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EASPD is the European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities and promotes the equalisation of opportunities for people with disabilities through effective and high quality service systems in Europe. Today, EASPD represents over 8,000 service provider organisations across Europe and across disability. We believe in interdependence and partnership of user organisations, service providers and authorities at all levels to tackle the challenges ahead.

EASPD is the coordinator of the ImPaCT in Europe project, and is especially involved in setting up and maintaining the network of key stakeholders in the field of person centred technology, dissemination and valorization activities.

Contact: Miriana Giraldi, project co-ordinator This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

EASPD web site

AIAS Bologna is a medium-size organisation for people with disabilities and their family members. It has more than 30 years of experience in working with end-users and AT. As a governing principle, it always puts the interest of disabled people at the heart of its practice. Both end-user representation and technical competence are important factors for successful project work.

Assessing and supporting people of all ages with reduced functional autonomy are among the core activities of AIAS Bologna. Its Assistive Technology (AT) Team operates an AT Centre (Emilia Romagna's Regional Centre for Assistive Technology) that has become a leader and model of good practice in Italy, serving the needs of users from a large geographical area (Emilia Romagna and beyond). The centre functions as a key hub in the Regional Government’s strategy of providing quality services aimed at fostering and supporting the independence of disabled people and the elderly. The AT team further operates on behalf of the City Government the Centre for the adaptation of the domestic environment, focussing on the needs of elderly and people with disabilities and aiming at their independence and quality of life.

The AT team is multidisciplinary, and comprises of experts with specialized experience in one of a wide range of areas, such as technology (AT & ICT), education, social, health and architecture. The team has accumulated long-term experience in clinical and project work. The Centre is entirely funded with public money and has no commercial interest. It is thus in a position to provide independent, informed advice to people for whom the right technology, adaptation or strategy can make the difference between exclusion and participation.

Contact: Evert-Jan Hoogerwerf, AIAS Projects Office This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

AIAS Bologna onlus web site(ORG)

AIAS Bologna onlus web site(IT)

CECD Mira Sintra is a non-profit social solidarity cooperative, recognised as a public interest organisation. It was funded in 1976 by a group of parents and professionals, with the knowledge and experience of both parts contributing to the management of the organisation from its beginning. It is considered by INSCOOP the largest Portuguese cooperative organisation in social services. CECD aims to be a reference organization in an inclusive society, promoting equality and respecting the difference. Its mission consists in developing quality services for people with an intellectual disability or multiple disabilities and other disadvantaged people, promoting their rights and improving their quality of life.

More than 800 persons are assisted in CECD services, namely in: early intervention, special education, occupational support, vocational training and employment, lodging and homecare, healthcare and leisure. Our work is developed in close co-operation with the families, regarding mutual aid groups and self-determination groups.

We aim to reach inclusion, so we are placed within the community, in different locations, with specific programmes and multidisciplinary teams, adjusted to the needs and characteristics of the target groups. Our intervention is based on developing person-centred services, according to each individual’s motivations, needs and aspirations.

CECD - Mira Sintra web site

The Centre de la Gabrielle is an initiative of the French Mutualities (Mutualité Fonction Publique) which promotes socio-economic values and practices. Based on the principles of solidarity and social innovation, it has worked since its creation in 1972 to develop various initiatives for children, adolescents and adults with intellectual disabilities.

Quality of accompaniment, whether professional or otherwise, is a necessity for all persons with intellectual disabilities, and the Centre de la Gabrielle is active in monitoring changing needs and developments in public policy in this respect. The Centre's ambitions are far-reaching: to develop research and expertise in best practice, tools, and supporting materials useful for the accompaniment of persons with intellectual disabilities.

Contact: Bernadette GROSYEUX, General Director - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Jean-Raphaël LOIRE, Project Manager - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Centre de la Gabrielle web site

(FAIDD) promotes good life, equality and participation for people with intellectual disabilities and others who need support with learning, understanding and communicating.

Our goal is that all people can live together on an equal footing. This requires appropriate support and sufficient, quality services for people who need them and positive attitudes within the surrounding society. The starting point of our activities is the needs of people who are different and a sincere wish to remove obstacles from the path to a world that is open to all. Public and private services, education, work and culture need to be accessible to everyone. Tikoteekki Centre of FAIDD promotes the best possible communication for people with complex communication needs. Most of the people who have difficulties in either speech reception or expression can benefit from the usage of augmentative and alternative communication methods (AAC methods), communication aids and supportive computer programmes.

In order to reach these goals, we exercise social influence and serve as a centre of knowledge and expertise and a cooperative forum. We engage in a wide range of cooperation with people with intellectual disabilities, their families, and professionals in the field, service providers, organisations, businesses and public authorities. We also keep actively developing our domestic and international networks of cooperation.

Contact: Sisko Rauhala, Coordinator - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

FAIDD - Access and participation for diverse people web site

Hft is a national charity providing local support for people with learning disabilities and their families. Our creative and resourceful approach supports individuals to make choices about the life they want.

People with learning disabilities and their families talk to us about all types of support. Working together we find the best individual solutions. Our flexible approach means we can offer the right support from as little as two hours a week to twenty four hours a day. We work with over 1,000 people with learning disabilities across the UK and 4,000 family carers through our Family Carer Support Service.

Contact: Steve Barnard, Director of Information Strategy - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Hft web site

Learning Disability Wales is the umbrella organisation for over 100 NGOs active in the field of learning disability in Wales. Our member organisations work with, for, and in some cases represent children, young people and adults with learning disability and their carers. They range from being service providers, to advocacy and campaigning groups, to parent carer support groups. In size they include organisations with very substantial income, working across Wales and in England, to small groups with no income, active in a rural community. Learning Disability Wales acts to achieve its mission through providing an extensive information service with publications and a website,  developing a training programme, through highlighting best practice in service design, through hosting advocacy services and vigorously campaigning for the rights of children and adults with learning disabilities at municipal, Wales, UK and European levels.

Contact: Kai Jones, Information Officer - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Learning Disability Wales web site

Modem provides non-commercial advice and training/education about communication devices, adapted software and hardware for people with disabilities and their (professional) environment. Since 1991 already more than 10.000 people were advised by this multidisciplinary team. In ImPaCT, Modem leads the work on the training needs analysis.

Contact: Dirk Lembrechts, Team Leader - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Modem web site

NCHA has developed the SMaRT service in the East Midlands Region of the UK which provides Telecare and Telehealth to over 2,000 people with a range of disabilities and needs in the region. The services also has a team of people who can respond to call for help and visit people in their own home 24hours a day all year round. The service is nationally recognised in England and is promoted by the national government as a model of excellence for others to consider when re-designing services.

Contact: John Bartle, Head of Housing with Care and Support - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

NCHA web site