BRIDGES – Broadening positive Reflections on theIssue of Disability, Generating Empowerment for Stakeholders Erasmus Project

Project Title

BRIDGES – Broadening positive Reflections on theIssue of Disability, Generating Empowerment for Stakeholders

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

BRIDGES –Broadening positive Reflections on the Issue of Disability, Generating Empowerment for Stakeholders- supports in a holistic and integrated approach and through really innovative products the capacity building of factors concerning and dealing with disability in society; disabled members of society should enjoy the right of a full and decent life in proper conditions ensuring dignity, self-reliance promotion and facilitation of their active participation in community and it is up to the family environment, training providers and professionals along with society reflections and stakeholders-in general- to ensure that disability deserves equal chances and potentiality.
In EU the estimated numbers of disabled people are around 80,000,000 and these people experience barriers to their integration, specific need for assistance, hard health status, functional and activity limitations, limited access to education and training, limited labor market choices, unsuccessful employment patterns, poverty and income inequalities, difficult financial and housing conditions. Added to all these above is the fact that there is a lack of proper information and awareness raising at the level of society and its reflection towards disability and the integration of these people through targeted actions and initiatives which will bring closer the society and its key-factors in the disabled people integration and life quality. Accordingly, what the researches have shown is that beyond the positive reflections and the ‘elimination’ of exclusive practices or discrimination these people face or experience, what is of high value for them is their access to the right of being employed or being given as much as possible employment opportunities; lack of participation in the workplace can put people with disabilities at high risk of poverty and at low level of life quality while on the contrary, facilitation of relative services or training of specific persons acting as the ‘bridges’ between the disabled and the society & employers or the labor/market sector can lead to positive integration results.
In the context above what is central is the implementation of efficient and effective actions towards the disabled people participation in society through the recruitment and reinforcement of specific supporters: these people will undertake the role of bridging disabled with society, support them in the labor activation, of mentoring in their employment and of acting as proper and appropriately channels. Thus, in BRIDGES project, the target groups will be public servants and public services representatives, relative professionals, NGOs & CSOs members, members of family environments, who will be trained to support disable people in the employment process and integration procedures.
The project’s objectives are:
a) to strengthen and reinforce via training and relative tools those key factors involved directly or indirectly with the disabled people integration and the positive reflections on the issue of disability
b) to create content resources towards the proper training of specific persons, who will act as mentors, ‘intermediators’ & ‘intercoachers’ for people with disabilities and their integration; to cultivate to them special knowledge and skills (as also to act as access-point) such as for example the skills of career counseling, performance coaching, emotional intelligence & empathy building, behavior change and work culture, self activation and symbol work, sustainability & disability, knowledge of labor services provisions, expertise on the supported models of employment, etc, in parallel with labor mapping and contextualization skills for people with disabilities
c) to take advantage of the opportunities offered by ICT and digitize the quality of learning content
d) to create and deliver innovative products and training tools- as tailored needs learning resources – based on differentiation methodologies and adult education approaches
e) to promote public campaigns and initiatives on positive and respectful attitudes towards disabled members of community with targeted actions for market and labor key-players
The project includes 7 partners (ATLANTICA, XPCSA, CSI, InEuropa, CAMINOS, MEATH, Akademie Klausenhof) from 7 countries (Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Germany) and the activities include respective intellectual outputs and multipliers events (National Seminars/Workshops, Final Conference): the Review Paper on Context (IO1), the BRIDGES Training Curriculum (IO2), the Digital Toolbox & Resources (IO3), the Methodology and Adaptation Guide.

Project Website

http://bridges.pt/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 199218 Eur

Project Coordinator

EIA – ENSINO E INVESTIGACAO E ADMINISTRACAO SA & Country: PT

Project Partners

• Xenios Polis. Culture, Science and Action
• Akademie Klausenhof gGmbH
• INEUROPA SRL
• CSI CENTER FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION LTD
• ASOCIACION CAMINOS – ASOCIACION PARA EL INTERCAMBIO EDUCACION Y DESARROLLO SOCIAL
• MEATH COMMUNITY RURAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP LIMITED