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There are many things to consider when it comes to the quality of life and psychological needs of people living with disabilities, but one need rarely remembered is their sexuality. A Czech organization called Freya trains people to be sexual assistants who work with people with a range of abilities to learn how to become more comfortable with their own bodies and sexuality and physical tactics to help them do so. The service offers them a chance to experience basic human pleasures, and many testify to how much it has shaped their self-esteem and psychological health.

The Network for Inclusion of People with Special Needs (NIPSN) provides empowerment-based counseling, needs-specific rehabilitation, assistive equipment, and vocational training to people with disabilities. Residents live in a dormitory for up to 18 months while they receive services, including training to use assistive technologies. NIPSN also provides vocational training, like making vases, beads, and soap, which can provide a sustainable livelihood. NIPSN helps children finish school and provides free raw materials, equipment, and a small stipend to help residents start producing goods independently.

A residential home for disabled children in Gomel, Belarus is setting an example for similar facilities by changing the model of care. Designed with the goal of reuniting the children with their families, the facility uses a model of education that aims to support, not substitute families while still emphasizing a "family atmosphere."

Part 3 of the Caregivers Crisis series: In light of a shortage of state group living facilities in Illinois, one family is partnering with a non-profit to retrofit their home into a safe, independent living space for their autistic son, creating a future for him when his aging parents can no longer take care of his daily needs.

Institutionalizing the mentally ill can exacerbate their symptoms, while dehumanizing them and taking away opportunities for agency. For centuries, the town of Geel in Belgium has a government-funded program that places “boarders” in residential homes where they receive care like a family member. The solution to the problem is to not treat the mentally ill as a social problem, but rather as a social norm.

To eliminate the practice of custody relinquishment to mental health services, some states are building more comprehensive systems of care for children that focus on crisis prevention and de-escalation. More accessible and affordable wraparound services have reduced the need for and use of inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations, emergency rooms, juvenile detention, residential treatments, and police involvement.

Several projects are currently working toward full deinstitutionalization by transferring residents of institutional care facilities to community-based homes. In these community homes, residents will be taught the necessary skills to help them reintegrate into society and live independently despite the challenges they may face, whether that be mental health disorders or developmental disabilities. So far, 171 people have been moved out of institutions to group homes.

Lidem, u kterých je vysoké riziko sebevraždy, může pomoct cílená péče na míru. V rámci reformy psychiatrie v Česku vznikají státem financovaná Centra duševního zdraví, která se zaměřují na cílenou, přístupnou a na klienta zaměřenou psychiatrickou a psychologickou péči. Centra zaměstnávají nejen psychiatry a zdravotní sestry, ale též sociální pracovníky, kteří jsou zapojeni do různých aspektů léčby člověka s duševním onemocněním. Klíčový je vztah s klientem, který s lékařem spolupracuje a spolurozhoduje o typu léčby. Služba zatím není v Česku moc známá a pomoc se tak nedostane ke všem, kteří ji potřebují.

The Myanmar-based organization, Strong Flowers, is providing men and women with sex and gender education. Teaching such classes in a notoriously conservative culture can be challenging, but founder Dr. Thet Su Htwe and her curriculum on gender roles, menstruation, gender-based violence, and reproduction have been welcomed.

An apartment complex in Golden Valley, Minnesota offers unique services and support for adults with developmental disabilities. The complex, called New Cornerstone Creek, offers independent living and community spaces for these adults, creating a sense of control and freedom for individuals who otherwise typically live with their family well into adulthood.