Participants or Recipients--Disabled People's Involvement in a European Programme

Abstract

SUMMARY Drawing on an evaluative study of UK participation in a European disability pro gramme (HELIOS I), this paper explores the extent to which and the ways in which disabled people were—or were not—involved in the programme as active participants rather than passive recipients, at local, national and European levels. TTte findings presented here draw attention to the different perspectives of the programme's various stakeholders and are discussed in relation to two broader themes. The first of these themes is the involvement of disabled people themselves in any programme aiming to promote the full participation of disabled people in society. The second is the role and value of formalized networks as a means of promoting information exchange and learning, as a prerequisite for promoting change in individuals (that is in day-to-day practice) and change in organizations (that is service developments). These two themes are pertinent to current developments in social work, with its explicit attention to anti-discriminatory practice and its strong tradition of valuing the learning gained from experience.