AAPEI

ASSOCIATIVE PROJECT

AAPEI

OUTLINE

ASSOCIATIVE PROJECT History

Who are we?

Our values

Our goals

The structure

The “SISES” (School and Social Integration Service) as an example

HISTORY

In 1976 young children's parents faced with their children's deficiency and difficulties, as well as the ignorance toward mental disability, came together to share their concerns.

They organised themselves to meet unsatisfied expectactions and end of 1978 they funded the non-profit general interest association under the French law of 1908 : the « AAPEI (Association of parents with mentally disabled children and friends) of Strasbourg and its surrounding area », whose main objectives are to be attentive to families' needs, to advise them and guide them.

HISTORY

A real challenge was given to our society: our children had to live with their differences with and among the others. »

The AAPEI of Greater Strasbourg, a non-profit family association of parents with disabled children and volunteers began as organisations administrator with a first school class set up in 1980 to meet at the time the need to send mentally disabled children to school.

HISTORY

« Family action », one of AAPEI’s main goal aiming at promoting relations between the association and families was a strong commitment for the first years. It enabled the life development of the association its events, picnic, walks, and thematic meetings. Training actions and diverse fund raising activities were subsequently organized.

WHO ARE WE ?

30 years have gone by. AAPEI now has a senior management an administrative and financial management, as well as a welcoming and logistic facility, all found within the head departments

Thanks to a strong commitment and collaboration efforts from parents, administrators, senior managers, employees, 10 reception structures and facilities have been opened in the most diverse sector:

WHO ARE WE? early care, early childhood welcoming structures early care of children and teenagers suffering of autism and multiple disabilities.

education, home care, integration,

social care, professional training, protected work, housing, visual arts, sport, culture, With the support of general departments: administrative, financial, logistic and training

WHO ARE WE? To date 600 mentally disabled children, teenagers and adults have been able to benefit from those areas created and managed by the AAPEI in collaboration with 214 employees

To meet in the best way as possible its objectives and to guarantee its efficiency the AAPEI has been enhanced by 13 voluntary commissions with around sixty active members who are continually commited in favour of the 630 families among which 270 are members of the Unapei (National Union of parents with mentally disabled children and their friends) movement. The coordination of these commissions is carried out by a Vice-President.

OUR VALUES

They fall into the values of the Movement with which the AAPEI agrees: nationally as far as the Unapei is concerned, locally at the level of French regional and departmental level as far as the Urapei Alsace is concerned.

Our values are based on the term family in the broad sense and on its main role toward mentally disabled persons concerning their reception, care, and social integration.

Those values are the following ones:

OUR VALUES

Dignity and citizenship : The mentally disabled person are full citizens and benefit from rights admitted to any human individual. They fulfill obligations to which any citizen is bound.

Into this light the association promotes the dignity of mentally disabled persons and this is reflected in the respect of all their rights as well as their requirements, their choices and their freedom of speech.

OUR VALUES

Participation: the association promotes the right to every mentally disabled person and to its family to take fully part in their life project and decisions that concern them, regardless of the degree of their difficulties and in accordance with those.

OUR VALUES

Solidarity: it is the pillar in the action of the association which is a place for exchange, welcome, care and support combining expertise and humanity. The AAPEI of Greater Strasbourg also cares for those who have not found a suitable solution to their situation. This solidarity is present and expressed among all the actors of the association : the persons welcomed, families, volunteers and professionals

OUR VALUES Life quality: through its material and human means, through the expertise of its professional and volunteer team, the association works to improve the life quality of mentally disabled persons, ensuring:

that their dignity are respected their integration into society is encouraged, a change in the way society perceives and accepts mentally disabled persons

that their specific needs and development is taken into

consideration.

their well-being,

that necessary adjustments are carried out in order to face the socio-economic change.

OUR GOALS MISSIONS

• to prto ptto

promote and manage suitable services and structures to meet needs for support and guidance.

• to enable personal development within the city • to bring together families faced with disability• to represent them before the diverse decision

making authorities (ARS, MDPH, CG…)• to protect the general interests of mentally

disabled persons and their families• to develop dialogue, exchange, and collaboration

with other associations working for the same cause

THE STRUCTURE

In compliance with its statutes the association is organised according to the action of its Management Board and its numerous committees which guarantee the dynamic and coherence of its functioning.

The different actors’ responsibilities are clearly identified (administrators, volunteers, employees) in order to enable the best cohesion within this structure.

THE STRUCTURE The General Assembly (GA) remains the sovereign body. The Management Board, chosen during the annual general meeting is responsible for the associative project.

The committee is chosen within the Management Board: the chairman, the deputy chairman, the vice-presidents, treasurer, secretaries, assessors.

An Executive Board is responsible for following conducted actions as well as for connecting the different commissions with the Management Board.

THE STRUCTURE

In accordance with the law n°2002-2 of January 2nd, 2002 social and medical-social action, in each center and service managed by the AAPEI, a council for social life has been set up; different administrators elected by the Management Board take part in meetings of the CVS and embody it.

THE STRUCTURE

Thanks to the work achieved by many volunteers who get involved in many different commissions, mentally disabled persons and their families meet an adapted care fitted to each other’s needs.

The president and the Management Board work in close cooperation with the chairman. This latter gives an overview of each centre during management board meetings.

THE “SISES”

Service for social and educational integration

Objective:

• Promote the well being• To enable each one to live with their difficulties• To enable the acquisition of as much practical learning as possible related to daily

life• To suggest a progressive social inclusion for each child• To promote the acquisition and the development of basic learning (reading, writing,

arithmetic)

THE “SISES”

Areas that should be developed:

The educational line: aims at:

• School and pre-school learning

• Cognitive experience linked to the child’s skills

• Increasing the points of interests

• Inviting curiosity in

LE SISES

Areas that should be developed:

The educational line: aims at:

• Getting to know each other• Learning to live together• Discover and act on your environment

THE ‘SISES’Areas that should be developed:

The therapeutic line: aims at:

• Guiding in the development of the relationship and communication in all its forms (verbal or non-verbal)

• Helping children to give sense to their way of being and their way of understanding the world to enable an harmonious development

• Guaranteeing a support to their family

THE SISES

Means of intervention: Educational and teaching areas

Children are cared for in group of small numbers (7 to 10), 5 classes geographically located within many primary schools

A specialised school teacher and one educator co-organise the school day

THE SISES

The intervention means:Educational and teaching areas:

School time enables:

To continue with first part learning

To implement educational tools adapted to children’s capacities and personality

To promote and develop educational basic educational learning

THE SISES

Children share many moments of the school social life: break time, canteen, cultural activities, sports activities and take part in other transferred classes with other classes from the reference school

THE SISES

After school activities :

• Wednesday morning: focused on leisure activities and social inclusion

• Children are taken care of by the educational team which suggest diverse

activities strengthening social development, cultural and social inclusion.

After school activities : After school activities :

LE SISES

After school activities:

• Children are taken care of in the unit or the socio-cultural centre for a specific activity, integration is done in small groups and the follow-up care is done by a unit educator.