Look beyond disability

“LOOK
BEYOND DISABILITY”
GRUNDTVIG
PARTNERSHIP
2011 - 2013
An experience book
All the photos in square, quoted by the French learners and staff are the result of a “Photo-Language” exercise we have done in order to prepare the project symposium in Dublin in conclusion of the partnership. We
spread 150 photos of the partnership on a large table and we asked to the participant to choose one and
explain why it symbolizes “Look Beyond Disability”.
Brochure éditée par l’Espace Associatif
53 impasse de l’Odet - 29000 Quimper
Ce document de peut être vendu
This Booklet could not be sale
Coordination : Guillaume Hardy
Maquette :
Espace Associatif : Aurélie Jézéquel
Crédits photos :
Guillaume Hardy
Jean Bertrand De Longvillier
Jean Jacques Verlet Banide
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Rédaction :
Jean François Quillien
Dorota Wąsik
Guillaume Hardy
Siemon’s Father
WAI NOT
Etimesgut Municipality
Espace Associatif
Merseyside Disability Federation
University College Dublin - School of Social
Justice
Community of Hope Foundation
INDEX
Editorial
........................................................................................................................................... p.5
A GRUNDTVIG PARTNERSHIP
........................................................................................................................................... p.6
THE PARTNERS
WAI NOT (Belgium) ................................................................................................
Etimesgut Municipality (Turkey) .............................................................................
Espace Associatif de Quimper (France)................................................................
Merseyside Disability Federation (UK) ................................................................
University College Dublin - School of Social Justice (Ireland) ........................
Community of Hope Foundation (Poland)...........................................................
p.10
p.12
p.14
p.16
p.18
p.20
TRAVEL BOOK
Mobility in Belgium ..................................................................................................
Mobility in Turkey ......................................................................................................
Mobility in France.......................................................................................................
Mobility in England ....................................................................................................
Mobility in Ireland .....................................................................................................
p.24
p.26
p.28
p.30
p.32
TIPS AND ADVICE
10 good reasons to go in such a partnership .....................................................
10 tips for a good partnership ...............................................................................
10 ways to “Look Beyond Disability” ...................................................................
10 main difficulties you face in the project .........................................................
p.36
p.38
p.40
p.42
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
...................................................................................................................................... p.46
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EDITORIAL
Practical difficulties encountered by disabled people to be included in daily life (to
find a job, to move freely and autonomously…) can be caused by the attitudes of
the society in which they live. I encountered the evidence again recently : I was
with a friend, a physically disabled individual, at a conference about the emotional
and sexual life of disabled people. He told me “the speaker did not address enough
the question of the attitudes of other people…” His remark was very profound and
probably not limited to the experience of disabled people.
This perception we have about people with disabilities is a product of our education
and our culture. Historians interested by the topic of disability have shown that the
perception of disability has developed along the centuries*.
The European project “Look Beyond Disability” to its credit has enabled the participants to discover how, each partner, with its own history, in its own culture, takes
into account people with disabilities. This direct experience has required each participant to re-consider their own perceptions and attitudes towards the disabled
people and how they are included in society. This was the aim of the project for me
as the father of one of the participants.
This project was also the source of very strong, rich and sometimes un-expected human encounters. The fact that we were not always proficient enough in the other’s
language put us, disabled or not, in a position of fragility, of vulnerability. It obliged
us to be very careful not only with the words we used, but also with our attitudes,
gestures, and to have due regard for others…
The participants in the project “Look Beyond Disability” have demonstrated through
practice that the meeting of different people on such a topic is a rich experience
for everyone… if we are able to look beyond disability.
Jean Francois Quillien
(Thomas Father)
*A History of Disability Henri-Jacques Stiker
Translated by William Sayers
http://www.press.umich.edu/15952/history_of_disability
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A GRUNDTVIG PARTNERSHIP
This partnership project really started a year before it started: it was formed at a Grundtvig Contact Seminar in Mallorca, Spain, back in October 2010. That event was a
chance for us to meet – to find one another among hundreds of delegates, coming
from different countries, different types of organisations, working in many different
fields. In the beginning, all this variety was a little daunting – but we decided to see
it as a strength rather than a weakness. We also decided, that although it may be
more difficult to manage a partnership of very diverse organisations, coming from
often distant cultures – this variery also makes things so much more interesting, giving
us a chance to share our unique ways of doing things. We found common ground,
a common philosophy, and common goals, which we translated into the project,
and we gave it a name : LOOK BEYOND DISABILITY.
