Byblyos is a KA2 ADU  project (2023-1-IT02-KA220-ADU-000161194) started in 2023. It aims  to make libraries the physical and methodological space where the competences of young adults with cognitive disabilities can be strengthened. It involves Italy (lead partner), Portugal, Germany, Romania and Spain.

There is a deep and unacceptable mismatch between the employment of people with disabilities and that of the rest of the population. This is certainly due to old conceptions of disability (seen as an immutable, individual and health-related condition) but also to the fact that not enough has been done to develop the skills of people with disabilities. 

The Byblios project intends to help replace these old conceptions by creating validated and expendable training paths and protocols for young adults with cognitive disabilities. The space where the experience can be realised are libraries, especially school libraries, quiet places with non-stressful rhythms, located even in small towns which often are far from the cultural mainstreaming.  Now, halfway through the project, some important data are already available on the state of libraries, especially school libraries, in Europe and on the employment of adults with cognitive disabilities, collected through participatory action research. Through focus groups and surveys, it is possible to identify a strong need in all five countries for the renewal of libraries as spaces of service to communities and for the exercise of democracy and the construction of knowledge.

Protocols, models and tools for vocational integration  based on the importance of the context and the involvement of the person with a disability in the design of his or her own life project are now being achieved.