AMiD – Access to Services for Migrants with Disabilities

What?

The project AMiD-Access to services for Migrants with Disabilities project aims to support an efficient management of the reception and integration of asylum seekers and migrants with disabilities in the EU.

Who?

The consortium is led by the EASPD-European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities. AER is an important partner in the consortium, representing local authorities. Three AER member regions have an active role in the CAB – Community Advisory Board, which gathers partnership members, European Regions and external experts: Timis County Council, represented by Mihai Ritivoiu, County Council of Värmland by Kenneth Johannesson and Valencian Region-IVASS by Angel Bonafe Osca.

The consortium is composed of the following organisations:

1 European Association of Service Providers for persons with disabilities EASPD (Belgium)
2 Centre for the advancement of research and development in educational technology LTD-CARDET (Cyprus)
3 AER – Assembly of European Regions (France)
4 Solidar (Belgium)
5 Chance B Holding GmbH (Austria)
6 European Disability Forum AISBL (Belgium)
7 Associazione ARCI (Italy)
8 Arbeitsgemeinschaft Europäischer Grenzregionen (Germany)
9 PRAKSIS (Greece)
10 Disabled People’s International DPI Italia Onlus (Italy)
11 Kehitysvammaisten Palvelusäätiö (Finland)
12 Ethniki Synomospondia Atomon me Anapiria ESAmeA (Greece)

How?

The project will result in the creation of a specific NAT-Needs Assessment Tool to be circulated among all actors involved in the welcome of migrants. Such a tool will empower Local Authorities, NGO-Non Governmental Organisations and EU agencies to assess and support with adequate responses migrants and refugees with disabilities, hopefully serving as a foundation for launching a common EU approach to this topic.

AMiD will facilitate the systematisation of a common approach for migrants and refugees with disabilities, improving cooperation among Local Authorities and NGOs.

AMiD will develop Blended Interchange Pathways to improve the knowledge and the responses of multidisciplinary professionals (NGOs staff): Local organizations working with migrants and refugees services, Disabled People Organizations and Service Providers for people with disabilities.

The CAB-Community Advisory Board aims to develop a permanent task-force able to coordinate future common actions together with EU Agencies, inspiring a common European Union approach and strengthening important aspects of the Common European Asylum System.

When?

The project lasts for 24 months. It has been launched in January 2018.

Why?

The project aims to overcome the daily issue that NGOs, local and front-line personnel face to evaluate and consider disabilities while assessing migrants in need of first help by EU Member countries or Frontex.

The registration process, the preparation of staff on the disability domain and a lack for a common EU approach inside the EU do not allow the full implementation of European Council and Parliament Directive 2013/33/EU then later law 4375/2016 and the UN Convention of the Rights of the Persons with Disabilities, ratified by the EU.

Such an initiative appears to be most in line with AER commitment to finding territorial-based solutions for migrants and refugees. The impact of culture on refugees relocation is also taken into account.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s AMIF – Asylum Migration and Integration Fund programme under grant agreement No 776055

What is AER’s role?
AER’s role is to support the systematization of the assessment of migrants and refugees with disabilities and facilitate communication and cooperation among Local Authorities in order for them to make the most of the new evaluation tool. AER has already a track record of collaboration with EASPD-European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities, the coordinator of the project, thanks to AER and member engagement on disability issues. AER is involved as organisation and as members. AER members play a role The CAB-Community-Advisory Board represents the different stages of the assistance to migrants: from the first contact to the reallocation in other EU member states. The three AER members Timis County Council (RO), County Council of Värmland (SE) and Valencian Region (ES) are the voice of local authorities in the CAB. Benefit for AER network AER secretariat is in charge of the management of one part of the project, the Work Package 3, Tuning of Outcomes to European Local Authorities. The objective of WP3 is to support the systematization of a common approach, facilitating the communication and cooperation among Local Authorities. How? In tuning the NAT-Needs Assessment Tool on Local Authorities needs and adapting the methodology to inspire a common way among key actors.

What is AER’s role?

AER’s role is to support the systematization of the assessment of migrants and refugees with disabilities and facilitate communication and cooperation among Local Authorities in order for them to make the most of the new evaluation tool. AER has already a track record of collaboration with EASPD-European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities, the coordinator of the project, thanks to AER and member engagement on disability issues. AER is involved as organisation and as members.

AER members play a role

The CAB-Community-Advisory Board represents the different stages of the assistance to migrants: from the first contact to the reallocation in other EU member states.

The three AER members Timis County Council (RO), County Council of Värmland (SE) and Valencian Region (ES) are the voice of local authorities in the CAB.

Benefit for AER network

AER secretariat is in charge of the management of one part of the project, the Work Package 3, Tuning of Outcomes to European Local Authorities.

The objective of WP3 is to support the systematization of a common approach, facilitating the communication and cooperation among Local Authorities.

How? In tuning the NAT-Needs Assessment Tool on Local Authorities needs and adapting the methodology to inspire a common way among key actors.

The AMiD leaflet and video

The video (long version) of the campaign.

Take a look and disseminate the AMiD leaflet and the AMiD postcard.

The AMiD publications and the NAT-Need Assessment Tool

Here the NAT. The NAT is meant to support front line personnel and migrants in the hot spots and in the reallocation countries. And collect data.

AMiD worked on reports to see the challenges on the services available for migrants and refugees with disabilities.

Read the cross-country report (AT, FI, GR and IT).

The national reports: AUSTRIA, FINLAND, GREECE and ITALY.

All the reports are in English.

The training modules

Module I – Disability & Migration: policy & legal frameworks at European and International level

Module II – Disability & Migration: Promising practices from the field

Module III – Towards personalised & integrated services

Module IV – Needs Assessment Tool and effective communication

The all modules are in English.

Magnus Berntsson, President of AER, presenting the AMiD Project:

Migrants with disabilities are one of the most vulnerable groups of society🤝@europeanregions actively support their integration at local level! Find more #Regions4Integration stories on ➡https://t.co/LvA4LcPSkP @MagnusBerntsson pic.twitter.com/hwKXld8QEc

— European Committee of the Regions (@EU_CoR) July 17, 2019