Educare

Focus	Behavioural problems of people with visual impairment and multiple disabilities
Funding programme	European Union: Erasmus+
Project coördinator	Royal Dutch Visio
Partners	Germany: SWW (Südbayerische Wohn- und Werkstätten für Blinde und Sehbehinderte gGmbH) Hungary: Budapest School for the Blind Italy: Lega del filo d’Oro ONLUS Slovenia: Zavod za slepo in slabovidno mladino Ljubljana UK: Jordanstown School, Northern Ireland
Total funding	€14.660
Duration	June 2015 - May 2017
Website	Project Results Educare  https://center-iris.si/projekti/arhiv-projektov/educare/

 

Individuals with visual impairment and MDVI (multiple disabilities and visual impairment) sometimes develop behavioural problems such as aggression and self-harm. Their carers often do not know how to deal with these problems. Sharing expertise can help them do so.

EDUCARE was a training programme for professionals to exchange information and expertise on such behavioural problems. The partners shared good practices on the following topics:

• Recent research and literature
• Understanding the needs of the target group
• Models and approaches for professionals and staff to deal with the issues
• Challenges and good practices
• The treatment of behavioural problems of learners with visual impairment and MDVI
• Adoption and implementation of knowledge and skills
• Reducing stress levels of professionals
• Better achievements of learners with visual impairment and MDVI who have behavioural problems.

Four exchanges took place, each preceded and followed by a range of activities. Each exchange focused on one behavioural issue:

• Nijmegen, Netherlands (Oct 2015): Introduction to three methodologies developed in the Netherlands
• Budapest, Hungary (Jun 2016): Aggression/self-inflicted injuries
• Osimo, Italy (Oct 2016): Behavioural problems related to autis
• Ljubljana, Slovenia (Mar 2017): Transition processes and the relation to difficult behaviour.