AN EXAMPLE OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND TRANSFER OF GOOD PRACTICE VOSIDIS- Specialized vocational training for people with severe and profound intellectual disabilities

To help PSPID get acquainted with different possibilities of inclusion into work related activities, THEREWITH raising quality of their lives. THE AIM

VOSIDIS Name »VOSIDIS« is an acronym. Official project title: Specialized vocational training for people with severe and profound intellectual disabilities. Project duration: From October 2008 to August 2010.

PROJECT PARTNERS Project applicant/ leader: CUDV Črna na Koroškem (Center for qualifying, work and social care) Project partners: - FENACERCI – Portugal (Federation of Social Solidarity Cooperatives) - BAPID – Bulgaria (An Association of intellectually disabled people, their families and their friends) - ALIANTA – Slovenia (Enterprise for project consulting, project documentation preparation, coordination of international projects, project management and promotonial activities)

AIMS – PROJECT RESULTS Analysis of the needs and state of the art in the field of working skills training for PSPID in the partner countries Training modules for professionals working with PSPID ( catalogue of knowledge ) Working skills training modules: Training modules for people with severe and profound intellectual disabilities: Motivation, socialization and working skills for inclusion into work related activities

AIMS – PROJECT RESULTS Pilot group (9 people with severe and profound intellectual disabilities were included in work related activities) Project development promotion and community awareness raising (about differences and how to accept them) Making of the final guide and promotion of the project results (among related institutions and interested clients) Final conference (presentation of project results and »round table«, 8.June 2010)

Training modules for professionals working with PSPID The training modules are created for professionals who work with PSPID. The modules aim to refresh the knowledge of professionals and/or give them additional knowledge.

Training modules for professionals working with PSPID Training modules for professionals consist of two different module types: obligatory and optional. There are 5 obligatory modules: Personal planning, Methods of working with PSPID, Training of communication with people who do not speak, Relations with parents, Work related activities (organization, planning and inclusion in working environment) 2 optional modules can be implemented according to established needs (for novice workers, etc.): Intellectual disability, First aid.

Training modules for people with severe and profound intellectual disabilities: Motivation, socialization and working skills for inclusion into work related activities When working with PSPID, one of the main requirements is to set clear objectives and to systematically fragment the programme tasks!

MODULE 1: BASIC SKILLS AREA 1: PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND HYGIENE (UNITS: Hand hygiene, Face Hygiene, Oral hygiene, Hygiene after toilet use, Menstrual hygiene, Dressing/undressing and putting shoes on/taking shoes off ) AREA 2: PROPER FULFILMENT OF PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS (UNITS: Feeding,Urination and defecation, Sexual needs) AREA 3: COMMUNICATION (UNITS: Introduction to the symbols used in a specific environment, Individual communication styles)

MODULE 2: SOCIAL SKILLS AREA 1: SELF-RESPECT AND RESPECT FOR OTHERS (UNITS: Development of social- emotional skills, Feelings and emotions, Personal identity development) AREA 2: GETTING TO KNOW DIFFERENT WORKING ENVIRONMENTS (UNITS: Visit to the working premises (inside centre caring for PSPID),Visit to the working premises (other locations),Visit to a store, Visit to the Project VOSIDIS workshop)

MODULE 2: SOCIAL SKILLS AREA 3: INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS AT WORK (UNITS: Getting to know the working space, Interpersonal relations with other group participants) AREA 4: HIERARCHY IN INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS (UNIT: Getting to know the hierarchy in interpersonal relations)

MODULE 3: ELEMENTS OF MOTIVATION AREA 1: SCHEDULES (UNITS: What is a functional schedule, Why is a schedule needed, Learning to use a schedule) AREA 2: SELF-ASSESSMENT AND ASSESSMENT OF OTHERS (UNITS: Self- assessment, Assessment of others) AREA: 3 PAYMENT AND REWARD (UNIT: Payment and reward/ Understanding from PSPID perspective)

MODULE 3: ELEMENTS OF MOTIVATION AREA 4: WORK RESULTS – PRODUCT (UNIT: Work results – product (understanding of applicability of work results)) AREA 5: BREAKS AND RELAXATIONAL ACTIVITIES (UNITS: Breaks – why are they needed, Relaxational activities)

MODULE 4: WORK RELATED SKILLS UNIT 1: COMING TO WORK UNIT 2: WORK RELATED ACTIVITIES/ PRODUCT UNIT 3: BREAKS DURING WORK

MODULE 4: WORK RELATED SKILLS UNIT 4: SAFETY AT WORK UNIT 5: SELF- ASSESSMENT OF DELIVERED WORK UNIT 6: CLEANING AND LEAVING THE WORKING PREMISES

CONCLUSIONS Project impact on increasing and bettering of possibilities of life-long learning for PSPID: -Issuing, promotion and dissemination of the Guide (with Catalogue of knowledge for professionals and Programme of training for PSPID). -Seminars for professionals took place in all 3 participating countries and proved to be successful and reasonable. -Pilot group and workshop show first results of the trainings. First product from the workshop is available for marketing.

CONCLUSIONS PROJECT IMPACT ON DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF PSPID LIFE- QUALITY: SOCIALIZATION: wider group and common goal affiliation modification, widening of their active space MOTIVATION: enhanced motivation as regards personal neatness satisfaction, feeling of importance gaining new skills

CONCLUSIONS METHODS & APPROACHES THAT WERE DEVELOPED WHILE WORKING WITH THE TARGET GROUP: 1. Gained results came from: professional competence, practical experience, intedrisciplinary approach and remarkably quality team work. 2. Pilot implementation & workshop and training of the professionals. 3. Activity specification: sequences of simple elements (module title, area, unit, aim of the unit, material conditions for module delivery, staff requirements, chart).

Learning contents Operational goalsMethods/ Proposed activities Materials/ Documents 1. Perception of one’s mirror reflection - to take a look at one's mirror reflection - to point to the reflection of changes (dirt) on one's face Methods: - demonstration -explanation with practical activity implementation -repeating activities - mirror

CONCLUSIONS NEEDS OF THE TARGET GROUP (PSPID) IN LIFE-LONG LEARNING PROCESS AND EDUCATION AND WAYS OF ESTABLISHING THESE NEEDS: To expand one’s horizon (socialization), to communicate one’s needs, wishes (introduction of alternative, augmentative communication), to gradually develop simple activity elements, to raise awareness in community. Complexity of work in this area comes from individual characteristics of PSPID which are hard to measure; indeterminate results represent special challenge. One has to know the person from the target group well.

CONCLUSIONS SUGGESTIONS TO NATIONAL MINISTRIES AND EUROPEAN COMMISSION AS REGARDS LIFE-LONG LEARNING OF PSPID: To determine useful normatives for working with PSPIS. To support, back-up projects that bring useful results. To acknowledge project results (Guides) and to promote wide use of them. To support, encourage projects with PSPID as target groups.

More information on project VOSIDIS is available on internet: The websites provide copy of the guide and a promotional leaflet in pdf format to download. Thank you for your attention!