Agency for Supported Employment

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Agency for Supported Employment

Slovakia
Project Stage:
Scaling
Budget: 
$1,000 - $10,000
Website:
http://www.apzba.sk
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Project Summary
Elevator Pitch

Concise Summary: Help us pitch this solution! Provide an explanation within 3-4 short sentences.

Viera has engineered the field of mental health to integrate disabled citizens into education and the workforce as well as represent their rights in government policy. She has created the first institutions to address mental health and an extensive network of support for mentally disabled and their families. Through the diverse networks Viera has built, she is ensuring early intervention, incorporation of disabled into the education system, improved rehabilitation and vocational training, and full employment for disabled citizens.

About Project

Solution: What is the proposed solution? Please be specific!

Viera enabled people with mental disabilities to become participants of mainstream society in Slovakia. She has accomplished that through designing and creating and entirely new field of social care system and services for people with mental disabilities in Slovakia. Since early 80’s Viera has been instrumental in introducing the total approach to people with disabilities, focusing in particular on people with mental disabilities, beginning with early intervention, through integration into education system, rehabilitation and vocational training, support network to parents, housing and employment opportunities. Viera has been instrumental in introducing the form of supported employment as a tool to rehabilitation and inclusion of people with mental disabilities and transformation of people’s attitudes towards intellectually disabled. All the elements of the care system have been adopted as national regulations and supported with the state financing ensuring people with mental disabilities with fulfillment of their human rights. Viera is now taking on a last major challenge related to the situation of people with mental disabilities in Slovakia - untouched and unsolved challenge with over 30 000 of people that are still patients of segregated and closed social care facilities. Viera expects that it will take another 10 – 15 years to solve this challenge once for all. In the future, it will be more meaningful, effective for economic and human resources to support disabled people in their ordinary life through the form of their support and activation rather than to provide nursing services for them in various facilities.