International Conference for the Families of the People with disabilities

Action Synergy has participated in the final conference of the E-SUNET project which was organised in Cyprus in the 4th of November in Nicosia. E-SUNET project aims to support the families of the people with disabilities to help their family members towards the direction of individual autonomy.

The conference was the final of a series of actions that took place during the two-year duration of the project. The activities of the project culminated in the development and finalization of an e-learning program, intended to strengthen the autonomy and self-determination of people with disabilities.

The event attracted high participation from Cyprus and abroad. It was massively attended by members of the Muscular Dystrophy Association Cyprus (MDA), as well as from other organizations of people with disabilities such as the Cyprus Confederation of Organisations of the Disabled, the Federation of the Blind, the Cyprus Paraplegic Organization, the Federation of the Deaf, along with their relatives and friends. People with disabilities and their informal carers constitute the main target groups of the project and the e-learning course developed. Stelios Stylianou from RTD TALOS was the person responsible for the overall coordination of the event.

Kostas Diamantis- Balaskas from Action Synergy, coordinator of the project, has presented the E-SUNET project.

The event was opened by Mr Pambos Papadopoulos, President of the Muscular Dystrophy Association Cyprus (MDA) who welcomed the public by emphasizing the importance of support actions for people with disabilities as well as for their informal carers. Mr Kostas Kadis – Cypriot Minister of Education and Culture as well as mr Andreas Assiotis, General Manager of the Ministry of Labour and Welfare, addressed the participants on behalf of the Cypriot government. Both stressed the importance of continuous training and life-long learning initiatives for people with disabilities and informal carers as a means of safeguarding the rights of people with disabilities.

More speeches were made by project partners and other associates. Mrs Petya Grudeva from Bulgarian organization Zgura M who presented the key points of the educational materials. Mr Panayiotis Proestos, Psychologist and Associate of Muscular Dystrophy Association Cyprus demonstrated in what way the educational materials could be useful to family members and informal carers of people with disabilities. Dr Rumen Stamatov, Head of Psychology Department at Plovdiv University, Bulgaria, presented a synopsis of project results and emphasized on the opportunities for further development with a focus on self-control.

You can find more information about the project in this page.