San Salvador - The Practical Guide for the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Community Life has been officially launched nationwide in San Salvador. This initiative is part of the “PODER: Program for Occupational Inclusion, Defense of the Right to Education, and Advocacy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities” project, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation with a total budget of €1.7 million.

The three-year project directly impacts 2,252 individuals (52% women), involving four associations of persons with disabilities across four districts in the country, and is coordinated by five key partners: EducAid, Universidad Centroamericana José Simeon Cañas, Fundación Red de Sobrevivientes, PuntoSud, and the Italian Network on Disability and Development.

PODER focuses on three main objectives: strengthening the advocacy capacity of persons with disabilities and their organizations, supporting vocational training for persons with disabilities, and reducing physical barriers in schools and public buildings through light infrastructural works.

The Guide is the outcome of a participatory process involving project partners, government institutions, civil society organizations, disability rights advocates, community leaders with disabilities, and family members and caregivers of persons with disabilities.

“The Guide represents a set of principles, criteria, and minimum standards designed as a reference to address, through practical solutions, the needs, aspirations, and demands of persons with disabilities,” stated Paolo Gallizioli, director of the AICS office in San Salvador.