EQUAL II Programme

In line with including the patients–members of MDA Hellas in the workforce, we participated in the EQUAL II Programme, a major endeavour funded by the EQUAL Community Initiative.

The title of the programme was “Enhancement of the Capabilities of Individuals Suffering from Neuromuscular Diseases through the Development of a Pilot and Innovative Distance Learning Programme – EPIMENO”.

Over the two-year duration of the project, MDA Hellas collaborated with the Hellenic Pasteur Institute, the University of Patras, the Agricultural University of Athens, the Athens University of Economics and Business, and Omega and EXACT-DEYP, two companies active in IT services and education..

The objective of the project was to tackle the unemployment and inadequate vocational training for people with neuromuscular diseases. This innovative pilot programme aimed to equip them with competitive skills so they can be promoted in the labour market.

Within the framework of the project, the activities of the associated actors focussed on:

• The creation of a training platform using technologies for distance learning and conventional development of thematic training modules (related to demand in the labour market), enabling telecommuting or part-time work
• The establishment and operation of a support office, whose mission will be the counselling and psychological support of people wishing to integrate into the labour market
• The creation of a pilot group of patients who will be integrated into the vocational training and integration system in the labour market

It is around these objectives that a number of individual tasks have already been launched; these are related to the nationwide recording of people suffering from neuromuscular conditions (myasthenia, muscular dystrophy, etc.), to sensitizing employers in particular, to informing the general population and to exploring issues relating to the obstacles and opportunities arising from the existing institutional and legal framework.

Finally, we have launched a large, new and multifaceted project aimed at informing and raising public awareness in regards to the rights of people with disabilities, as we consider social awareness to be of great importance.