Comparison of approaches to independent living for and by people with disabilities in Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, and Germany

The aim of the project was the national and transnational exchange of knowledge and best practice examples between employees of the organisations, supporters and people with disabilities as expert...

The aim of the project was the national and transnational exchange of knowledge and best practice examples between employees of the organisations, supporters and people with disabilities as experts in their own right. Important topics were inclusion, self-determination and independent living. In particular, the perspectives of people with disabilities, their needs and experiences provided valuable insights and strengthened processes of self-empowerment. At the same time, the project promoted the further development of the organisations towards user-oriented services. The transnational exchange enabled the establishment of a European network on disability and self-determined living, which can develop joint concepts at EU level in the future. The results and identified best practices were collected in a publicly accessible online knowledge platform (Moodle). In addition, a guideline for organising inclusive workshops at eye level was created. All materials are publicly available to give other organisations an example of how joint workshops can be held and how people with disabilities can be included.

The project comprised five activities. Project management ensured the quality of implementation through administrative tasks, monthly online meetings and risk and conflict management. As part of the transnational learning activities, national workshops on self-determination, independent living and inclusion were organised. The participants were people with disabilities as well as employees and supporters of the partner organisations. The experiences from the workshops were shared both at the monthly meetings and at the face-to-face meetings. The four transnational project meetings were used to exchange the results of the workshops and their own experiences with the topic. Discussions, excursions and lectures were also organised. Another activity was the creation of a knowledge platform and guidelines on how a meaningful exchange between people with and without disabilities can be realised. Videos and posters were created by the workshop participants for this purpose. After creating their own logo, the results were disseminated via social media, websites and exchanges within the partners' networks.

A publicly accessible knowledge platform was created on which the results of the national and transnational meetings and workshops are documented. A practice-orientated guide for conducting inclusive workshops between people with and without disabilities was developed. A total of nine videos were produced on the topic of self-determined living. Eleven poster presentations emerged from the workshops, addressing various aspects of self-determined living. A comprehensive collection of material on the topics of self-determination, inclusion and independent living was compiled from all participating countries. A total of 44 people took part in the national workshops. A total of 51 people took part in the transnational project meetings. The multiplier events, which took place in all partner countries, reached a total of 98 people.