Programs in
Assistive Technology Education
for End-Users in Europe

Name of the organisation
    ANLH - ASSOCIATION NATIONALE POUR LE LOGEMENT
    DES PERSONNES HANDICAP ES asbl
Address
    Rue de la Fleur d'Oranger, 1 bte 213
    1150 BRUXELLES
    BELGIUM
    Telephone: +32 2 7721895
    Fax: +32 2 7792677
Key Person of the organisation
    Anne-Catherine Jooris, staff member

This is an organisation of persons with disabilities, mainly involved in information/advice, providing services, public awareness raising and training/education. This last type of activity is addressed to persons with disabilities and personal assistants, with a strong accent on autonomy and independent living of persons with disabilities, but without particular emphasis on AT.

Educational activities began more than ten year ago and mainly comprise activities addressed to the individual, covering most of the considered options (peer counselling, advocacy, information service, self-help). They are addressed to persons who live (or wish to live) in the "Cité de l'Amitié" (City of Friendship) or in other adapted apartments in town, helping them to cope with home life, find the best technologies and/or get used to those present. The organisation also deals with any other problem that concerns community life (legislation and administration, but also social and psychological matters).

This kind of education is strongest when an apartment is assigned to someone for the first time: it involves explaining the house rules, as well as demonstrating how to use the technologies available to the user (especially the telephone communication system, which includes a 24-hour help line). Given the technological complexity involved, some of these educational activities can be considered actual individual training sessions in the use of these instruments.