Czech Republic

Společnost pro podporu lidí s mentálním postižením v České republice, z.s. (SPMP ČR) is an organisation for support of people with Intellectual Disabilities in the Czech Republic. We are a nationwide non-profit organisation defending the rights and interests of people with intellectual disabilities and their families. We have currently more than 8000 members active at national, regional and local levels.
Our members are people with intellectual disabilities, their families and friends, service providers as well as other professionals. Our membership organisations are located in all regions and principal towns of Czech Republic.
 
Our objectives and values are:
• Equal rights and equal opportunities
• Inclusion and participation in society
• Dignity
• Independent living
• Individual support
• Peer support and collaboration
• Family support
• Elimination of barriers and prejudices

SPMP ČR is a member of the National Council for disabled people and the Czech Council of humanitarian organisations. At International level, we collaborate with Inclusion Europe and Inclusion International as well as other NGOs.

• We primarily provide educational activities for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, as well as for people who live or work with them.
• We lobby for the improvement of the quality of social services and we support the deinstitutionalization process.
• We also support the development of the self-advocacy movement: people with intellectual disabilities who are speaking for themselves and fight for their rights and interests.
• We transpose important information into easy-to-read language for people with intellectual disabilities in order to enable them to access this information.
• We are for example the authors of the easy-to-read version of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Czech language.
• We come up with proposals and comment on the laws related to the life of people with intellectual disabilities and their families.
• We lobby for the meaningful implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Czech Republic.

Latvia

Social innovation centre (SIC)  has been established in 2010. The legislative form – non-governmental organisation.  Five volunteers work for NGO as 1/2 time employees and runs various activities, as well as make web page  content updated in English and Latvian languages. There are 3 main areas SIC concentrates on : 1) promotion of social entrepreneurship ; 2) different solutions to overcome  unemployment; 3) society challenges (e.g. people with special needs).  As Latvia is small country we do not work for very specific social context, but rather see that all activities we execute leads to better situation of different social groups ( unemployed youth, people with special needs,  unemployed adults etc.). Our work in most cases is project based, connected with national and international funding programs ( Erasmus+; Europe for Citizens).

SIC provides non-formal learning about social innovation, social entrepreneurship, political processes, and policy formation for disadvantaged society groups, integration and increase of society participation in social and political processes.  The main goal is to promote the idea and movement of social innovation and entrepreneurship as strategic tool for sustainable development.

Poland

The Polish Association for Persons with Intellectual Disability (PSONI) works for the benefit, and on the behalf of persons with intellectual disabilities living in Poland, their parents and legal guardians.

Parents whose children have been diagnosed as persons with learning disabilities, wish to give them a new reality, providing new opportunities. This perspective applies to all; toddlers, teenagers and adults. It is not the parent/carers intention to give them an all-round permanent assistance but rather to provide opportunities that would enable them to develop physically, cognitively and socially, so as to allow them to have an active, autonomous and normal life within the society.

The main aim of Association is to include people with specific needs – people with learning disabilities in real life.
The Association is an established national organization with significant achievements. The main areas of specific expertise are:

• early intervention
• youth education and rehabilitation
• occupational therapy
• supported employment
• supported living

PSONI consists of over 11,000 members, having more than 120 local branches.

Portugal

The Polytechnic Institute of Santarém is an institution of public higher education (tertiary level) that began its activity in 1979 and consists of the following Schools: Agriculture, Sports, Education, Management and Technology and Health.
The Higher School of Education of Santarém (ESES) was created by Decree-Law No. 513-T/79 of 26 December as the organic unity of the Polytechnic Institute of Santarém and is an institution of tertiary level, aimed at teaching, research, service to community and collaboration with national and foreign activities of common interest.
Attended by almost 700 students, is currently operating the degrees of First Cycle of Basic Education, Childhood Education, Social Education, Cultural Animation and Community Education, Education and Communication Multimedia and Visual Arts and Multimedia.
The ESES is also focusing on training courses in order to meet the needs of professional, civic and cultural that are felt throughout life, in society. Our school promotes innovative practices for teachers of all educational levels in several areas: Arts; ICT; Multimedia among other
The ESES have got previous experience from Leonardo Da Vinci and Erasmus + projects and many other European and domestic programmes. The school community realised that involvement in Erasmus + programmes broadens horizons, develop the mind and allows young people to become true European citizens with an understanding of other cultures and education systems.