The Malta Independent on Sunday
Youngsters with intellectual disability complete programme focusing on daily skills
Nine participants successfully graduated from the Stepping Out Programme 2017/2018 an educational service offered by Equal Partners Foundation and sponsored by Fundación MAPFRE.
The programme was targeted towards youngsters between the age of 14 and 20 with a form of intellectual disability, aiming to instill essential skills for them to function in higher education, in the workplace and eventually for independent or supported living. Educators also focused on teaching participants about the use of money, street behavior, orientation in different contexts, the use of computers, social media and other topics which are essential for young teenagers.Beneficiaries also participated in a live-in, in which they spent 3 days away from their home, practicing independent living skills.
Throughout the programme, regular supervision, discussion and collaboration between all parties concerned is carried out, to ensure that the adolescent does not work on the targeted goals during the programme but event in his/her daily life.
Equal Partners Foundation is a parent-run, non-profit foundation supporting families with children and adults with disabilities and/or learning difficulties. The support programmes are highly individualized and delivered within the community, in the natural environment where the individual requires support, including in homes, schools, places of work and recreation and the community at large. Equal Partners seeks to support people with disabilities and learning difficulties toward a more independent and meaningful life within an inclusive society.