The project summary included in our application sent to Grundtvig National Agencies in February 2011, stated our overall objective very clearly : “LOOK BEYOND DISABILITY partnership project aims to provide informal learning opportunities for people
with disabilities to help overcome barriers that exclude them from participating fully
in society. Project partners all work with persons with various disabilities, on different
levels, and they are willing and open to share their experiences and best practices
in this field”.
Who are the project partners ? We are organisations from six countries, with different
key strengths and fields of “specialty”, which each of us brought into the project. Espace Associatif Quimper Cornouaille (France) is an association of associations, with
a focus on volunteering, while Merseyside Disability Federation (UK) contribute their
expertise in the field of advocacy and autonomy. Etimesgut Belediyesi, municipal
services for persons with disabilities in Ankara (Turkey) have experience in therapy
through art while WAI-NOT (Belgium) are experts on IT applications for persons with
intellectual disability. UCD School of Social Justice are pioneers in access courses for
deaf students, and Fundacja Wspólnota Nadziei (Poland) is an NGO specializing in
programs for adults with autism.
In late summer 2011, this crew embarked on a two-year journey, full of surprising
discoveries. The main vehicle for the exchange of experiences and learning, were
the international mobilities, fuelled by local projects implemented independently
by each partner. In the project process, individual experiences of learners and staff
were arguably the most valuable element – as participants testify in their feedback.
In addition to these individual experiences, we have seen impact on the whole
partner institutions. We have also seen something more : a synergy effect, an added
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value of this conjunction of differences (whether they were cultural, linguistic differences, differences due to a “disability” or a special need, differences of approach
or a platform of work) – in this project, we were constantly, and happily forced to
go BEYOND.
In this little booklet, we would like to share some of our learning points and experiences with you. We find them truly valuable in our work, and we hope that they
may inspire other persons and organisations. We are absolutely convinced that European partnerships like this one are worth the effort. They have certainly broadened
our personal and professional horizons – we are enthusiastic about this experience,
and we would like to recommend it to everyone !
« LOOK BEYOND DISABILITY » partnership project is concluding in summer 2013… but
it is not the end of our story. We already started new partnerships, and the learning
goes on…
[Dorota Wąsik]
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THE PARTNERS
“A partnership as a puzzle”
Each piece is unique and each peace has its own place. In this part we present data about
the partners as institution, and their feedback about their incomes and outcomes in the
project. It is the result of a workshop done at the first meeting and at the last one.
WAI NOT .............................................................. p.10
Etimesgut Municipality ......................................... p.12
Espace Associatif de Quimper ........................... p.14
Merseyside Disability Federation ...................... p.16
University College Dublin
School of Social Justice ........................................ p.18
Community of Hope Foundation ...................... p.20
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WAI NOT (Belgium)
“People with a MD can take part of the society,
they have skills, needs : they can enrich the society
Self esteem for people with mental disability”
What is WAI NOT ?
WAI-NOT is an non for profit organization promoting ICT as a development and training
tool for youngsters with a mental disability,
and through that, to increase their social inclusion and participation. These goals are
realized though didactic, educational, and
social contributions, and through ICT access.
WAI-NOT has developed a platform (« wainot » website with many useful functions) dedicated to persons with mental and/or learning disabilities.
What kind of activities do you want to
share in the project ?
Our ITC knowledge ; Know how to teach
people with mental disability ; our experience
with developing website speech, software.
What did you expect from this
partnership ?
To discover other ways of working with people
with a disability
To see the differences between different
cultures and the way they deal with disability
To open eyes of people who don’t have a
relation with PMD and show them the skills of
PMD”
What have you learned during this
partnership ?
We had an overview of accessibility for
people with special need (staff) ; we learn
to travel with people with mental disability ;
we get to know other structures and cultures
(staff and learners)… and we use many
ideas from other organizations to create new
modules for our website. We also get to be
aware to other disabilities and we made costumed contends for items that are interesting
for people with mental disability”.
WAI NOT Tervuusteenweg 295
3001 Heverlee
Belgium
+32476976878
Mail : info@wai-not.org
Website :
www.wai-not.org
contact :
Tanja Maes (Teacher) tanja.maes@wai-not.org
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Etimesgut Municipality (Turkey)
“Making the society conscious about that the disabled
people can be evaluated and take place in every part
of life” (TU)
What is ETİMESGUT MUNİCİPALİTY ?
