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About UNAPEI |
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UNAPEI : A federation of organisations for parents and friends of mentally disabled persons.
Since 1960 Unapei, along with its confederate organisations, has attempted to change society's outlook towards mentally disabled people. These organisations have striven for the integration of mentally disabled people in our society so they can live with dignity mainstream society.
Unapei organisations seek to bring about an evolution in ways of thinking about the mentally disabled, estimated at 600 000 in France, to prevent their suffering from prejudice and discrimination.
There remain today many needs for specialised places and care systems. Unapei constantly reminds its fellow organisations of these diverse needs. To achieve this, Unapei regularly organises awareness-raising events for the general public and government decision-makers.
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| Unapei: presenting the figures |
- 750 organisations
- 60 000 families
- 75 000 professionals
- 180 000 people with mental disability
- 2 700 placements and service providers
- 30 000 vulnerable adults
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Creating solidarity
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A federation of 750 organisations with 60 000 families, Unapei is an important national movement and a network which works practically at a local level. Unapei shapes the key directions of this federation and guarantees the coherence of its actions. Therefore, Unapei serves other organisations by counselling, supporting, representing, defending and training their collaborators. In order to improve the perception our society has of mentally disabled people, Unapei engages all people concerned with handicap to sensitise and inform the wider public through numerous events and publications. |
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The disabled person, a full member of society
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The disabled are at the centre of Unapei's values and campaign. They must be considered as human beings with a full part to play in the community. They have the same rights and duties as other people. They have their own aspirations and plans. Within the limits of their abilities, they contribute to the life in our country. They should be recognised as full members of our society. |
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Specific needs
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To work, to train, to have a family, to choose a place to live and to move around freely,... Having a disability can be restrictive and can even impede free access to social functions. Mentally disabled people find it difficult to make decisions, to choose, to conduct their life... In order to help them profit from a greater autonomy and social integration, they need to be guided and supported according to their needs, their projects and the degree of their disability. |
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Fighting for Dignity
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Dignity is the word that which best translates the way Unapei considers handicap and describes its actions objectives: disabled people must be respected and considered as human beings and full members of our society. Today this combat for Dignity still remains entirely necessary as a third of the mentally disabled people continue to live without any solution and another third under conditions which are not adapted to their needs. Finding solutions, improving those already existing and creating new ones, helping each disabled person to find their place and have their chance in our society, helping them to become actors of their own life, this is the first step on the way towards Dignity. This is the objective and major challenge of Unapei and the organisations which it represents. |
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A Lobbying group
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As a federating movement, Unapei represents and defends the interests of disabled people and their families when dealing with structures taking decisions which concern them directly. Unapei verifies that the fundamental principals of the policy in favour of disabled people are respected. Unapei unites and mobilises people and constitutes a body which emits propositions: defending, searching, adapting, negotiating, contesting...
Unapei works with the national, European and international bodies.
As a pressure group, its role is to act as a counselling organisation and a partner of public decision-makers. It enables the other organisations which compose Unapei, as well as the families, to benefit from a legal framework and concrete measures which defend and improve the Dignity of disabled persons. |
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Developing reception
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During the last twelve years, Unapei has succeeded in creating pluri-anual plans, new places in specialised structures and services. Each year, Unapei studies and defends about 70 cases for the creation of new establishments through public authorities. In the field of schooling for mentally disabled children and teenagers, Unapei continues to act in order to help them being attended in a way which is adapted to their needs. |
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Services
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Unapei serves both the organisations which are member of the federation, and parents, friends, professionals and other interlocutors (elect, officials, company managers, journalists....), by offering information, counselling, training...
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The services of the national head-office
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Unapei head-office offers various services whereby organisations, establishments, individuals... can benefit from counselling and information.
The legal department helps individuals and organisations by giving advice and information in different fields: family rights, legal protection, old age for disabled people, evaluation of the disabled person's needs, grants, the rights of people in health establishments, insurance and heritage rights.
The training centre proposes various training units, organised locally or in Paris, concerning the major preoccupations of organisations, parents and professionals.
Reception answers the first interrogations and then orients the individuals them towards organisations which are closer to where they live.
With the help of external partners, the new technologies and a facilitated communication service, develop tools which enable mentally disabled people to use computers and the Internet. They can thus benefit from what these tools offer. Certain tools and methods are elaborated to give easy access to written documents or oral communication in order to increase their participation in making decisions about subjects which concern them.
The service for accessibility and integration serves to develop mentally disabled people's social and professional integration by working with external partners. It aims at a globalisation of a pictogram which indicates places and services accessible to people having orientation or communication difficulties.
The documentation centre proposes more than 1300 referenced written works to organisations and individuals, and has a video library.
For further information, please contact: public@unapei.org |
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UNAPEI - Union nationale des associations de parents, de personnes handicapées mentales et de leurs amis
15 rue Coysevox - 75876 PARIS CEDEX 18 - France
Tél: 01 44 85 50 50 - Fax: 01 44 85 50 60 - Courriel: public@unapei.org
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