Developing Sexual Education Model for Mentally Disabled People Erasmus Project

Project Title

Developing Sexual Education Model for Mentally Disabled People

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Disabilities – special needs; Health and wellbeing

Project Summary

DESEM was managed to develop a sexual education model/methodology for mentally disabled individuals. Each activity that constitutes the project content provided coordinated work of educators/guidance specialists and disabled families, which are the main actors in sexual education. The partnership started the studies with the needs analysis to determine the project target groups’ real training needs. In this context, each partner organized local workshops to engage with the main privacy education actors ( Special education teachers, guidance teachers, caregivers, and parents of disabled individuals). The local workshops’ main aim was to discuss the problems in the field with target groups, and their real training needs to create a questions pool for the next step of the study. Each partner was prepared a local workshop report and shared it in the partnership with other partners.
After the local workshops, two different questionnaires about the educational needs of the main actors of privacy education were applied to parents and trainers in partner countries to develop such a project program. The needs analysis, evidence-based support for developing the program, and teaching materials were provided. Results on the needs analysis of parents and trainers were represented under three different titles: personal information and views on participating in such an education, views on the content of the educational program, and suggestions.
Benchmarking report; the partnership was created a benchmarking report under the IO1 studies. This report was prepared to examine the context of the international and national legislation for disabled individuals in special education to provide an overview of special education teachers’ training needs, guidance teachers, caregivers who have intellectually disabled children, or the person who takes care of the intellectually disabled individual.
After completing the project’s research phase, the Learning/Teaching Toolkit has been developed. Originally the partnership had to develop 2 training materials named a guide book for teachers and a supportive book for parents/caregivers. However, when the partnership compared the project’s research phase’s obtained results, the partner has decided to enlarge the training toolkit package to increase the target group’s benefit by developing more supportive training materials. Despite its written application form, the partnership has developed 5 additional training materials under the Learning / Teaching Toolkit. These training materials are named Framework Programs for Trainers, Framework Program for Parents/Caregivers, Guide Book for Trainers, Activity Book for Trainers, Activity Book for Parents/Caregivers. In this context, the project’s lead partner (General Directorate of Special Education and Guidance Services/TR) has made official studies to include framework training programs in the special education system to ensure sustainability. Thus, both framework programs prepared were approved by the General Directorate of Lifelong Learning and included in the formal education system. Both framework programs link; https://hbogm.meb.gov.tr/modulerprogramlar/ (Bakım Veren Kişilere Yönelik Zihinsel Engelli Bireyler İçin İhmal-İstismardan Korunma ve Mahremiyet Eğitimi and Eğiticilere Yönelik Zihinsel Engelli Bireyler İçin İhmal-İstismardan Korunma ve Mahremiyet Eğitimi).
The partnership established an E-Learning platform to develop the professional skills and teaching methods related to sexuality education of the trainers through web-based distance education method, to improve the competence of the parents for the development of effective communication skills between the family and the child and to ensure that the information about the sexual education which was learned in the official learning environment by mentally disabled individuals and has been supported by knowledge by the family in the home environment. The E-learning platform has been integrated into mobile applications to enable the target groups to access information within the motto of any time and anywhere in line with technological changes for using the communication tools in education (https://www.desemproject.eu/e-learning-platform/)
During the project lifecycle, the partnership engaged with many national and international organizations to increase the impact of the project on educational authorities and, of course, on society’s lives, such as UNFPA, Hungary Education Ministry, universities, public schools, etc… The partnership was achieved more than exceptional results inline with the application form identified. Because each partner was ready to work on this area to support disabled individuals and the education system, they also worked in harmony to bring success to the partnership. At the beginning of the project, the partners were confused about society’s prejudice and possible acts. However, the partners have agreed on the project topic’s importance to support disadvantaged individuals through innovative approaches. So, It can say; another achievement of the project was a starting point to break the prejudice and use innovative approaches in the special education area.

Project Website

https://www.desemproject.eu/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 157663,9 Eur

Project Coordinator

Ministry of Education General Directorate of Special Education and Guidance Services & Country: TR

Project Partners

• Archivio della Memoria
• FUNDACION INTRAS
• Siauliu miesto savivaldybes globos namai
• Lélekben Otthon Közhasznú Alapítvány
• KINONIKES SINETERISTIKES DRASTIRIOTITES EFPATHON OMADON