ALL INCLUSiVE PROJECT
Disability and Migration
A Grundvig multilateral project (2007-2009)
The All Inclusive Project aims at developing an interculturally barrier-free model, which is to be implemented in institutions in the disability sector. It should give and secure migrants with disabilities and their families access to services for people with disabilities as well as counteract their social isolation and exclusion.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Extensive, pan-European socio-cultural and socio-economic changes, as well as everyday encounters with intercultural dialogues mark the environment of all EU-citizens. Since 1999, the European Community is taking action against discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, and sexual orientation. Essential guidelines for equality and against racial discrimination and equality in profession and occupation contribute significantly to holistic, pan-European protection against discrimination. (European Commission, Putting Equality into Practice, March 2006) In recent years, especially the disability sector was able to creatively take on many challenges in the fight against discrimination. Due to the societal changes mentioned above and a changing Europe, organisations for people with disabilities more and more frequently encounter a group of people who are doubly discriminated against: people with disabilities with a migrant background and migrant families of people with disabilities. Although this group of people has a particularly high need for support, it often lacks access to information and services. Social isolation and exclusion are thereby reinforced.
Considering the above-mentioned challenges, this project will focus on the situation of migrants with disabilities and their families in a multi-professional exchange on the one hand, and, on the other hand, adapt already existing support measures according to the needs of the target group, sensitise service providers to an intercultural dialogue and increase the personnel’s intercultural competence in a multilateral cooperation.
TARGET GROUPS
1/ The direct target group of the project is people with disabilities with a migrant background as well as families of migrants with disabilities. This group of people faces twice the barriers and twice the discrimination.
2/ Another target group of the project are disability experts, most importantly in the field of mobile services (e.g., psychosocial and legal counselling, family assistance, adult education and early childhood intervention, etc.), who are to adopt the necessary sensitivity, tolerance and acceptance toward cultural diversity during the project and who should acquire interculturally barrier-free competence in the process.
3/ Institutions in the disability sector, public and private administrative authorities, who want to implement the interculturally barrier-free model and want to participate in an interculturally barrier-free management programme (institution certification) are a third target group.
OUTCOMES
1/ A needs analysis to answer questions about the demographic and socio-economic situation of the target group, reflect accessibility of support services for the target group, review acceptance of services within the target group, clarify expectations toward institutions in the disability sector as well as public and private administrative authorities, and collect prospects for culturally barrier-free countries, institutions and services.
2/ Pan-European best practice models in the area of intercultural opening of services on the social sector and of regions.
3/ A handbook to serve as a description and implementation guideline for an interculturally barrier-free model in institutions in the disability sector, public and private administrative authorities.
4/ A website to be used primarily in the area of blended learning (e-learning, ICT-functions, and learning platforms) within the framework of the needs analysis, the development of interculturally barrier-free information design, and the interculturally barrier-free management programme.
More information on the All Inclusive project can be found under:
http://www.allinclusiveproject.eu/