THE ASSOCIATION
The idea comes from the necessity to ensure my son with the maximum independence possible during our lifetime as his parents in his immediate adulthood, and to plan his future as safely as possible when we will no longer be able to take care of him. This personal need was analyzed and consequently expanded into a broader and more objective vision of creating a living environment where people with different disabilities can live together, supported and assisted by a team of professionals coordinated by a cooperative society. Often, people with disabilities are moved away from their families and suddenly placed into a completely different environment. This is always done very professionally, with care and supervision by existing associations or cooperatives that already take care of them. What is sometimes missing, however, is the direct involvement of parents or legal guardians.
Sometimes it is the organizations that do not allow much involvement, but far more often it is the parents or legal guardians themselves who prefer, for various reasons, to keep their distance. In this project, it is not the disabled person who is placed into an existing context that must adapt, but rather the context itself that adapts to each individual participant of the project, which is conceived with this purpose. Through an approach opposite to the one normally used, the beneficiaries will be directly involved, aiming to promote their independence also through opportunities and choices that will be given to them. This type of approach to manage the current project arises from the observation of other similar realities that already work very well in the area, and others that, instead of promoting independence, simply provide support to families struggling to manage disability within their own homes.
I believe that the participation of parents and legal guardians in the management of a housing unit conceived in this way, in a more active manner than I have observed, is fundamental for the long-term sustainability of the project. This is the main reason why I believe there should be a cooperative of professionals managing all aspects related to educators and healthcare workers, while the association that manages and coordinates everything should be based on the parents or legal guardians of the beneficiaries.
Samantha Monza
President and founder of Noce Bianco APS ETS
The project of our Social Promotion Association aims to build, or acquire and renovate, a house with five apartments for people with severe disabilities and is designed to implement a life program suitable to meet their needs and requirements with the purpose of social inclusion, care, and assistance. The personalized project is based on the full involvement of the person with a disability and/or their legal representative, on improving their autonomy through a process of acquiring skills, abilities, and competencies, and on the gradual transfer of caregiving responsibilities managed by the family to assisted living solutions in a residential unit, identifying the goals to be achieved and the appropriate support from a human, instrumental, and organizational perspective. It is intended to promote support pathways for living at home in a residence that replicates the real conditions of a family home.