It is a municipality as of 20 MAY 1990, when
it won status of a district close to Ankara. By
institutionalization it services 450 thousand
people (this is the overall population of the
district) with its 900 persons of staff (in all
agencies and institutions belonging to the
Municipality). It has adopted the principle
of providing a bright and safe future for the
people and provide our services on the basis
of equality, without discrimination.
What kind of activities do you want to
share in the project ?
What did you expect from this
partnership ?
We would like to develop our methods and
practices on both local and international level. We believe that the molilities and sharing
experiences will give us inspiration.
What have you learned during this
partnership ?
We learn to get rid of the feeling of loneliness
which disabled people have. We improved
their self-confidence in social activities and
we are proud to see their work exhibited.
We contribute to broaden their horizons as
they visited abroad. The staff improved their
skills and knowledge about the issues of the
project. They learned more things through
information, monitoring, and the implementations. Now we really want to practice the
results of this project.
We want to show you that handicapped
people can produce something suitable for
their activities when they are trained and rehabilited via handicraft and drama.
ETIMESGUT BELEDIYESI
30 Agustos Mah. Sehit Hasan OzturkCaddesi n°5
06 790 Ankara
Turkey
Tel : 0090 312 244 10 00
Mail : etimsegutbelediyesi@etimesgut.bel.tr
Contact :
Kubra Ylmaz (staff) kyilmaz@etimesgut.bel.tr
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Espace Associatif de Quimper (France)
What kind of activities do you want to
share in the project ?
“- A Project based on the disabled wishes
- To keep the initiative on our own volunteering actions
- Not to be identified as ‘Disabled’ but just as ‘Volunteers’.” (FR)
What is Espace Associatif ?
Since its creation in 1985, the mission of the Espace Associatif de Quimper (EA29) is based
on the gathering of means, skills and ideas in
the service of associations. Strong of its 830
members, EA29 is a base to facilitate the inter-associative exchanges. It plays the role of
representative of the local non for profit sector network toward authority in the French
Cornouaille region by strengthening the qualification of the volunteers including the ones
with disabilities.
We would like to manage to foster the participation of the volunteers, French and European in some punctual event to help an organization to raise money or any volunteer’s
action. We would like to learn about inclusion
of disabled people through volunteering.
What have you learned during this
partnership ?
First we learn to networking in such a project
and coordination of a Grundtvig partnership.
We learn to appraisal of differences and develop our own “vision(s)” of disability. We had
also a lots of Individual learning, open mindedness. Finally we learn what the “neighboring” institutions are doing in this field !
What did you expect from this
partnership ?
We want to build link with the local foreign
community and build some partnership with
new organization. This project is for us the
base of a new network in Cornouaille dedicated to the inclusion of disabled in the volunteering sector.
ESPACE ASSOCIATIF QUIMPER CORNOUAILLE
53 Impasse de l’Odet
29 000 Quimper
France
Tel : 0033 (0) 298 52 33 00
Mail : mda@espace29.asso.fr
Esp
ce
ssociatif
A
Quimper Cornouaille
Website :
www.espace29.asso.fr
Contact :
G. Hardy (Staff) guillaume.hardy@espace29.asso.fr
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Merseyside Disability Federation (uk)
“To share learner’s methods to increase awareness and
develop a greater understanding of opportunities for
disabled people” (UK)
What is the Merseyside Disability Federation ?
Merseyside Disability Federation (MDF) provides support for voluntary and community
groups in Merseyside and the surrounding
areas that are of and for disabled people.
MDF is an umbrella group - with the main
aim to build the capacity of other voluntary
groups. MDF helps them to be more effective
in their work of breaking down the barriers
faced by disabled people.
What did you expect from this
partnership ?
Services and products are shaped and developed in such way that a great number of
disabled people are able to access opportunities and barriers within wider society are
tackled… and sharing, influencing, Link, development.
What kind of activities did you want to
share in the project ?
We wanted to share a our social Model of
disability Independent living (Personalization,
ULO’s, Peer support, Co-production, mentors), our way to improve the carers involvement and sharing journey of disabled peoples
involvement / history.
What have you learned during this
partnership ?
