The Mayor of Seville City Council, Juan Espadas, and the Rector of the Pablo de Olavide University (UPO), Francisco Oliva, were responsible for closing the conference ‘Empower Youth Without Limits: employment, accessibility and participation of young people with disabilities’, which was held this morning in the auditorium of the University.
Juan Espadas stressed that the City Council generates specific employment programmes, “being very aware of the reality” of the most vulnerable groups, such as the disabled. He also pointed out that the European programmes demonstrate that they work and can be replicated in the rest of the European Union countries.
For his part, Francisco Oliva has indicated that this type of action “has the value of involving young people with disabilities; and listening to them first hand is an essential element for social justice. The objective of the UPO has always been full inclusion, because if we achieve university success, employability will improve”.
The conference, organised by the Provincial Federation of Associations of People with Physical and Organic Disabilities of Seville (COCEMFE Seville), in collaboration with the Pablo de Olavide University, was attended by around a hundred people with and without disabilities, and was interpreted at all times in sign language. This marks the end of the European programme ‘Empower Youth Limits’, co-funded by Erasmus+ of the European Union.
During the event, a common space of knowledge was created around the participation of young people with disabilities in public spaces, and a debate on the commitment that must exist in order to advance towards the maximum inclusion of this group.
The Director General for People with Disabilities and Inclusion of the Department of Equality, Social Policies and Reconciliation of the Andalusian Regional Government, Marcial Gómez, pointed out that without employment and accessibility it is difficult for young people with disabilities to participate actively in society, and for this to be real and effective, personal assistance is very important.
The president of COCEMFE Seville, Juan José Lara, stressed the need for “greater application of the law to guarantee the rights of the group, and the study of students in both primary and secondary education”.
Also taking part in the event were the Vice-Rector for Culture and Social Policies of the UPO, David Cobos; the Director General of Vocational Training for Employment of the Andalusian Regional Government, Joaquín Pérez; the Director General of the Andalusian Youth Institute, M. Carmen Poyato; the Director General of Employment and Support for the Economy and Social Innovation of Seville City Council, María Paz Lagares; and the Academic Director of Integration and Functional Diversity of the UPO, M José Parejo. Also present were the Deputy Mayor of Seville City Council and delegate of the Area of Social Welfare, Employment and Integral Plans for Social Transformation, Juan Manuel Flores; the delegate of Social Welfare and the delegate of Education, Youth and Sports of the City Council of Bollullos de la Mitación, Clara Monrobe and Manuel Varilla.
The Federation’s European projects technician, Encarnación Barrera, explained the project and young people with disabilities shared their experiences.
To conclude the meeting, an activity was carried out to raise awareness about wheelchair mobility, through a circuit in which several obstacles had to be overcome.
The adapted transport for young people with disabilities was made possible thanks to vehicles provided by COCEMFE’s 2020 Call for Proposals and the Carrefour Solidarity Foundation.