Jarek Marciszewski, a Community Story from Poland
39 years old. Sociologist and coordinator of international projects at the Polish Association for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (PSONI) chapter in Gdańsk. From 2008 to 2020 I've been involved in informal education of adults with intellectual disabilities, volunteering abroad, conducting music classes for people with intellectual disabilities (Remont Pomp band), empowering people with disabilities through socio-cultural projects.
I learned about EPALE while being involved in the implementation of the Lifelong Learning and the Youth in Action programmes. I had also come across information about EPALE through publications produced by FRSE. I registered on the platform in 2014.
From my personal perspective, EPALE means multiple things. It is a source of knowledge about projects supporting people with intellectual disabilities, but it also provides an opportunity to promote the activities carried out by our organisation and by our partners. It is also a platform where I can find prospective partners for future initiatives.
COVID-19 had a major impact on my working life during the first phase of the crisis, at the point when the lockdown was announced. Most of our activities had to be moved online, which was not an easy task. People with intellectual disabilities belong to a group that is digitally excluded to a significant extent. We have had to introduce a large proportion of our user group to new tools and teach them how to use them independently. It is an ongoing process.
Currently, most of our activities are back to being carried out face-to-face. Unfortunately, the international meetings, which we conduct as part of adult education, have suffered. Most likely, this year we will not be able to participate in any of the four international meetings that we had planned. We also have problems in attracting volunteers from abroad for our activities, partially because of the virus situation itself, but also because of the regulations that prohibit people from outside of the EU from coming to the association.
At present, the education process continues as it was before the epidemic. We meet regularly in our facilities, but we also work online. Our projects are focussed on strengthening digital skills (Inclusive Digital Academy) as well as leadership skills (The Search for the Holy Grail), therefore a portion of this work can be carried out online.
For people with intellectual disabilities, even the utilisation of the online tools (Messenger, Facebook, YouTube, Gotomeeting, etc.) was something which was new to them and it has had a significant impact on strengthening the competencies of our participants.
Some have made remarkable progress, while others are still learning how to use the new features of certain apps and online tools. Moreover, we had to find more creative ways to conduct the music classes with our band during the lockdown. Nowadays, we use the experience gained during the rehearsals to create new songs. It is also worth emphasising that many participants with disabilities have learned to use the new tools on their own (e.g. a messenger group) and can now also communicate with one another without the support of therapists. As the person responsible for certain activities, I had to switch to leading two groups in a completely new way. The first one was the Remont Pomp band, where we had to conduct online rehearsals. It was a challenging task, mainly because whenever you are communicating online there is always a slight delay with regards to receiving the audio, so playing together in real time was not possible. As a result, we had to find completely new forms of conducting classes, where, for example, a 1-second delay is not an issue. This was all the more interesting because it opened up completely new possibilities.
Another project, entitled “The Search for The Holy Grail,” focusses on the relationship between the person with a disability and the therapist. We ask where the Holy Grail is in this relationship, what is most important to them and what helps to foster change, to help them to become independent. During the online meetings we collected stories about events from the lives of the participants, which will serve as inspiration for the creation of a movie and an e-book. The stories can be read here.
The process of teaching digital competencies to people with disabilities was an interesting experience. It is a task that requires maximum patience, but it gives tangible results.
During the lockdown, the participants were very pleased to see us and it was clear that they had a great need to meet online. The classes also played a huge integrating/social role during a time when disabled people were cut off from their usual daily activities. We continue to use those new tools even to this day; whether to communicate with the team or to facilitate communication amongst project participants.
What is the main difference between distance learning and classroom-based activities?
It depends on what we want to teach. In activities that require creativity, coming up with ideas and collaboration, and exchanging ideas, digital tools can sometimes make communication difficult and make the process longer. On the other hand, they provide users with an opportunity to meet virtually anywhere and at any time.
With regards to conducting music classes online – it lacks a very important element - playing together (listening to each other, playing along with other participants, etc.), but it provides an opportunity to develop new tools, which were previously unknown in musical work.
This experience has certainly highlighted several facts. One is that people with intellectual disabilities are digitally excluded and, as we know, over time, this exclusion will distance them from society even further. Therefore, it is necessary to implement projects that will help those individuals to use the new digital tools. Personally, I will also use the experience we gained during the lockdown. One example would be what I learned during the process of logistical organisation within the team.
