Autistic individuals are characterized by disorders of varying degrees of communication skills, social interactions and limited, stereotyped patterns of behavior.
They are a "mosaic" of strengths, deficits and deviations. Sociocommunicative problematic is often combined with intellectual
deficit, with delay in language development, with deficit of control on impulses and hyperactivity. Parents are also different resources (emotional, family, support systems) to cope with the social trauma inflicted on them.
That's why we chose for ours:
Mission:
Especially important for people with developmental disabilities is, to have equal opportunities for development, equal chances for a dignified and independent life.
Main goal:
Bridging deficits through services, developing personal potential, consistent with the individual needs of everyone.
A bit of our history:
In 2011, parents of autistic individuals, friends and like-minded people, we established the Developmental Disabilities Foundation to improve the quality of life of individuals with developmental disabilities.
Everything we do is to overcome the consequences of social trauma for persons with developmental problems and their relatives. By providing social services in the community, we aim to build self-reliance skills that promote social inclusion.
We hold licenses for: therapy and rehabilitation; community work; training for the acquisition of work skills; support for the acquisition of work skills; informing and consulting; advocacy and mediation and day care.
Each person is unique and has the right to happiness, equal opportunities to achieve it, equal chances for a dignified and independent life.
That is why we created and are developing the Center for inclusive and non-formal education "Art and Jump". In the informal space of the Workshop, children and young people learn through experiences while working and having fun in the Wool and Textiles workshop, the Ceramics workshop and the Digital Competences workshop.
We implement an innovative program of creative educational modules that develops cognitive skills, promotes personal development and increases motivation to face everyday challenges.
As a team, we are clearly aware of social dignity and responsibility. Therefore, we strive for the formation of empathy, tolerance and acceptance of one's own and others' "differences" in the spirit of respect for human dignity and value in society.
"Being different is a privilege"
Autistic individuals need a variety of appropriate forms of support throughout their lives. Therefore, it is necessary to develop and implement individual projects for independent living for each of them. Our foundation pays the necessary attention to the group dynamics in order to build an interpersonal relationship and at the same time relationships in the social environment.
We all know that in Bulgaria there is no network organization of services for people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) at all ages. Therefore, one of the guiding principles in the management of our organization is to ensure the continuity of services for children, youth and adults.
We are currently working with the Autism - Education, Future and Opportunities Association. Combining ideas, resources and tools, we have found an appropriate solution to the problem of the "child with autism in secondary school" challenge. We support the Association in their activities for the introduction of the Competent Learner (CLM) model.
In the House we will further develop and upgrade the model "Workshop for the development of cognitive skills and increase the capacity for autonomy", as well as Dance-Motor Therapy for Psychosomatic Development, which we are currently implementing under the Program of Sofia Municipality for Social Innovations. We will apply innovative management, continuously and long-term, so that we can simultaneously meet social needs and create new social relationships and cooperation.
Working with parents and siblings is another key moment in our planned activities. The effect of therapies and rehabilitation for people with developmental problems is insufficient if it is not integrated with psycho-social interventions with the whole family.
Another important goal of ours is the creation of supported employment, employment support, and social enterprise for our users. We already have a working creative studio in ceramics, Art and Jump Workshop. We plan to develop resilience and create work skills in the field of applied arts for young people with disabilities.