Together for Children, a network of Greek civil society organizations (CSOs) that supports people with disabilities, has been helping students with intellectual disabilities who are self-isolating, to get online to continue their studies during the pandemic – maintaining their education and social connections, and safeguarding their mental health.
In total, the Together for Children project has reached out to 2000 individuals with disabilities and their families through their network, and a further 5000 through the wider network of providers who collaborate with them nationwide.
By establishing a regular channel of communication with policy-makers, the CSOs aim to help people with disabilities and disability service providers contribute to policy-making and emergency planning.
Disability-inclusive emergency response
The isolating effect of stringent COVID-19 measures had a big impact on people with disabilities. Even when these measures eased, many of these people still needed to self-isolate. The situation was even worse for disabled people with cognitive impairments, who lacked the digital skills to be able to participate in online lessons, to the detriment of their education and mental health.
“I couldn’t go on outings or to cafes. I couldn’t go to friends’ houses or invite them to my home. It made me feel sad to lose touch with my friends. I felt bored,” said E, 30, one of a group of young people with developmental intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorders.
To help address these barriers, the new Upraise Disability project directly supported 17 young people with cognitive impairments and their families to get online, so they could access education, therapy and social services virtually. Staff carried out their usual weekly programme remotely, with a camera even set up in the gym so students could participate in physical education sessions from home. Although students, staff and family members needed technological training and support, the pilot has proven that tele-support and remote learning are effective when services cannot be provided in person.
“The tele-support programme helped me very much. I met other people who were on the internet and had the opportunity to talk to them,” said A, 24. “It helped me a lot to continue doing what I like, and I will do it in the future,” confirmed E.
Impacts of the pandemic on the disability community
To identify the disability community’s main challenges and needs during the pandemic, Together for Children carried out group discussions and interviews with over 250 of its members. The project’s results and recommendations are intended to be shared with decision-makers from the ministries of labour, education and health, informing disability-friendly inclusive policies in the future.
A “Challenges and Best Practices” report also shares information on good health, safety and best daily practices during the pandemic with professionals, helping ensure disability service providers are ready to operate effectively during future emergencies.
Reducing discrimination
To reduce discrimination, build resilience and promote a more cohesive society, the project is telling the personal stories of children and young adults with disabilities through video, television commercials and podcasts. The project has also developed Greece’s first analysis of the pandemic’s impact on children and young adults living with disabilities.
The CSO initiative in the WHO European Region
WHO/Europe’s CSO initiative is piloting new bottom-up approaches, in collaboration with governments, to give communities a say in plans that affect their lives and to ensure they are involved in policy-making processes. It is contributing to the COVID-19 response by strengthening community readiness and resilience to emergencies, connecting vulnerable communities to services, and enhancing inclusive governance. Greece is 1 of 8 countries in the WHO European Region and 40 across the globe piloting such approaches.
