3 December is the International Day for Persons with Disabilities. The day stands out as a celebration of all individuals who have faced adversity as a result of a disability, and of people and projects that have tirelessly worked to even the playing field – enabling everyone to benefit from all opportunities European society has to offer. An ESF-funded, Italian project is an innovative example of how social projects help persons with disabilities escaping the war in Ukraine to integrate into society.
P.Ac.S – Percorsi di accoglienza e solidarieta (Reception and Solidarity Pathways) promotes equal opportunities and active participation to improve the employability of refugees from Ukraine, including people with disabilities. The project builds confidence of participants through a wide array of education and training courses, counselling and specialised support – such as provisions for linguistic and cultural literacy, identification of professional skills, housing, and orientation and employment mediation for those actively pursuing employment. The project also focuses on supporting women – of particular importance in consideration of the proportion of women and children needing help upon arrival to Italy from Ukraine.
Through collaboration with government and public services, as well as third-sector, charitable agencies, P.Ac.S has provided both stable housing and work, and built pathways to school inclusion. The project has also built a wide network of actors who raise awareness and advance local welfare systems for Ukrainian refugees through sharing good practices with partners via social networks, and publication of printed project information in both Italian and Ukrainian.
This wide contact includes municipal social services, local health authorities, schools and third-sector agencies, with a focus on reception projects and services aimed at migrants. The project has shown how the development of networks has been far more effective with regard to ensuring persons with disabilities have the care they need, when they need it most – without having to approach services separately.
P.Ac.S was made possible thanks to the adoption of the CARE proposal, as well as a dedicated call for projects to be launched throughout the Lazio region – which have already shown significant, regional support for individuals and families fleeting the war in Ukraine. Through CARE and the adoption of FAST-CARE, Member States and regions have been able to provide emergency support to people fleeing the war, and use the necessary flexibility in cohesion policy rules to allow for a swift reallocation of available funding.