• The significant differences between sign
languages in different countries esp. BSL / ISL
/ FSL
• How differently the UK has embedded disability rights and access in comparison with
France and Turkey (and to a degree, Belgium
and Ireland) e.g. personalization / access /
signage
• Reinforced just how complex the area of
disability / social inclusion is and how different
breadths of experience / knowledge can
inform how we view the approaches and
services focused towards disabled people
• More awareness of what people may not
know or have encountered has informed
personal practice (fewer things taken for
granted; better explained)
• Not to take “snap-shot” experiences as an
illustration of the whole country
MERSEYSIDE DISABILITY FEDERATION
616 – 619 The Cotton Exchange, Old Hall Street
L3 9LQ Liverpool
Unitied Kingdom
Website :
www.merseydisability.org.uk/
Contact :
Louise Barry louise@merseydisability.org.uk
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University College Dublin
School of Social Justice (Ireland)
“The philosophy of the partnership is based on the principle of equality, respect and recognition of the contribution each partner will make”
What is the School of Social Justice ?
UCD is the largest university in Ireland and has
a history of long engagement in social and
community development support. The Equality Studies Centre, based in the University’s
School of Social Justice is dedicated to the
development of an interdisciplinary understanding of equality both in Ireland and internationally ; and to the development of tailor-made outreach programmes to support
the equality agenda of organizations and
groups whose work relates to the promotion
of equality.
What did you expect from this
partnership ?
We expected a sharing of knowledge insights
and understanding of partner’s issues and
challenges. Our local partner had design,
deliver and evaluate a successful higher education course for deaf students to empower
the deaf community.
What kind of activities did you want to
share in the project ?
• Dialogue between partners with a few to
understanding the capacities and constraints
of the partners
• To understand and identify the learning
needs of the partners and participants
• To design and structure the course so that
it meets the learning needs and accommodates the activities and constraints of the
partners
• To deliver the course and develop the
contend and methodology
• To engage an ongoing review and reflection and adapt as appropriate as possible
• To disseminate learning and influence policy.
What have you learned during this
partnership ?
• learners : confidence, skills, and critical
thinking ; also survival skills in a large educational institution ;
• successful engagement with higher education course ;
• staff : how to work responsively, effectively,
and reflectively with deaf students ;
how to negotiate between institutional requirements and student expectations
UNIVERSTITY COLLEGE DUBLIN
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL JUSTICE
5th Floor James Joyce library Building, UCD, Belfield
4 Dublin
Irland
Website :
www.ucd.ie/socialjustice
Contact :
Phyllis Murphy phyllis.murphy@ucd.ie
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Community of Hope Foundation (Poland)
- Sharing across Barriers : with / without disability, different cultures / different organization / different level of
action.
- A better level of understanding and accessibility.
- Experience and empowerment for persons with disability.
What is the Community of Hope Foundation ?
Community of Hope Foundation is an NGO
working for the benefit of adults with autism.
This is a very specific target group, at high
risk of social exclusion (in Poland there are
no State provisions for adults with autism),
and these persons have very specific needs.
It should be stressed that adults with autism
need support and education throughout
their lives.
What did you expect from this
partnership ?
Find a new way for our learners to be a part of
the partnership ; An international experience
for persons with autism ; Learning from our
international partners and find inspiration for
daily work from general philosophy of work to
simple and practical solutions…
Focus on the process more than the product !
What kind of activities did you want to
share in the project ?
International project as a barrier breaking experience for adults with autism,
To show an overall comprehensive model of
life farm,
Volunteering and participation in the community and local environment (“Cleaning
up the Valley”, “Participation in the policy
watching, …)
What have you learned during this
partnership ?
• involvement in new projects’ processes
(incl. mobilities) ;
• enriching program of daily activities at the
Life Farm (volunteering projects) ;
developing and launching new tools (eg.
Krainaoza.pl website) ;
• more knowledge / awareness of different
international practices ;
• eye-opening (opening new possibilities)
Fundacja Wspolnota Nadziei
Farma Życia, Więckowice, Ogrodowa 17
32-082 Bolechowice (near Kraków), Poland
Website :
www.farma.org.pl
Contact :
Dorota Wasik (project coordinator)
dorota.wasik@gmail.com
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TRAVEL BOOK
“Record the process”
Record the process was one of our mottos during these 2 years. In this part we wanted to
share all these moments when we have learned… and each moment was a learning
opportunity !
