At the beginning of October, our two employees Anne Unfried and Mathieu Ratajczak traveled to Tallinn (Estonia) to observe at our new Erasmus+ partner, the Astangu Vocational Rehabilitation Centre.

The Astangu is relatively similar to the Euro-BBW: it also offers vocational preparation, vocational training, support services (like physiotherapy etc.), some kind of integration counseling and housing for the rehabilitants, but unlike the Euro-BBW it does not have its own vocational school. The Astangu also offers workshops for people with cognitive impairments. There are currently 124 rehabilitation students between the ages of 16 and 64 and 97 employees.

Each rehabilitation student has his or her own team, including a case manager as the main contact person, who provides individual support to the learners and works with them to implement their plans for the future. The goal is the transition to the job market, but sometimes the rehabilitants also continue their education.

Astangu is also a center of excellence for vocational rehabilitation, disseminating best practices and promoting the development of the social and educational sectors. It is the only institute of its kind in Estonia run by the Ministry and offers mentoring to other organizations. Astangu also assists in adapting workplaces to the needs of people with disabilities by providing training to employers and colleagues and by helping with applications for necessary technology and structural changes (paid for by the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund).

This Insurance Fund supports people aged 16 and over who are able to work, partially able to work and not able to work: People with an impairment or also people who are raising their children or are in military service. There has also been a paradigm shift in Estonia, as the focus is no longer on the deficits of these people, but on their strengths and abilities. Depending on their ability to work, these people receive financial support on a monthly basis.

Our two colleagues were particularly impressed by the Amanita project, which was initiated and organized by a single person (Indrek) and financed in part from his private funds. The project offers jobs to people with disabilities according to their individual abilities, as well as various housing options.

Our colleagues wrote a detailed travel blog during their stay in Tallinn. There you can find a lot more information and photos about Astangu, the EDGAR or Jobpics project as well as about the problems Indrek is facing every day: https://www.tumblr.com/estonia22.