With a view to training and professional development, the 3D PRINTS project aimed to create a training model that aims to develop skills in the field of 3D prototyping and to increase the target professionals' interpersonal skills and responsiveness to the different needs of people with disabilities. The project had the following specific objectives: - to develop skills in 3D prototyping; - to bring the social-health world closer to the potential of using 3D printing in the world of disability; - to increase relational and empathic skills; - to lead to the description of units of learning outcomes that can be evaluated and used in the description and evaluation of professional profiles.
About 87 million people in the EU have some form of disability (1 in 4 European adults). The percentage varies between EU countries: the EU average is 24% (Italy 22.1%, Spain 18.4%, Portugal 33%) (Eurostat, 2019). Many disabled people don’t have the same life opportunities and they report 4 times as many unsatisfied health care needs. Within this social framework, it is essential to change the logic of taking care of the disabled person, which is no longer purely ‘welfare’, but is oriented towards the development of autonomy, social inclusion and the prevention of marginalisation. Recent studies show that in rehabilitation, educational and vocational interventions, current technologies can help the rehabilitation, autonomy, school, work and social integration of people with all types of disabilities. In particular, in the world of 3D printing, the potential of technology emerges especially when it is the disabled themselves who are co-designers of their aids. To promote true inclusion of people with disabilities, 3D PRINTS project has intervened in training courses for professionals who in various capacities deal with people with disabilities, bringing the world of disability closer to that of 3D printing.