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 with project results 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 autism

• Ljubljana, Slovenia (Mar 2017): Transition processes and the relation to difficult behaviour.