A Decade Later: Bolstering People with Disabilities in the Czech and Slovak Republics

Marenka is one of 150 graduates of the "Professional Training Institute and Model Community Living Arrangements" project, which aimed to facilitate the inclusion of individuals with disabilities into all aspects of Czech and Slovak society. Conducted from April 1991 through December 1995, the project was a partnership between JDC and local entities, including the Charles University; BROD (an umbrella organization comprised of 95 disability organizations in the Czech Republic); the Government Disability Board of the Czech Republic; the Prague Wheelchair Users’ Association; DUHA (Rainbow), The Foundation for the Integration of the Mentally Handicapped; and the Union of the Handicapped.

One component of the project was the establishment of the Desider Galsky Training Institute (DGTI) – named after the late President of the Jewish Religious Communities Council of the Czech Republic – to provide professional training in modern Western methods of care. Renowned experts from the U.S. and Israel conducted workshops and training sessions in topics such as special education and mainstreaming, vocational training, job placement and family support. Over one thousand participants attended these sessions, including physicians, educators, psychologists, social workers, government officials, and parents of people with disabilities.

In June of 2004, a gathering at City Hall in Prague commemorated the 10th anniversary of the completion of the project. There, Marenka was reunited with 45 fellow graduates, many of whom had undergone equally powerful transformations as a result of their participation in the program. A decade after their training, DGTI graduates have made notable and important contributions in the field of disability, and have taken on leadership roles in Government and as heads of NGOs that serve people with disabilities.

One graduate, Jirina, cited her involvement in the JDC-supported project as one of the two most important events in her life; the other was the birth of her son, Chaval, who has Downs Syndrome. For the past three years, Jirina has been the director of Rytmus, an NGO that was established in 1995 by the JDC-USAID project. Focusing on the integration of children with disabilities into mainstream schools and supported employment activities, Rytmus began in Prague and is now operating in three locations throughout the country, with a staff of 55 employees. An additional accomplishment, the organization has attained a level of self-sufficiency in the last several years, receiving the majority of its funding from the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, as well as the European Union.

Another significant achievement of the project was the introduction of two Community Living Arrangements (CLAs), managed by the local NGO DUHA, which housed eight mentally-challenged adults. This was the first time that supported living arrangements were established in the country, which had relied heavily on institutionalization during the Communist regime. These successful model apartments demonstrated that, with proper support, adults with disabilities could live as productive members in their communities. Since that time, DGTI graduates have established many more residences of this kind throughout the country, several of which have received Government support and added "supported employment" components.

Sylvie, former DUHA Executive Director and a presenter at the reunion, worked closely with the JDC project staff to open those first community living arrangements. Having a daughter with disabilities, Sylvie was familiar with the problems faced by families with special needs. "I praise JDC and its partners for creating a 'little community' of organizations and individuals working on disability issues – this connection has been vital and I continually rely on this network." Sylvie left DUHA in 1998 to help found a new organization that has since opened seven assisted living facilities. She also works as an independent consultant, traveling throughout the Czech and Slovak Republics, helping others to establish similar facilities.

As part of the day’s events, a photo exhibition entitled "Odyssey," sponsored by DUHA, opened at the City Hall to raise awareness about people living with disabilities. Before the official exhibit opening, members of the Prague Jewish Community choir sang Hebrew songs for the audience. Many participants expressed joy at hearing Hebrew in the main official building of a city that lost the vast majority of its Jews in the Holocaust. The Jewish Community also hosted a reception and dinner for those who attended the reunion that same evening.

During the reunion, Czech and Slovak officials and professionals affirmed the project’s contributions to the field of disability and the strengthening of what began as a fledgling NGO sector. Firsthand accounts of participants attested to the far-reaching impact of the project, and corroborated the findings of an independent end-of-project evaluation carried out in June 1995 in which evaluators stated: "We concur with the observation [made by a Czech government official] that when the history of people with disabilities in the Czech Republic is written, the JDC-AID Project will be viewed as a watershed event."

Following the success of the initial project and recent reunion, funds are now being sought to enable project graduates to serve as consultants in additional countries of Central and Eastern Europe. This work would include courses for the project graduates to update and strengthen their skills, and provide assistance with developing networks internationally.