The Association of Persons with Neuromotor Disabilities from Romania

1. A H N R The Association of Persons with Neuromotor Disabilities from Romania

2. Founded on February 13, 1990 as the first NGO for physical disability from Romania, AHNR is the association with the most intense legislative lobbying and advocacy activity in the disability domain from Romania. As a national representative association for the neuromotor disability, AHNR’s mission is to defend and promote the rights and interests of all persons with disabilities from Romania.

3. Activities • Constitutional activities • January 1990 - November 1991 • On the initiative and proposal of AHNR an • article for the special protection of persons • with disabilities has been introduced into • the new Constitution of Romania • (Art.46). • This article became Art.50 of the revised • Constitution of Romania in 2003. For this activity AHNR received a Letter of Recognition from Mr. Antonie Iorgovan – the president of the Commission for the elaboration of the new Constituion of Romania.

4. B. Legislative Activities 1990 -1992 AHNR made and sent over 67 amendments to the special commissions of the Parliament of Romania to make changes of the draft of Law 57/1992 regarding the employment of disabled persons and Law 53/1992 regarding the special protection of disabled persons. 1996 - 2001 Representatives of AHNR made numerous interventions and presented over 30 amendments in order to modify the Governmental Order 102/1999. AHNR elaborated the legislative proposal on „Equalization of opportunities for persons with disability” to which 350.000 persons with disability from 11 nongovernmental national organizations, 36 local organizations and 40 national and local civic organizations adhered. This draft legislation was registered at the Senate of the Romanian Parliament.

5. For the lobbying activity, Mr. Jacques Chirac – at that time mayor of Paris, sent a Recognition Letter to Mrs. Monica Antoci – founder and president of AHNR from 1990 to September 2006 when she passed away.

6. Member associations of AHNR AHNR has member associations in 7 counties across the country Salaj Cluj Arad Hunedoara Caras Severin Arges Mehedinti

7. C. SPECIAL ACTIVITIES As the first NGO for physical disabilities from Romania, AHNR has initiated and developed a lot of pilot programs and projects. 1. National Training Program for Parents with Disabled Children - Pilot Program (1992-1995) developed in 8 stages and with the participation of 256 parents and specialists across the country. 2. National Program of Management for Leaders of Member Associations (1992-1994) developed in 3 stages. More than 45 representatives of AHNR’s member associations participated in these courses. 3. National Program for Promoting Training of Program Coordinators for the Integration of Children with Moderate and Severe Neuromotor Disabilities into the Community. Co-ordinators of this program are parents and persons with disabilities - on voluntary basis - of AHNR’s member associations. 4. National Program Integration into the community of children and youth with severe neuromotor disabilities” 1992 – present, through education and training, medical rehabilitation, complementary and occupational therapy, music and play therapy, art therapy and creative activities, free time and sport activities, counseling services for the parents.

8. 5. The National Program „Open society for everyone” (1996-2001) – aimed to make proposals for a new disability legislation in Romania and to lobby for its passage. 6. The „CASA” Project (1999) The aim of theses projects was to set up of the first Counseling Centers for Women with Neuromotor Disability within AHNR’s member associations from Arad, Arges, Cluj, and Salaj. 7. „ELECTIONS 2000”- January – December 2000 – Pilot Project in Romania aimed to create a network to: 1) educate and call the electorate –persons with disabilities- to participate in the presidential and parliamentary elections and 2) to raise awareness of candidates to the presidency and parliament on their responsibilities and need of a coherent governmental policy in order to remove the barriers which stop persons with disabilities to participate in the life of the society. 8. The DEEP (DISABLED WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT & ENERGY PROJECT) - project developed within the SOCRATES Programmes of the European Community 1999 – 2001 – in partnership with Forum - Women and Disability in Sweden, NADF - National Association of the Disabled in Finland. The aims of these two years project was: 1) training of disabled women to start peer groups of disabled women; 2) producing national and European resource materials for peer groups; 3) building national and international networks.

