One of the groups of people that is more affected by social exclusion is people with disabilities where the targets are failing. For instance, in 2016 in the EU-28, the poverty and social exclusion rate of people, aged 16 or over, with some or severe limitation was 30.1% of the total population while for people with none limitation was of 20.9%, a gap of 9.2%. (Indicators to support the Europe 2020 Strategy, 2018). There is a very well established link between negative attitudes to people with disabilities and the barriers to their rights. The United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities also recognized it saying “… disability results from the interaction between persons with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinders their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with other” (CRPD Preamble (e), 2008). But despite this progress, negative public attitudes and awkwardness about disability prevail. Disabled people and their families tell that negative attitudes affect every area of their lives – in the playground, at work, in shops, on the street (Current attitudes towards disabled people, 2014). In this context, intends to develop the Awareness4Change project, that aims to do the diagnosis of improve more everyday interactions and greater public education about disability. Our aim is to increase understanding and acceptance of disabled people. As specific objectives are: understand the European current attitudes towards disability and disabled people, focusing on the opinion and attitudes Organizations’ Human Resources departments; understand the disabled people current perceptions and experiences about civil society’s attitudes towards disability and disabled people; to launch a transnational campaign to get European public thinking about what we can do to include disabled people more in our lives; to design an awareness training to address attitudinal barriers and negative attitudes, targeting employers, human resources departments, workers on the front line (those who face the customers); to improve people with disabilities’ experiences when they do participate in everyday life domains such as transport, public services, health services, etc. The project participant profile comprises companies, human resources professionals, employment support technicians, civil society and people with disabilities. Will be participate of the project 750 considering the people who answered the surveys, experts, pilot learnersand pilot trainers, project meeting, open seminars participants. To achieve these objectives, the project will be divided into three stages: IO1, Organizations’ Human Resources departments report on current attitudes towards disability and disabled people; IO2, Disabled people’ perceptions and experiences report on civil society’s attitudes towards disability and disabled people; and IO3, Awareness training materials to address attitudinal barriers and negative attitudes. The impacts expect of Awareness4Change are first to awaken call to society, to discuss and change attitudes toward people with disabilities. After this, are expected to engage the target group especially in the human resources and employment professionals, because they are the way to make some difference in the reality of people with disabilities in the labor market context. Lastly, the project expect to contribute for social change in the European scenario, making a tool to the social engagement in disability affairs and be replicable in all Europe for transform globally the labor market and all society in a space of community and human diversity. In relation to the results that will be maintained after the end of the EU funding are: online questionnaire about the attitudes of human resources and business services to people with disabilities and perceptions of civil society on the same issue; a focus group guide to get information about people with any kind of disability (motor, sensory, intellectual); awareness flyers for the employability of people with disabilities; and training curriculum for human resources professionals and employment support professionals. All the materials will be available during and after the project ends and can be replicated by partners or other entities that have an interest in disability awareness.
In this context, we developed the Awareness4Change project, which was aimed at diagnosing how to improve everyday interactions and greater public education about disability. Our goal was to increase understanding and acceptance of people with disabilities. As specific objectives: - to understand European attitudes towards disability and people with disabilities, focusing on the views and attitudes of the Human Resources departments of organizations; - to understand the current perceptions and experiences of people with disabilities about civil society attitudes towards disability and people with disabilities; - to launch a transnational campaign to get the European public thinking about what attitudes to take to include people with disabilities more in our lives; design awareness training to address attitudinal barriers and negative attitudes, targeting employers, human resource departments, frontline workers (those who face customers); - improve the experiences of people with disabilities when they participate in areas of daily life, such as transport, public services, health services, among others. The project reached over 750 people that participated in the project, considering the people who answered the surveys, experts, pilot apprentices and pilot trainers, project meeting, participants in open seminars, whose profile included companies, human resources professionals, employment support technicians, civil society, and people with disabilities.
The starting point for this project was the 2016 EU data that shows that one of the groups of people most affected by social exclusion is people with disabilities, where targets are being missed. For example, in 2016 in the EU-28, the poverty and social exclusion rate for people, aged 16 and over, with some or severe limitation was 30.1% of the total population, while for people without a limitation it was 20.9%, a difference of 9.2%. (Indicators to support the Europe 2020 Strategy, 2018). There is a very well established link between negative attitudes towards people with disabilities and barriers to their rights. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities also recognized it by saying "... disability results from the interaction between persons with disabilities and the attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others" (CRPD Preamble (e), 2008). But despite this progress, negative public attitudes and ineptitude towards disability prevail. People with disabilities and their families say that negative attitudes affect all areas of their lives - in the playground, at work, in stores, on the street (Current Attitudes towards People with Disabilities, 2014). Partners involved in the project, Fundação Afid Diferença (Portugal), Diakonie Ruhr-Hellweg e.V. (Germany), APROXIMAR Cooperativa de solidariedade social, CRL (Portugal), Merseyside Expanding Horizons Limited (United Kingdom), Asociatia Consultantilor si Expertilor in Economie Sociala Romania (Romania), and Asociatia Europeasn Association for Social Inovation (Romania).