Mobility in Belgium ............................................. p.24
Mobility in Turkey ................................................. p.26
Mobility in France.................................................. p.28
Mobility in England ............................................... p.30
Mobility in Ireland ................................................. p.32
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Mobility in Belgium
Leuven • 15 - 18 november 2011
Objectives : Coordination meeting, presentation of the WAI-NOT activities and website, day
center visits.
Specific teamwork tools
An important part in the partnership process is the starting point. We
met almost one year ago to draft the first concept for the project, and
now here we are, with our own ideas, our own representations and our
own languages. Our goal is to re-set the philosophy of the project, as we
actually start working together, for real. We have used teamwork tools,
to make it easier for each partner to express oneself, and to record this
“image” of the partnership at point zero. These “blazon” drawn by each
partner will be our guide for the two years to come.
Coffee breaks
We consider our coffee breaks an integral part of the partnership
process. First, it is a very friendly moment, facilitating introductions
between the learners. It is also a way to discover tastes from other
countries, as each of us always brought something special to
share with the others. In the course of the partnership, it became
an expected ritual.
Peer-to-peer presentations
Simon, the ambassador of WAI NOT is presenting the web
site he uses to surf the net, chat with friends, play and keep
abreast of the latest news. Throughout the partnership, we
tried to give the learners the voice : a chance to express
themselves and present their practices. The 2 years’ project
experience reinforces our conviction that peer-to-peer learning is a great way of looking beyond disability.
Visiting institutions
Because persons with disabilities are often closely
connected with a day care centre or another kind of
institution, visits to such organisations were an important part of each mobility. They also helped us understand the point of view of other professionals, and their
own ways of “looking beyond disability”.
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Mobility In Turkey
Ankara and Etimesgut • 22 - 26 febuary 2012
Objectives : Cultural visits and presentations of Etimesgut municipality workshops, imple-
mented in a social centre
Travelling
Taking a plane, a subway or a train, staying in a hotel, even the journey from one place to another – all belong to the learning process.
It is learning for the support staff and for the learners, as it is a new
experience for both. It is also an opportunity to work with airport
staff, increase awareness, and improve disabled access to transport and mobility.
Experiments / experiences
Doing things together was one of our ways to involve the learners in the process. Here in Etimesgut we spent time experimenting with Ebru painting. In their cultural center, working with
the assistance of the municipality, they use it as art therapy.
Allowing learners and staff to “try” it – in a real hands-on experience – turned out to be an effective way to understand the
outcome of the activity itself.
Tasting foods
Inter-cultural learning, discovery of a new culture, happens also though
tasting of new foods, like the one pictured here : the wonderful Turkish
mantis. It is often something very significant for mentally disabled learners
who are very attached to their habits. Persuading them to try new dishes
is a way to open them to something new… on the other hand, keeping
their eating habits during the journey can be reassuring.
Cultural visits
The learning process was compounded by a series of cultural visits, another expected and appreciated moment in the mobility – as it allowed
us to relax, learn together, in an inclusive way : “staff” and “learners”
on equal terms. Also it re-focused the project in the cultural context.
Here, we visit the Ataturk mausoleum in Ankara.
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Mobility in France
Quimper • 25 - 29 june 2012
Objectives : presentation of the “Maison des Associations” activities and network, participa-
tion in a volunteering day with local volunteers.
Translation
Translation was a constant concern, just like in many European
projects. It was more complicated due to the fact that most of
our learners did not speak English, and also because some of the
learners were deaf. For that we often had to translate… several
times. Here, during the public presentation of the partnership in
France, we translate from English to French, and then from French
to French sign language.
Volunteering
Volunteering was the key French practice shared with
European partners. We devoted one day to a concrete
task - working for another non-for-profit organization,
jaccede.com. In addition to the useful results (identification of accessible places in Quimper), volunteering
together was an opportunity to strengthen the bonds…
and to visit Quimper in a very special way !
Learners at work
Each mobility has its very specific context. Hosting our
partners is a unique opportunity to meet the learners at their
work, in their houses… in their real life. It is an important aspect of sharing within the partnership : look beyond the disability and realize that the learners have their own job, centre
of interest and so on. It allowed a more global, holistic view
of their lives.
Discovering new tools
An international meeting is always an opportunity to meet new
partners within the local network of the host. We are not the only
ones who try to “look beyond disability”. Many of our colleagues
have the same concern… and their own answer. Here, the French
partner organised a walk with the ADDES organization using “Joelettes” to bring people with disability onto the steep paths of Mont
d’Arrée.