9. „TOWNS FOR ALL” - 2001 – 2005 - initiated by AHNR in collaboration with A-RENINCO-R (the Association of the National Network of Information and Collaboration for the Integration in the Community of Children with Special Educative Needs from Romania) is the first national campaign for raising awareness on the importance and right of persons with disabilities to have access to education, training, employment, public buildings, outdoor environment, culture and to information. This program was structured in three stages as follows: • 2001 – 2002 - “Towns for all – towns for children” – national public campaign for making schools accessible for children with disabilities too. • 2002 – 2003 –“Towns for all” - national public campaign for making public buildings, housing, outdoor environment and transportation accessible AHNR dedicated this campaign to the European Year of Persons with Disabilities – 2003. • 2003 – 2005 – monitoring the way this public campaign has determined both on national and local levels to make public buildings, housing, outdoor environment and transportation accessible for persons with disabilities.

10. National Program „Announcement of disability” 2002 - 2008 – a pilot program for Romania which represents the starting point in the promotion on protection of the rights of the child with disability, in preventing the abandon and institutionalization of these children. • The first stage represented the first national campaigne for information, communication and education in order to change the attitude and behaviour of all persons who are involved in making an „announcement of a disability”. On the other hand the program helped to raise awareness of medical experts and specialists in rehabilitation on the need of “being human” in announcing the family that the new born has an impairment or a disability or that one could occur later on in its life. • The second stage was aimed to elaborate the First Guide for the Announcement of Disability from Romania “Announcement of disability at hand for everybody”. This guide is addressed to the parents and the family of the child with disability, to adults with disability, experts and to the whole community where the disabled persons has to be integrated. • The third stage was aimed to set up Counselling Centres for the Announcement of Disability and to form resource parents within AHNR’s eight member associations headquartered in the following Counties: Arad, Arge, Caras-Severin, Cluj, Hunedoara, Mehedinti, Ialomita and Salaj.

11. Other Activities Within its member associations AHNR organizes training courses for persons with neuromotor disabilities, for their families as well as for specialists involved in its activities. AHNR is also editing, printing and disseminating information through its own brochures and News Letters. 1998 AHNR translated and published for the first time in Romania „The sexuality of physically disabled persons” – author Dr. Fejes Andras, Hungary. 2000 within the DEEP (Disabled Women’s Empowerment & Energy Project) project developed within the SOCRATES Programs of the European Community – in partnership with Forum - Women and Disability in Sweden, NADF - National Association of the Disabled in Finland, AHNR elaborated and edited in cooperation with the project partners the first Guide for Peer Support for women with disabilities “Dive deeper”. In 2001 AHNR translated the guide into Romanian language. 2002 AHNR translated, published and disseminated from French language “Working therapy”. 2003 AHNR translated, edited and disseminated the toolkit “Civil Rights Law and Persons with Disabilities” published in 2000 by Disability Awareness in Action. 2004 AHNR edited, multiplied and disseminated the following documents: “Advocacy campaign - to support a legislative proposal”. “Announcement of disability - at hand for everybody” – the first Guide in Romania for announcing the presence of a disability. “Procedure of qualifying persons with disabilities in accordance with the Hungarian legislation” a document elaborated by the Ministry of Health, Family and Social Problems from Hungary.

12. AWARDS received for its activities

13. DIPLOMA OF EXCELLENCY offered by Mr. Emil CONSTANTINESCU - President of Romania, May 11, 2000

14. NOMINATION WITHIN THE ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN CATEGORY ON THE OCCASION OF THE FIRST CIVIL SOCIETY AWARDS GALA for the project „Towns for al l – Towns for children” December 20, 2002

15. The GOLD MEDAL and HONORARY CERTIFICATE offered by FIMITIC (International Federation of Persons with Physical Disabilities) July 11, 2003

16. WINNER IN THE CATEGOTY „DEFENDING THE INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE RIGHTS” THE CIVIL SOCIETY AWARDS GALA – SECOND EDITION for the project „Announcement of the disability” 10 December 2003

17. President of AHNR elected in 2010is Mr. IonAdrian Mihalcea Cell phone: 0728 346950 E-mail:mihalceaionadrian@yahoo.com Vicepresidents of AHNR Mrs. Doina TUDORICĂ President of the Association for Protection and Support of Persons with Physical Disabilities - APAHM – Cluj Mr. Stefan STEINER President of the Association of Persons with Neuromotor Disability - AHN – Reşiţa General Secretary of AHNR Ecaterina-Ani JÄGER President of the Association of Persons with Neuromotor Disabilityfrom Romania - AHNR – Arad jagercaty@yahoo.com Contact: tel/fax: 0257 272707 E-mail:office.ahnr@yahoo.fr http://www.ahnr.ro