Equal Access through Service Learning for Persons with Disabilities

ling, promoting and guaranteeing equal rights of PwDs in line with the UN Convention on the rights of PwDs (Art.24&9). Primarily, educators and students are the targeted groups. However, through the SL case-studies (CS) impact on the wider community is inevitable. Project Objectives

(1) present, adopt and implement the SL concept;

(2) raise awareness for correct attitude and diminish discrimination against PwDs, disseminate information about their individual needs;

(3) utilize positive practices/existing methodologies to identify and analyze various kinds of handicaps, understand, tolerate differences and include specific needs in the classroom, adjust teaching methods and suggest possible steps to make learning process easier;

(4) learn about the status-quo in the education institutions, analyze how institutions can improve physical environment & offered services to better adapt to special needs of PwDs;

(5) train/empower students to negotiate and initiate changes in their immediate community;

(6) publish guidelines for the educators/students to help them work/cooperate/live with PwDs. (7) set a web site serving as an interface platform among all involved stakeholders;

(8) identify problems in the legislation relating PwDs and suggest appropriate changes/amendments;

(9) use and share gained experiences of the Macedonian and Croatian State Alumni from their exchange in the U.S. to give back to local communities.