In partnership with The Republic Centre for Support of Persons with Intellectual Disability – PORAKA, the Peace Corps Volunteer Ariel Lawson secured funding and resources for realization of a project that foresees activities for creation and implementation of training series for parents of children with intellectual disability, members of PORAKA Radovis and PORAKA Strumica.
This project provides tailored special needs trainings to parents and families that include them in the development of their family members with intellectual disabilities. These project activities will have parents and families participate in trainings on empathy building, goal setting, teaching independent life skills, and ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis). Trainings will be facilitated by professionals.
The project has three components.
1. Parent training series: Parents and families will participate in a training series facilitated by professionals in the field of disability and qualified Peace Corps Volunteers.
Trainings will be on the following six topics: empathy building, goal setting, teaching independent life skills, behavior as communication, Applied Behavior Analysis, and seizure First Aid.
2. Practical application sessions: In instances where trainings are purely information and lack interactive elements, these in between sessions will be used to work on practical application of the gained knowledge. This also includes creating materials discussed in previous sessions together or discussing potential challenges. Four planned practical sessions will accompany the following sessions: goal setting, independent skills, behavior as communication, and Applied Behavior Analysis.
3. Individual consultations (offered throughout the duration of the 6 months training series): To address concerns expressed by parents in their surveys, the Peace Corps Volunteer and local PORAKA representative will work one-on-one with interested parents. These consultations will address practical application of the knowledge taught to each unique situation.
This project will enable parents and families to not only participate in the development of their child but help shape its goals and implementation as well. The first workshop was held in the premises of the Day Centre in PORAKA Radovis on 24th of April, where issues concerning setting development goals for persons with intellectual disability were presented and elaborated. Representatives of the Executive Office of PORAKA, Vaslika Dimoska MD, and Vlado Krstovski presented the individual approach in the work with beneficiaries of the social services of PORAKA.