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Mobility in England
Liverpool • 15 - 19 october 2012
Objectives : Participation in a conference organized by the Merseyside Disability Federation,
about autonomy process. Meeting with local partners.
Coordination meeting
One of the rituals of our mobilities was the traditional “coordination
meeting” at the beginning of each event. It is the moment to give
feedback on the previous mobility, to summarize learning points,
and to open a forum for discussion, new ideas, and plans.
Informal moments
Allowing some free time and informal moments within the ever so rich
and ambitious program of the mobilities facilitates the partnership
process. These are the best moments for solving practical issues, sharing feelings, exchanging information and points of view – outside
the formal meeting, and therefore more freely. It is also an important
moment for the learners – to clarify some points… or just have a nice
cup of tea !
Conferences
An important moment in the learning process was the participation in the conference organized by the MDF about autonomy of people with disabilities. The contents were “dense”
and rich – and this became a starting point for an intensive
debate among the delegates. Furthermore, it was a unique
opportunity for the learners to represent their organizations,
and to be a part of a serious international forum.
Team building
Spending 5 days travelling, debating, going out and working
together in a context quite different from what we are used to,
creates a new quality within the travelling team. It was a special
moment between learners and teachers : a moment to talk about
the things they never talk about during the rest of the year. For
them, the mobility was an opportunity to learn from each other
and to strengthen the local teams.
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Mobility in Ireland
Dublin • 17 - 21 june 2013
Objectives : Conclusion meeting, global feedback, meeting with local partner and cultural
visits.
Looking in the mirror
Regularly during the project process, we spent time to remind the
participants how this initiative had started : in a contact seminar.
It put the mobility in a global context for newcomers to the project, and kept us focused on the essentials: why are we here, all
together, around the table today. Also, it allowed us to explain the
Grundtvig process and give “keys” to new partners who might wish
to launch their own projects.
Invitation
During the project process, we informally agreed to
have this special moment, a tradition of sharing an
experience together. The host organization invites
all participants to a restaurant and shares with them
something special. It is not strictly about the project
content, but it strengthens the friendship… which, in
turn, makes for a good partnership.
Meeting new Partners
Visiting new institutions, and discovering new tools, would
be all for nothing, if during the mobility we did not have a
chance to meet the local partners. It is an opportunity to
ask them what they think about “looking beyond disability”.
Also, it creates new links, and opens opportunities of further
partnerships. We do not count the number of business cards
exchanged throughout the project duration… like here at
the Deaf Village in Dublin, a centre bringing together 18 organizations working with deaf people.
Standing together
… Finally the last exercise of each mobility : standing all together
as one team, to conclude these days of meetings, of sharing
and debating, experiencing and feasting, and of course, learning together !
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TIPS AND ADVICE
“… After 2 years of experiences”
To conclude our partnership in Dublin, we asked to ourselves 1 question : what do we want to
say to an institution who wants to get involved in such a partnership or just who want to try to
“look beyond disability”.
10 good reasons
to go in such a partnership ................................ p.36
10 tips
for a good partnership ........................................ p.38
10 ways
to “Look Beyond Disability” ............................... p.40
10 main difficulties
we face in the project .......................................... p.42
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10 good reasons to go in such a partnership
 “Because the barriers for disabled people are different in the other countries due both to political and physical reasons. Inclusion is at different stage of development”
 “Because we don’t have to take access needs for guarantees: beyond
disability means for me going the extra miles with physical access, communication, attitudes and general awareness”
 “Because each country has similar problems !! Do not assume people like to
speak in meetings. It takes a lot of confidence to express your opinion”
 “That is something that may feel usual for you, like traveling or presenting your organization or just eating different food may feel highly significant to others… so appreciate
the excitement and/or the anxiety of the other”
 “To learn to be patient, to learn from each moment, to count your blessing for opportunity to be involved”
 “To have a better understanding of disabled people’s feeling: traveling with them allowed that in a very different context than the usual everyday life”
 “To meet different project based on different culture with different contend and to
have new perspective in confronting different problem (eg. Deaf as linguistic minority)”
 “Because union create strength : to think about this issue together gives more result
that try to find it out alone in our own organization : this kind of project can influence
people and organization beyond the partnership”
 “Because “Accessibility” means something different to different partners. It is different
way to look at disability and different way to look beyond disability… and it can’t be defined on a “tick list” ”

“To learn patience, listening, to learn to observe quietly others difficult and being
awakened to their difficulties, to discover new culture and new countries and to understand the reality, the changes requires both through material and resources”
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10 tips for a good partnership
 “Making people feel comfortable, being friendly and welcoming, taking time to get to know people, trying to understand, to learn more about their culture
and problems that people with a disability have to cope with in other countries.”

