The Moscow government has allocated a subsidy of 19.8 million rubles to implement an independent living project for people with disabilities, the Department of Labor and Social Protection of the Moscow City reports. The essence of the “Step to Independence” project is to teach people with intellectual and other forms of disabilities to live independently.
“We call this project “Step to Independence,” because young people with disabilities, thanks to this program, really gain independence. Soon we will hold a competition, and we will attract non-profit organizations for the implementation of the project,” said Alexey Petrov, the head of the Department for Social Integration of Persons with Disabilities.
Within the framework of the project, young people and middle-aged people from 18 to 45 years old, with intellectual or other disabilities, temporarily move to specially equipped training facilities. Under the supervision of mentors, they learn to perform all kinds of everyday tasks independently. A specially attached mentor and social psychologist will be near the project participants around the clock.
In the training facilities, the project participants will develop personal hygiene, cleaning, cooking, going to the store, and learning to manage finances. The project will also conduct psychological training to develop communication skills, build relationships with other people, and reveal one’s personality.
The course of social and household rehabilitation is designed for 19 days. At the same time, 36 people with disabilities will be able to enter the training apartments. The course will be able to take 216 people with disabilities.
