The family support organisation provides training of social and independent living skills and daily activities skills. Visitors are trained self-service, to keep oriented in other environment, to go shopping, to serve food and clear up after eating, to clean the facilities used, to use domestic appliances; they are informed of and trained in other social skills. Visitors are also trained in various crafts – sewing, felting wool, stringing beads, needlecraft, cross-stitching, etc. Furthermore, artistic skills, such as postcards and bookmarks making, trimming, plastic art, and healthy living habits are developed. Visitors are taught to organize craftwork exhibitions, are engaged in various fairs.
The family support service provides employment services after work. This service is important to those parents who have to work long hours or leave somewhere and manage their own affairs, be involved in different activities, participate in events, finally to relax.
Two personal assistants of the society “Vilnius Viltis” visit disabled people and their families at home. The main objective is to help and train self-service, to deal with household duties (to cook simple meals, clean after eating, do dish-washing, etc.), use domestic appliances. Moreover, disabled persons could be trained to handle money matters, plan expenses and income, and save money for holidays. Assistants help and train disabled persons to go shopping, attend other major institutions and bodies.
Personal assistant’s help
A personal assistant provides a wide range of help to persons with intellectual and complex disability. A personal assistant accompanies disabled persons visiting various institutions (employment, training, rehabilitation , healthcare bodies), helps in dealing with different documents, visiting other institutions providing public services (municipality, ministries, banks). He or she helps disabled persons to choose training, vocational education, accommodation establishments, appropriate for their needs.
Work assistant’s services
A work aasistant provides help to persons with intellectual disability in solving such issues as employment, job search, work motivation, incentive to participate in professional rehabilitation. A work assistant teaches and helps persons with intellectual disability to find job, suitable to their working potential, needs, wishes, with desirable work schedule; helps them to adapt in a new environment, to stay in employment. In support to job search an assistant undertakes a lot of work with young people themselves, finds out requests, possibilities, motivation to learn and work. In the light of the situation an assistant recommends disabled persons which kind of speciality to choose and where to learn. He or she cooperates with different social partners, such as employment agency, employers. An assistant agrees with an employee upon work conditions, working time and mode, according to a person’s possibilities and wishes, solves conflicts, teaches disabled persons how to introduce oneself to an employer, helps to draft up the CV, pays particular attention to enhancing motivation.
Development of artistic skills
The purpose of artistic activity therapy is to enable a disabled person to reveal his or her artistic skills and relax. At the artistic activity sessions disabled persons are learning to draw, paint, mould, act, etc. Communication is particularly important at arts lessons to enable visitors become a solid, united group. To ensure a sincere, friendly contact with disabled persons work in groups or in one single group is chosen. At the art lessons music is often listened to, as it enables to relax emotionally and promote creative mood. This artistic activity session takes place at the society “Vilniaus Viltis” office every Tuesday form 4.30 p. m. We invite everyone to actively participate.
Dances
At the beginning of the session physical exercise is always offered to encourage movement. Afterwards dances begin. Every week disabled persons are taught new steps, sometimes theatrical elements are used to release emotions. Quite often visitors can dance as they wish in order to relax. At the dance session communication is particularly important to let people find each other and avoid loneliness. A group is friendly, therefore it covers such activity elements as celebration of birthdays, tea drinking, long conversations, with the aim of preventing feeling of alienation and becoming a full-fledged member of the society! Dance sessions are held on each Friday at 5 p.m. at Vilnius “Atgaja” school, Viršuliškės str. 103.
Consulting, information and representation
Society “Vilniaus Viltis” is not only the largest organization uniting persons with intellectual disability and their families in Vilnius, the organization is also famous for having the most updated and the most relevant information related with persons with intellectual disability: legislative acts, services, allowances and many other issues. It is difficult to keep up abundance of ever-changing information, thus the society “Vilniaus Viltis” and its employees/volunteers are ready to help each other and their members. We strive for being independent and be aware of our rights and protect them.
Organisation of sociocultural events
Every year the society „Vilniaus Viltis“ organizes sociocultural activities of the disabled and their family members, submits applications to theatres, companies organizing concerts with request to provide with free tickets or discounts. Together with a member of the organisation, a guide Marija Šimonelienė, a variety of excursions in Lithuania, foreign countries and Vilnius city are organized, sometimes for free.