Almost HUF 300 million worth of tenders were issued to organizations of people with disabilities or organizations that help them, the State Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior responsible for care policy announced on Monday in Budapest.

Attila Fülöp at the Attitude Rehabilitation Center said that the tenders were announced in three categories. One of the target groups of the first call, with a budget of more than two hundred and five million forints, is people living with disabilities, the development, expansion or launch of new services reserved for them, helping their leisure activities, and another target group is the further training of professionals working in this field.

The other category is used to support the training of assistance and therapy dogs, with a budget of HUF 54.5 million. The third 35.5 million tender is for the affected parents, as their mentoring and training is also needed

Attila Fülöp said.

He added: the details of all three tenders can be found on the website of the Margit Slachta National Social Policy Institute (nszi.hu/palyazatot), civil organizations and religious legal entities can apply for the tenders within thirty days of the June 12 announcement.

"The government's message of the three hundred million forints is that, even in this difficult time of war, we want to preserve the resources that we provide to our compatriots in need and with disabilities for the services that are important to them and their families, as well as to the professionals who deal with them"

- emphasized the state secretary.

Nyikes Fatime, the president of the Buda-area Visually Impaired Public Association (Buláke), called it a "huge step forward" that in 2019 elementary rehabilitation received a legislative background, so its funding is included in a separate budget line.

Since then, a national network has been built in which we can fully provide the elementary rehabilitation of the visually impaired, he added.

He said

"elementary rehabilitation" helps those who lost their sight in adulthood to an extent that prevents them from leading an independent life.

"We teach them everything from street traffic to the use of smart devices, which is necessary for a meaningful, independent life," said the president of Buláke.

He emphasized: the tender opportunities with which they can carry out their professional work at a high level are very important for civil organizations. Elementary rehabilitation deserves to have a place in the social system, emphasized Fatime Nyikes. He added that the tenders that have just been announced will significantly help their operation.

Gyöngyvér Kállai-Mikola, the professional manager of the Attitude Rehabilitation Center, spoke about how

they work for the independence of visually impaired people, so they are currently affected by two tender opportunities.

On the one hand, the application for guide dogs for the blind, which contributes to the independent transport of visually impaired people, and on the other hand, the application that supports the vocational program for people with disabilities.

The latter has a role not only in the implementation of professional programs for people with disabilities, but with its help, professionals can also deal with relatives - noted the professional manager of the Attitude Center.

On the attitude-shaping days organized at the center, relatives can try out different activities in simulation glasses, thus experiencing the situation of their relative, since these glasses reproduce exactly the kind of vision with which their family member lives. Such programs make it easier to live together, so "they can become much better helpers in their own families," the specialist explained.

MTI

Source of the cover image: Facebook/Attila Fülöp