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Initiative

«Dikaioma»: Online legal database for the codification of legislation on the rights of people with autism and training of the public and private sector on these rights

«Dikaioma»: Online legal database for the codification of legislation on the rights of people with autism and training of the public and private sector on these rights
SUBMITTED FROM:

AutismThessaly

In 1998 a small group of parents, desperate for the lack of services and the indifference of the state, following the example of the actions of parents from other European countries and willing to fight, with the full support of fellow citizens, decided to establish the association to support people with autism in the area and their families. Then the lack of a similar body in the wider region of Thessaly created the need to provide services in other prefectures of Thessaly. Today, the action of the association has a nationwide scope.

The members of the Association are parents and friends. Friends - volunteers support our activities and literally contribute to the development of the club.

With the support of scientists specializing in autism, the purpose of our Association is:
 informing and raising awareness of local authorities and the community on issues of autism
 finding people with autism in the area in collaboration with local authorities
 the education of parents, students and teachers
 the organization of conferences and symposia
 working with research experts to promote autism
 



Objective Action

In recent years there has been a large increase in the number of people with ASD, but this has not been accompanied by a corresponding organic increase in information and awareness-raising activities on the rights of these people. International treaties and the national legislative framework have created a basic safety net, but there are huge gaps in terms of information and ultimately the implementation of the rights of people with ASD. Due to the plethora of scattered laws and regulations, asserting and implementing the rights of people with ASD becomes extremely difficult.

The wider community is unaware of the issue, public officials are not familiar of the subject, families and individuals themselves face stigma and are unaware of their rights, and professionals have an ever-increasing need for training and updating their knowledge.

The aim of this project is to address these specific and urgent needs:

- To raise public awareness on the rights of people with ASD

- To train public officials dealing with issues of legislation and rights of people with ASF

- To empower people with ASF to become advocates for themselves

- To support families by providing them with a useful tool to understand the rights of their supported members and to claim their implementation to improve their daily lives.

- To inform and educate professionals in the field who are also often unaware of the network of the established rights of people with ASD and the ways to claim them.

The body has found that there is a significant lack of organized initiatives at the level of information on issues related to the legal framework and the rights of people with ASD and some efforts made so far have been fragmentary. The only relevant activity that exists is the Observatory on Disability Issues of the National Confederation of Persons with Disabilities (ΕΣΑμεΑ) (https://www.paratiritirioanapirias.gr/el), which aims to monitor and evaluate disability policies across the spectrum of public life in the light of a rights-based approach to disability. This very useful project is however much more general as it includes all mental, cognitive, sensory and mobility disabilities and does not aspire to be a handy and usable tool for searching and claiming specific rights.

 

Target Audience

Direct beneficiaries of the project DikaiοmΑ: People with ASD, families of people with ASD, caregivers, public officials of mental health - social solidarity - education, mental health professionals, associations of families of people with ASD.

Indirect beneficiaries of the project DikaiOma: extended family of people with ASD, local community, other professionals, policy makers.

 

Duration

01/04/2021 - 31/3/2022


Description

The project «DikaiOma»: Online legal database for the codification of legislation on the rights of people with autism and training of the public and private sector on these rights" was implemented in the framework of the Active citizens fund programme, with the Association of Parents, Guardians and Friends of People with Autism of Larissa as the implementing body.

The "DikaiomaA" project arose from the need for information, education and support to claim the rights of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

The plethora of scattered laws and regulations makes it difficult for people with ASD to claim and implement their rights, not only for their families but also for the public officials and other professionals involved in serving them, with the result that both people with ASD and their families do not ensure equality and equal opportunities for all.

The institution sought to contribute to the solution by creating an easy-to-use online legal basis. The legal base contains codified legislation relevant to people with ASD while providing information and support to a set of connected users involved.

In the context of this action, the database is updated at least annually or regularly for significant changes in the institutional framework of the existing legislation.

Access to the platform is free of charge. By accessing the platform http://dikaioma.autismthessaly.gr/ the user can select one of the pages at the top of the bar

On the page "THE PROJECT" there is a description of the project and then information about the Active Citizens Fund, the EEA Financial Mechanism, the Bodossaki Foundation and Solidarity Now.

On the "SEARCH" page is where the user can search within the legal base using key words or phrases.

At the bottom of the page there is an option to go to the Contact Form where the user can send a query in case they have not been "covered" by the content of the legal base.

