Let’s talk openly about disability! – mind-shaping with assistance dogs
Under this project our visually and hearing impaired and disabled members demonstrate the everyday life of people living with disabilities to healthy children and adults with the help of their assistance dogs. The presence of these dogs also provides a relaxed atmosphere to discuss disability without taboos. Other than training assistance dogs, our aim is to help the integration of people living with disabilities.
We would like to accomplish the following levels of service:
- training assistance dogs for people living with disabilities
- holding informative and mind-shaping events with assistance dogs (assistance/parasport dog demonstrations, sensitizing in nurseries, schools and workplaces through trainings)
- making a short film about the everyday life of people living with disabilities to popularize assistance dogs
The main target group of our complex program are healthy nursery-, elementary school- and secondary school-aged children and youths, and people from various workplaces living in the countryside. The indirect group –for example through the media and propagating or short film- are the people living with disabilities (visually or hearing-impaired, disabled or mentally handicapped), people living with assistance dogs, specialists caring about people living with various disabilities (for example: special education teachers, psychologists, conductors) and the advocacy organizations. We try to help the integration and equality of people living with various disabilities by reaching out to the members of society. The cooperating partners in this project are majority nurseries, schools, workplaces and event managing sites.
| Why is this project necessary (what is the problem we would like to solve)? | People with disabilities have to live their everydays in a world which puts forward people living without disabilities. That is what needs to be changed. | |
| What is the long-term aim of this project? | To strengthen and develop the connection and cooperation between, and to resolve fears and barriers towards people with disabilities. | |
| What is the short term aim for this project? | Demonstrating the everyday life of disabled people with the help of assistance dogs mind-shaping of non-disabled children and adults, developing their social skills, therefore helping the integration of disabled people . |
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| How are these aims achieved? (results, actions) | Mind-shaping in nurseries, schools ad workplaces Assistance and parasport dog demonstrations Making a short film Media presence |
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| What is the direct target group? (who will profit from this program?) | People living with disabilities (visually or hearing-impaired, or disabled), people living with aid of assistance dogs Participants of sensitizing trainings held at nurseries and schools Employees of the workplaces taking part int he project The majority of society (through the media, picture sharing websites, and by promoting the project in publications) |