“Start off the meetings by gaining an understanding of the cultural approaches to the topic e.g. how disability and disabled people are represented in different
countries.”
 “Do not take silence from a partner as a sign of understanding or agreement find a courteous way to check that your communication made sense.”
 “Establish an agreed code of conduct to ensure that all the partners understand
what is expecting during the mobilitites.”
 “Allow time for socialization, cultural exchanges and informal communication.”
 “Don’t try to change others, respect them and accept that people are not thinking the
same thing… but if we are supposed to be learning from one another do we not need to
question – challenge – even « object » ?”
 “Find ideas for working together in the future and think about a friendly relationship.”
 “Sometimes you may need courage to explain the view from your country – this is
important to do even if it feels difficult because this is how the partners learn from one
another.”
 “Be patient. Things take longer to sort out than you thought they would.”
 “Make provisions and resources available for interpreting (eg. Learners and partners
using sign language) and / or translation.”
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39
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10 ways to “Look Beyond Disability”
 “Talking about the project with people around us, including our friends and
relatives ; getting out of the professional frame, trying to explain and to understand what
disability is in each situation you meet and… being positive ! ”
 “Encouraging people with disability to participate in some activities and be confident : everybody can do great job ! ”
 “Ensuring that disabled people are at the forefront of designing and delivering
services.”
 “Using all the means to erase the barriers, to accept the differences, to accept disabled persons at school, at work; adapting to each other in order to share activities…
and communicating, to show that all this is possible”
 “Respecting and celebrating the difference: diversity enriches the society.”
 “Appreciating the skills and talents of each person… and of each institution.”
 “Having an open mind to learn, not assuming : there is always something to learn.”
 “Getting political! Defending together the rights of disabled people, at the European
level, in order to influence and improve policy. For example making sure some disabled
people are sitting at the table when the decisions are made.”
 “Being positive, not having negative feelings or emotions like pity ; treating people like
you would like to be treated.”
 “Putting “choice and control” in the hands of disabled people.”
 “Enabling disabled (and non disabled) to push their boundaries and to find out what
we can do in the future.”
 “Not being afraid of disability or of disabled people.”
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10 main difficulties we face in the project
 … “And then if there is something that in terms of our personal practice just
looks/feels wrong – then what do you do ? Respect their “ways” or challenges and risk
disharmony ? It is sometimes difficult to go beyond the observation and enter in the
debate.”
 “Language difference : coping with the different ways “disability” is understood
by different partners (like accessibility, and so on…). Words have different emotional
associations in different languages.”
 “When we are involved in a project in progress, it is not easy to understand
its organization, for example understand the goals of each partner, the links between
them.”
 “Communication problems : The language is a barrier, which doesn’t allow for
the relationship to develop, for exchanges to be experienced, for a full participation in
the project during discussions : it is also about accessibility ! Anticipate getting sufficient
resources for interpreting/translation.”
 “Difficulty to express to others (friends, colleagues) the learning, and the feeling,
and all these experiences when back home.”
 “Be careful about generalizing! “The Irish are kind!” “The French are rude” or “The
disabled have big hearts” or anything else… we don’t know it, and it is not the point. It
seems difficult to avoid generalizing.”
 “Cultural differences : Very hard to tell whether differences we observe between
partners are product of “culture” or “customary practice” or “product of personality” :
is it cultural differences and individual behavior ?”
 “Physical access to join the activities was sometimes difficult. We had a lack of
information at some points about access. There were difficulties also in adapting the
content of the workshops for all the participants. We had to cope with three disabilities
at the same time : physical, mental and linguistic.”
 “Learners do not always appear to be fully engaged in activities, and they face
some difficulties to be fully involved in the project choices, to find their place in the
project, or in the motilities : what am I doing here ?”
 “Difficulties to talk about internal or local problems impacting our involvement in the
project.”