On the page "SUMMARY OF THE LEGAL BASIS" page contains all the categories and subcategories of the subjects of the legal base with short and concise texts to help the user to make a brief legal preview of the subject of his/her interest.

The "LEGISLATIVE BASE" page contains the legislation by thematic section. In detail, there are 12 Thematic Sections, possibly divided into subsections and some of them into subcategories.  The title of each Section / Subsection / Subcategory explains the content of the information it contains. In terms of content, it is noted that in some cases only the provisions of interest to autism legislation have been separated from the whole body of legislation, as there are many pieces of legislation with numerous regulations. Furthermore, as regards the validity of the content of each piece of legislation, the title of each piece of legislation indicates the date on which it was last updated.

On the 'FAQs' page there are questions listed by subject. This section contains questions and answers that are frequently asked by families or professionals. The text of the answers is subject to the disclaimer included in the terms of use herein.

On the "NEWS" page the user can be informed about the actions and results of the project and can also find material such as photos, videos and brochures.

Also on the right side of the page there is access to the legal categories.

The website also offers access to the categories of the legal basis.

At the bottom of the platform there are contact details of the project manager as well as the Terms of Use of the platform.

The user can also access the platform from the Association's website www.autismthessaly.gr.


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Impact on Society

Work produced: codification of legislation on the rights of people with autism, creation of an easy-to-use online legal database, public and private sector information, raising awareness of the community (citizens and institutions).

Outcomes : access to knowledge for all, for people with ASD themselves, their families, their carers, professionals and public officials. Provision of information and support to a set of connected user involved stakeholders.

The impact of the project can be summarised as follow: removing barriers and facilitating access to rights for people with ASD and their families; reducing the stress for families and people with ASD themselves as they and the relevant services are unable to resolve various issues; reducing the time spent by both families and public officials/professionals in searching for relevant legislation.  Also this action will strengthen other parent associations and public officials/professionals in supporting families.

 

The programme in numbers

From December 2021 when the legal database platform was completed until today (March 2022), the following have taken place:

4 workshops 523 participants

6,044 visits to the project website

2,500 likes on posts about the project on social media

1 guide (training - information material) on the legal basis

Dozens of publications and reports in the printed and electronic press.



Initiative Location

The main place of development and creation of the project was Larissa, with scheduled face-to-face workshops in four different cities.  However, due to the covid-19 pandemic, the workshops took place online.  This gave the opportunity to people from all over Greece to participate and be informed about the creation of the platform and how to use it.


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Working with Organization

The project "DikaiomA" was implemented in the framework of the Active Citizens Fund programme with the Association of Parents, Guardians and Friends of Autistic People of Larissa as the implementing body. 

The Active Citizens Fund programme, amounting to € 13.5 million, is funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway and is part of the European Economic Area (EEA) funding mechanism for the period 2014 - 2021, known as EEA Grants. The programme aims to strengthen and enhance the sustainability of civil society and to highlight its role in promoting democratic processes, enhancing citizens' participation in the community and defending human rights. The Active Citizens Fund grant for Greece is managed jointly by the Bodossaki Foundation and SolidarityNow.


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Workers Participation

The project employed two employees of the organisation who were responsible for research support and project communication, while two subcontractors were involved in the codification of the legislation and the creation of the online legal base.

Also, staff from the structures of the association participated and supported specific project activities, which led to better information of the beneficiaries and recognition of the importance of the rights of people with ASD.


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Benefits for Οrganization

The resulting synergies and partnerships have had significant benefits for the organisation.  The creation of the legal basis encouraged the staff of the organisation and made them more capable of providing accurate information to families - professionals - public officials, spending less time working.  The provision of information on the existing legislation by the Organization to families and institutions was fragmented and took place before the legal basis was created. However, the whole process was extremely time-consuming, difficult and very demanding as the information had to be verified in various ways in order to be valid. The updating of the legislation at regular intervals pushes the body to create a more organised service to support families of people with ASD and public officials / professionals.  Already during the workshops held, a desire for cooperation has emerged both with public bodies (Ministry of Education, Municipal Community Centres, legal professionals) and with other non-profit organisations dealing with people with ASD and their families. Also, through the project the organisation offers free access to knowledge, contributes to strengthening the voice of people with ASD and the dissemination of information.




Connection with Global Goals






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