Organizacje samopomocowe jako forma wsparcia dorosłych osób z głębszą niepełnosprawnością intelektualną oraz ich rodzin

Abstract

The uncertainty connected with the future of growing up people with mental disabilities includes such areas of life as employment, creating a family, care, and finances. Caregivers and therapists are asking themselves questions on how to raise their protégés while retaining the balance between control and autonomy of functioning while passing through next steps of life? How to support growing people with disability? What tasks to put before them? While looking for answers to such questions, one should listen to the needs of the interested party, to take their opinion into consideration and respect their right to self-determination. The potential of disabled people is being put to work by self-help groups. The aim of their work is to help adults with disabilities and their families as well as prevent social exclusion. Since the 1980s. friendship associations are playing an important role in the area of self-help organizations working in Poland. This elaboration presents the work of the Brown Bear Community Foundation (“Fundacja Wspólnoty Burego Misia”) as an example of the described type of non-profit organization. The essence of the community is relationality, described in literature as the concept of companionship. It is an integral part of the process of normalizing the environment and including disabled people into the life of the local community.