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Tanja, Siemon and Tony : The WAI NOT team in Ireland (June 2013)
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TO CONCLUDE
Aren’t we all disabled to some extent ? Looking at the communication and social
interactions that took place between so-called disabled in this project, a lot of the
“able” look like “disable”.
Where is this line that defines the border between “able” and “disable” ? There is no
such line, it’s more like a vast wasteland created to install the separation.
For Siemon, this project cleared the wasteland, at least for a while. The world became a little bit closer to what it should be: one big continuum of people that all
have abilities and where everybody can build on his or her strengths. We all need
help from each other, sooner or later, to explore, develop and grow to our full potential. Siemon felt respected for who he was, he was part of a community where
he had his place and role and he enjoyed every minute of it.
Looking beyond disabilities showed that it is possible to do exactly what it says ( look
beyond disabilities and build on the abilities we all have ).
Siemon’s Father
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
WAI NOT would like to thank :
Herman Michiels ; Ons Tehuis Brabant
Etimesgut Municipality would like to thank :
Mr Enver Demirel (Mayor of Etimesgut Municipality (Turkey), Mr Ayhan Ünal (Deputy
of Etimesgut Municipality(Turkey))Mrs Nuran Öner (Ebru handicraft teacher of Etimesgut Municipality(Turkey), Mr Ertuğrul Demirtaş (Drama course teacher), Project team
of Etimesgut Municipality and learners contributed this Project for great support.
Espace Associatif would like to thank :
The teams of staff and volunteers of Les Genet d’Or of Briec and Quimper, the GEM
L’envol, the Jean Vannier’s Arc Le Caillou Blanc, the ADAPEI, the Alevis of Quimper’s
Association, Joue Ton Monde, Addes from Botmeur, jaccede.com, the Association
Hospitalière St Anne de Prat Ar Raz, La Clef Anglaise, the CDSF, the Quimper city
council and the QUB.
Merseyside Disability Federation would like to thank :
The City of Liverpool College for cohosting the UK mobility dinner at The Academy
training restaurant
Merseytravel for accommodating the partnership meetings in their contemporary
offices close to the heart of the city
Options for Supported Living, Merseyside Society for Deaf People, DaDaFest, and
Think Local Act Personal / Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council for sharing their
specialist knowledge and experience with partners
and finally the helpful team at ECORYS who look after the Grundtvig programme in
the UK.
Universtity College Dublin School of Social Justice would like to thank :
The Irish Deaf Society staff and Dr. John Bosco Conama of Trinity College Dublin
Deaf Studies Centre.
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And special thanks to all the staff and learners who participates in the
motilities : that is us how made the project !
From Belgium : Tanja Maes, Tony Pijls, Simeon Dekelver,
From Turkey : Bideci Lütfiye, Emel Aydogan, Ramazan Bekleviç, Kubra Ylmaz, Murat Yilmaz, Nuran Oner, Hakan Cetinkaya, Taner Sedir, Irem Ebru Kuru, Yener Yazici,
Ayhan Unal, Halim Eden, Ebru Seven, Meryem Kilit, Latif Bolat, Gulcin Sertel, Turan
Bingul, Esra Orhan, Yilmaz Nur, Cemal Eden, Cem Orhan Erdem, Erol Yayla.
From France : Guillaume Hardy, Michael Daniel, Thomas Quillien, Yannick Briec, Marie Claire Gaz, David Coat, Jean Bertrand De Longvilliers, Landry Coeffic, Didier Pilven, Bruno Ody, Julien Loaec, Mirelle Le Coz, Monique Gagnard, Nicolas Jouncour,
Delphine Le Doze, Christian Sanzay, Jean François Istin, Hélène Garreta, Alain Brodic, Gaële Crenn.
From UK : Louise Barry, Michele Scattergood, Jackie Le Fevre, Lindsey Sadler, Chris
Wardle, Rachel Hill, Mark Tentan, Maureen Woodman, Ian Duncan, Thomas Maher,
Ashley Farreny, Stephen Eginton, Katie Godfrey, Susie Williams
From Ireland : Maurice Murphy, Phyllis Murphy, Partick Mc Donnell.
… and a very special thanks to Dorota Wasik from Poland who where here all along
the project to help us even if the Life farm was not in the partnership !
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“LOOK
BEYOND DISABILITY”
Esp
Acessociatif
Quimper Cornouaille