Fundacja FUNDUSZ WSPÓŁPRACY

The main objective of implementation of the deliverable is, firstly, to increase the professional activity of persons with significant disabilities and, secondly, to increase the rate of employment of parents of disabled children. Importantly, the package of tools supporting the disabled allows for their independent participation in social and professional life. The main target groups of the deliverable include persons with significant motor disabilities, persons with vision dysfunction, carers of the disabled (usually family members), as well as persons with limited professional qualifications (unemployed, at risk of unemployment), who can be employed as personal assistants.

The deliverable includes the personal assistant service model comprising such elements as: a personality profile, scope of services provided by the assistant, suggestions in respect to the processes of assistant recruitment and training, as well as a document on legal solutions regarding the institution of a personal assistant for the disabled in other countries. Services of the assistant enable a disabled person to carry out normal life activities, including work, without support of his/her carer (who has a chance to take up employment). It should be emphasised that the model of personal assistant services offers a chance for employment not only to the disabled beneficiaries, but to persons with limited professional qualifications as well. The second, important, part of the deliverable are transport services, as these are a necessary element of the social and professional activation of persons with motor disability. Another component of the package is the medical care and rehabilitation model for the disabled. It includes a therapeutic programme for persons with neurological and muscular disorders (using relevant special devices) and the application of martial arts elements in the rehabilitation of persons with vision dysfunction. The last but not least part of the deliverable is the professional activation module addressed to carers of the disabled, suffering discrimination on the labour market. The module includes training courses aimed at the development of professional and interpersonal skills, therapy, employment agency services supporting starting telework or work as a personal assistant of the disabled, as well as the description of tools available and their implementation methods.

The deliverable may be used by all institutions and organisations acting for the benefit of the disabled. Self-governments may implement the deliverable on their own or mandate its implementation to non-governmental organisations. Elements of the deliverable may be applied as a whole or individually, depending on the needs, however, implementation of the personal assistant services requires introducing this institution to legal solutions. It should be noted that institutions using the package of tools should take into account expenditures associated with the employment of assistants (partially refunded by the beneficiary after entering the labour market), costs of workshops developing social competences of carers of the disabled, and costs of transport services arrangements (special vehicle). Also, it needs to be remembered that medical care and rehabilitation requires employing physiotherapists and specialist physicians (consultations), as well as setting-up a relevant treatment base.