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All Special Kids - Parents
Start date: Sep 1, 2015, End date: Aug 31, 2017 PROJECT  FINISHED 

There are several million EU citizens with a disability (a term used for adults at post-school level) or with special educational needs (a term used for children at school level). They are one of he largest groups of disadvantaged citizens in the EU. Every ten minutes another parent receives the news that their child is disabled. For parents, raising a child with a disability can cause more daily stress, long-range health problems, feelings of isolation, high levels of stress, increasing in depression than parenting a child without disabilities. They are always lonely, have to work extra to preserve their marriage, worry about dying. When parents learn that their child has a disability or a chronic illness, they begin a journey that takes them into a life that is often filled with strong emotion, difficult choices, interactions with many different professionals and specialists, and an ongoing need for information and services. Initially, parents may feel isolated and alone, and not know where to begin their search for information, assistance, understanding, and support. One of the things parents learn when they have a child with special needs is that having a child with special needs is not an after school special, a Lifetime movie, or a very special episode of an otherwise humorous show. It's a whole-life commitment, and generally no one really asks them if they are interested before they sign up. Some people romanticize the notion of having a Child with Special Needs. You can hear the capital letters when they talk. They cock their heads to the side and ask you how you are feeling, how you are doing, how you are holding up all the time. They mean well. They think they are being kind. And they probably have no idea why you've stopped returning their calls. 'ASK Parents (All Special Kids Parents)' project has been developed expressly to respond to the information needs of parents-those who have just learned their child has special needs and those who have lived with this reality for some time but who have reached a transition point where they need new information or renewed support. The project is intended as a source of information and reference for parents who have a child with special needs. The intended and most important message of the stakeholders for the parents of children with special needs is making them feel that 'THEY ARE NOT ALONE!' The main aim of "ASK Parents" project is, the promotion of psycho-social adjustment and to raise the quality of life of the families with children who are at risk of development or disabled by guiding, counseling and training services through ensuring active participation in the education of their children. We think that children benefit most from their education when parents and professionals work together as partners. The consortium of the project consists of 6 different countries: Turkey, Spain, Italy, Malta, the United Kingdom and Romania. Our target group is the parents of children with special needs. Each country will work with at least 40 parents (total 240) during the project lifetime. 60 (out of) participants will be the people with fewer opportunities. Project Methodology: 6 Work Packages (WP) will be implemented during the project lifetime. WP1: Management (Turkey) WP2: Research and Development (the United Kingdom) WP3: Development of Open Educational Resources (Spain) WP4: Monitoring and Evaluation (Malta) WP5: Testing and Validation (Romania) WP6: Dissemination (Italy) Project Outputs: O1: Pedagogical e-Guide for Parents of Children with Special Needs (TR) O2: Mobile Phone Application(ES) Project Multipliers: E1: Seminar (TURKEY) E2: Seminar (SPAIN) E3: Seminar (ITALY) E4: Seminar (MALTA) E5: Seminar (UNITED KINGDOM) E6: Seminar (ROMANIA) E7: Conference (TR) Teaching/Leraning/Training Events: 1) Short-term joint staff training events 2) Blended mobility of adult learners Envisaged Impact of the Project: Parents of children with SEN and people and organisations working for these parents will have access to a new innovative tool Pedagogical e-Guide and Mobile-Phone Application which contribute to improve their personal skills and self-confidence. Long-Term Benefits of the Project: In the long run, the project contributes to; - In the future, we will have more informed, talented and more social parents of children with SEN, contributing for a healthier European society.
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