SWEET HOME: HOME, MY OWN SWEET (SMART) HOME

The project was launched to address the needs of the estimated 80 million people with disabilities in the EU. These people often face daily challenges that significantly affect their independence, self-determination and overall quality of life. Despite advances in smart home technologies that could improve their daily living conditions, there is often a lack of awareness and understanding of how these technologies can be used to meet their specific needs. The SWEET HOME project aimed to bridge this gap by bringing together people with disabilities, professionals, carers and technology developers. It aimed to harness the potential of affordable smart home technologies to improve different areas of life such as healthcare, personal care, comfort, security, entertainment and mobility. The project focussed on creating user-friendly and clear guidance on how to understand, install and use appropriate smart home technologies to ensure they can be integrated into the homes of people with disabilities in a beneficial way. By fostering collaboration between all stakeholders and developing practical solutions tailored to the specific needs of people with disabilities, the project aimed to promote their autonomy and social inclusion.

SWEET HOME aimed to create new opportunities for people with disabilities to live more independently and comfortably in their own homes. This was achieved by addressing the lack of knowledge about new home technologies among carers, social workers, occupational therapists and psychologists. The project developed and delivered training courses on an e-learning platform on the benefits, installation and use of home automation technologies. The content was tailored to different disabilities (Down syndrome, visual impairment, hearing impairment, muscular dystrophy, Alzheimer's disease, cystic fibrosis, kidney disease) to meet their specific needs and support full social integration. The training was mainly offered to professionals, but informal carers, family members and the individuals themselves could also benefit directly. Specific objectives included SO1- Analyse types of disabilities and their needs for independent living; SO2- Network with associations and experts in disability and home automation; SO3- Provide recommendations for unmet community needs; SO4- Develop a home automation training strategy and content for different user groups; SO5- Create a free, interactive learning platform adapted to different disability groups.