Fundación Crescendo

Providing quality residential and community services for adults with disabilities.

Adults with intellectual disabilities in Chile only have State support to 26 years through special schools and then that this population graduated, not account with alternatives to continue to develop skills or prepare for adult life inclusive, taking many times to return to their homes without any kind of activity. To the this happen, the problem becomes even more complex, given that by staying at home, often a member of the family is who should take care of persons with disabilities, limiting that this member of the family can continue with their life project, impacting also the possibility that there is another income provider for that home becoming a vicious cycle that leads to this group finally to poverty and exclusion. On the other hand, the vast majority of our users are over age 40, which means that their parents or primary caregivers are older adults, those who begin to face health situations, sometimes severe, limiting them to give optimum care children requiring residential support, so that children with disabilities can live there while their parents become responsible for their own situations and not be alter the quality of life of the entire family group. Finally during the last two years, at the hands of the achievements of our users, we have been able to move towards an initiative of labor inclusion, allowing people with disabilities moderate to severe to have a real opportunity to exercise a role of labor in inclusive conditions and contact with the community.

Our day Center enables adults with intellectual disabilities participate in a space where strengthen their potentials and develop new skills, and may consider a life project, involving activities of leisure, participation, volunteering, life skills, and prepare for the world of work. On the other hand our Community House allows that 7 users reside in that place, mention that within these 7 residents, there are two who are in a situation of abandonment, i.e. do not have any family support, which meet in a place that provides them with basic services, a place with warmth of family and a space that you feel as their own to live with a group of friends. In addition we are facing daily to the possibility that a new user requires a residential space so the possibility of opening a new residence always is present. The opening of the employment initiative called You Visit, will work space as minimum 15 people with disabilities in different tasks, this real opportunity to work is rare in our country, given that the opportunities of labor inclusion is given mainly to those with less disability and those who require more support normally are marginalized.

Promote the development of personal skills and strengthen existing ones, of adult persons with intellectual disabilities in a situation of dependence on mild to moderate, facilitating self-determination, social inclusion, and improvement of the quality of life through day Center, coffee tea Bicite and House community services.

Respect and recognition of the talents and abilities of people with intellectual disabilities and from that facilitate the exercise of their rights, participation, and finally its inclusion. To achieve all this, the most effective strategy is to involve the community in the processes that our users live, where you have the opportunity to give its support for the achievement of goals for persons with disabilities, particularly seeing the results.

Global Ministries Contact
Mr. Ricardo Tucas
rtucas@iach.cl
http://www.crescendo.cl