upon their own assumptions, but to use specific knowledge and guidance to make communication respectful and inclusive to all.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 166426 Eur

Project Coordinator

SDRUZENIJE NA NA RABOTESHTITE S HORA S UVREZHDANIYA & Country: BG

Project Partners

• David Banes Access and Inclusion Services
• VIENNA ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATION VOLUNTEERS
• PHOENIXKM BVBA