5 to 15 million EU citizens have an intellectual disability (POMONA II, 2008). Intellectual Disability depends crucially on how environmental factors support the Intellectual Disabled Persons (IDPs) full participation and inclusion in society. Article 19 “Living independently and being included in the community” of Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN, 2006) recognizes the equal right of all persons with disabilities to live in the community, with choices equal to others, and to full enjoy by persons their full inclusion and participation in the community, including, among other that have the opportunity to choose their place of residence and where and with whom they live and are not obliged to live in a particular living arrangement. Supported Accommodation, Supported Living and Full Independency of IDPs must be encouraged in opposition as Institution Services, as most powerful way to allow Intellectual Disabled Persons to achieve the most Independent Living as possible, understood as: • Supported Accommodation; that includes comprehensive residential supervision, training and other assistance in a small-group home. • Supported Housing; where one or two persons might live in their own apartment or house with some support. • Full Independency; where a person is fully independent and looks for support when they need it. Although a relevant amount of IDPs are, simply, not able to live under those models, there is a percentage with proper cognitive basis for living Living Independently.Indeed, successful experiences in this “Independent Living Models” are currently found at EU Level. However, their potential for improving Quality of Life of IDPs is still very untapped and we can currently find only a few IDPs living fully on their own and also a little percentage of IDPs living in Supported Housing, due to several reasons IDPLiving is launched with the main objective of increasing the competences (attitudes, skills, knowledge) of IDPs and their supports (including families and professional and no professional caregivers) about how to promote and enhance the Independent Living in the Community of IDPs , through an innovative training program; The project has the next specific objectives: • To raise awareness and motivate the full collective about the capacities for Independent Living of IDPs. • To boost the evolution of IDPs to Supported Housing and Full IndependencyModels, while really enhancing their Quality of Life. • To transfer guidelines about how to develop basic daily routines, encompassing both operational and emotional situations. • To transfer guidelines about how to exploit existing easy-to-use ICT Tools that can be used as Assistive Technologies. • To provide the trainees with real life experiences to apply the trained skills during and after the training course Through the execution of this Project the next results will be obtained; • Co-Created Methodological Guide will be developed, with the direct participation of End Users, with the main objective of determining the key contents, methodologies and ICT tools needed for creating and improving the critical competences of IDPs and their supports for increasing their Independent Living in the Community opportunities and possibilities, and therefore their Quality of Life • Training Materials addressed to IDPs, families and professionals for facilitating the improvement of IDPs competences to deal and face daily life activities. • Designed Experiential Training Activities addressed to IDPs, families and professionals for facilitating the improvement of IDPs competences to deal and face daily life activities. • Development of ane-Training Platform, including awareness, training contents and tailored and adapted ICT solutions for supporting the implementation of Training Materials and Designed Experiential Training Activities. • Creation of 5 IDPLivingUNITSin order to ensure the sustainable exploitation of the project after the project lifetime. These units will include professionals trained in the course methodology and also IDPs mentors that are already living independently in the Community. • Development of Dissemination Actions addressed to the European collective related to IDPs. IDPLiving will benefit a number of persons during the project lifetime: • 200 IDPs, their families and professional working with them will be trained (80 in Spain, 80 in Portugal and 40 in Croatia ,through their participation in the validation actions of Training Materials, Designed Experiential Training Activities and e-Training Platform. • 3.000 IDPs, families and professionals (1.000 in Spain, 1.000 in Portugal, 500 in Croatia and 500 in France), will be aware, through the multiplier events and dissemination actions to be carried on through the project website, newsletters, leaflets, etc…
When we talk about People with Intellectual Disabilities, community’s still tend to have a more traditionalist and protective approach, but new Models, including Quality of Life, start the discussion in how we must direct to the abilities and full potential of the IDP’s and not to focus on their disabilities. With this in mind, the IDPLiving project has is background on the embodiment of The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that states they have the right to Living independently and being included in the community; with equal choices and opportunities to participate in their community. The OBJECTIVES of the IDPLiving are: -To raise awareness and motivate the whole collective about the abilities of IDP’s; -Boost the evolution of IDP’s to Accommodation/Supporting housing and Full Independence,enhancing their quality of life; -Transfer guidelines about how to develop basic daily routines in the main contexts of life; -Transfer guidelines about how to exploit ICT tools that can be used as assistive technology; -Provide the trainees with real life experiences to apply the trained competences during and after the training course. One of the main APPROACHES that was innovative and that made a big impact on the whole project was the process of co-creation and co-production, involving actively IDP's and responding to the main objective of the self-advocate movement “nothing for us, without us” and this meant actively to listen and ask the contributions of IDP's, to build a training program, that is driven by their priorities and needs.The PROFILE OF THE DIRECT PARTICIPANTS in the development of the project where: - People with Intellectual Disabilities (a total of 58); - Families of IDP's (a total of 31 relatives)- Professionals (a total of 48).The project achieve all the RESULTS establish, as follows:METHODOLOGICAL GUIDE (IO1) was developed, with the direct participation of IDP's, families and professionals, through the realization of 2 Co-Created Sessions, with the main objective of determining the key contents of the training program, methodologies and ICT Tools needed for improving the competences of IDP's and their supports for increasing their Independent Living in the Community. They identified and choose the following modules to be developed in the Training Materials: Quality of Life; Shared Living; House Management; Going Out; Healthy Lifestyle; Safe and Healthy sexuality. TRAINING MATERIALS (IO2) where created to improve the critical competences of IDP's, relatives and professionals for facilitating the improvement of IDP's competences to deal and face daily life activities and therefore to enhance their Independent Living opportunities.The materials are diverse and can be face to face sessions, online sessions, and outdoor activities, with the resource of templates, games, APPS, videos and others. DESIGN OF EXPERIMENTAL TRAINING ACTIVITIES (IO3), in a form of a Manual for Trainers for enhancing the practical and experiential training of IDP's, relatives and professionals, using the training materials within real environments.E-TRAINING PLATFORM (IO4) was created, that allows free access of the training materials and a field to create courses, with the different modules developed and that can be adapted to the different profiles of IDP's. This is an interactive space and tool to the participants and trainers and also can be a forum to share experiences between the different participants.The partners also assume the Creation of 5 IDPLIVING UNITS in order to ensure the sustainable exploitation of the project after the project lifetime. The partners assume this responsibility in the activities plan of organizations for 2020, to assure continuity of the project and to promote continuous innovation thought the implementation of new ideas for training materials and training experiences, keeping the E-Platform updated.The consortium developed a high range of DISSEMINATION ACTIONS addressed to the European collective related to IDP's and directly reach more than 5000 persons trough National and European events, Multiplier Events and then indirectly reach much more trough publications and social networks, because a flyer was created, as well a Facebook and you tube channel for the project, along a website.The RESULTS from TRAINING PROGRAM, confirmed that the quality indicators of the project where reach. Evaluation of global satisfaction was of 95% and Evaluation of acquisition of competences achieve a global value of 91%. The participants validate the real impact that the methodology developed of co-creation and co-production, through the DETAS and training materials, are very good tools to enhance and promote the participation of IDP's and highly promote their independent living in their contexts of life in their communities. Also we became aware that other targets in disability field are very interested in accessing the training program developed.