The Municipality of São Brás de Alportel and the Santa Casa da Misericórdia of São Brás de Alportel sign cooperation protocol for the construction of equipment to support the disabled population.
The Municipality of São Brás de Alportel and the Holy House of Mercy of São Brás de Alportel signed this Tuesday, December 3, International Day for People with Disabilities, a collaboration protocol, which consolidates the partnership between the entities, in the area of social responses directed to the population with disabilities and whose purpose is to build equipment dedicated to carrying out activities and the temporary or permanent reception of young people and adults with disabilities.
The creation of an activity centre and residential home has been a long-pursued ambition for the municipality and is now reaching a crucial stage in its realization.
The provision of land for the construction of this equipment; the completion of the Diagnosis of the Disabled Population and the creation of a Working Group to support this project; as well as the search for financing opportunities are some of the duties assumed by the Municipality; while Santa Casa da Misericórdia is responsible for initiating the project preparation process, as well as supporting the implementation of the Diagnosis and starting the fundraising campaign.
The consolidation of this partnership, through this cooperation protocol, signed this Tuesday, at the Commemorative Session of the International Day of the Disabled, is a very important step that adds to the continuous effort that the Municipality of São Brás de Alportel has been to develop in order to make São Brás de Alportel a truly Inclusive Municipality.
At the session, Vice-President Marlene Guerreiro had the opportunity to present the strategy that the municipality has been developing, namely through the “São Brás de Alportel Accessible for All” Plan, within which countless actions have been developed at the roads, public spaces and buildings, transport and communication, where all barriers to inclusion have been eliminated, a goal that goes far beyond the elimination of architectural barriers.
“In São Brás de Alportel, inclusion is not an exception, it is the rule; it is not a sector or an area of action, it is a fundamental principle that guides our action in all sectors ”, he observed.
A continuous effort that is already reflected in the daily life of Sao Paulo, as he revealed. With the ever-expanding network of accessible rides, the sports park, now fully accessible; the structured teaching units in schools; and the “accessible event” project at the Flowering Torch Festival and the Feira da Serra are some examples presented.
The tourism area is another fundamental axis of this strategy, and the development of an accessible tourism project is currently underway, which aims to make the Heart of the Historic Center accessible to all, with the support of Turismo de Portugal.
On the occasion, there was also an opportunity to know the work of the Inclusion Counter of the municipality, which has in hand the Diagnosis of the Disabled Population.
The mayor, Vitor Guerreiro, stressed the enormous relevance of this project, “fundamental in the development strategy of São Brás de Alportel, where everyone should be happy and have equal opportunities” assured that the municipality is fully committed to its implementation, and will make every effort with the various entities and the Portuguese Government to make this project a reality.
The Provincial of the Holy House of Mercy of São Brás de Alportel, Júlio Pereira, explained that the history of that institution, which spans more than eight decades, has been marked by the progressive creation of 12 different valences and social responses, as a result of the constant analysis of reality and needs in the county.
This new project wants to be different, born of a challenge launched by the municipality and the community, and should be implemented with the involvement of all, in a participated process.
